The Brazil Initiation Scholarship (BIS) is a key component of BRASA‘s agenda to expand Brazilian Studies in the United States. BRASA invites applications from graduate and undergraduate students for a one-time $1,500 travel scholarship to do exploratory research or language study in Brazil. This scholarship targets aspiring Brazilianists with relatively little or no experience in Brazil. It seeks to contribute to the student’s initial trip (for a period from six weeks to three months), to heighten the student’s interest in Brazil, and deepen his/her commitment to Brazilian studies in the United States. Students are encouraged to combine this scholarship with other grants or awards. Recipients will be recognized on the BRASA web page in January 2011. Funding will be disbursed prior to travel. BRASA will award four fellowships in this competition.

Eligibility

Proposals for the BRASA BIS will be reviewed according to the following criteria:
Highest priority will be given to applicants who are outstanding college seniors, recent college graduates applying to graduate programs in Brazilian studies or in Latin American studies with the intent of focusing on Brazil, or new graduate students already focusing on Brazil;

• Students from all disciplines in the humanities and social sciences are eligible. In exceptional cases, applications from the natural sciences will be given consideration (for example, someone in environmental sciences who is writing a dissertation on the Amazon or pollution in São Paulo and who plans to continue research on Brazil);
• Preference will be given to those applicants who have little or no in-country experience in Brazil;
• A student requesting funding to undertake an exploratory research trip should present evidence at the time of the application that he/she has achieved at least an intermediate level of competence in the Portuguese language  sufficient to carry out the proposed research;
• An applicant seeking support to undertake language studies should present evidence that after returning to the US he/she intends to continue studying Portuguese and plans to engage in research on Brazil;
• Successful applicants may combine BIS with other grants, scholarships, or awards, as long as he/she specifies clearly how the funds are going to be spent (for example, the BRASA scholarship might be used to cover travel costs, while a grant from another source could be used for living expenses, etc.).

Application Process

A complete application (partial applications will not be considered) will include the following documents:

1. The application cover page (download form);
2. A two-page prospectus (double spaced, 12-point font);
3. A two-page résumé or CV;
4. A budget specifying how the $1500 will be spent;
5. In the case of undergraduates or recent college graduates, a letter of intent to study Brazil in graduate school;
6. If applying for exploratory research, include a two-page bibliography on the subject of study, and present evidence that the applicant has achieved at least an intermediate level of competence in Portuguese (competence can be demonstrated by a transcript or a letter from a university instructor of Portuguese);
7. If applying for Portuguese language study, the name of the school should be specified;
8. Proof of membership in BRASA
9. Two letters of recommendation from professors; and
10. Copies of undergraduate and graduate transcripts.

(The letters of recommendation and transcripts may be mailed directly to BRASA at the address below.  All other materials should be submitted together either as PDF or MSWord files in a single email to  brasa@vanderbilt.edu<mailto:brasa@vanderbilt.edu>.)Evaluation Criteria and Selection Process

In order to be considered for the scholarship, the two-page
prospectus should:

• Clearly and coherently outline the project’s engagement with Brazil;
• Demonstrate as precisely as possible the feasibility of the proposed project (exploratory research or language study) and how it will contribute to the student’s academic development;
• Briefly discuss the role the work undertaken in Brazil will play in shaping the applicant’s future course of academic study (for instance, it could be the seed project for a larger grant application, provide the basis of a paper prepared for presentation at a BRASA conference, or serve as the foundation for future research on Brazil).

Report

Upon completion of the research experience in Brazil, recipients are required to file a two-page, double-spaced report with the BRASA Executive Director summarizing their activities and identifying relevant academic outcomes. In addition, a statement accounting for the expenditure of funds must be sent to the BRASA Executive Director. If the scholarship was used to study Portuguese, recipients should attach a certificate from the school where language studies were conducted. Following completion of studies in Brazil, BRASA strongly encourages recipients to participate in a subsequent BRASA congress in order to report on their activities.

Deadline for application: October 15, 2010

Awards will be announced by January 31, 2010

To submit a proposal and for all other correspondence regarding this award, contact:

BRASA
VU Station B 350031
2301 Vanderbilt Place
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, Tennessee 37235-0031
U.S.A.
615-343-1764 (tel)
615-343-6002 (fax)
email: brasa@vanderbilt.edu