Human Rights Lab BA Fellowship

About

The Human Rights Lab offers a BA Fellowship opportunity for rising fourth-year students writing a BA thesis, in any department or program in the Humanities and Social Sciences Division, whose topic relates particularly to mass incarceration, policing, the criminal legal system (e.g. solitary confinement, the criminalization of sexuality and reproduction, police misconduct and violence, felony disenfranchisement, selective enforcement, alternatives to incarceration), and human rights broadly defined.


The Lab BA Fellowship provides:

- A research grant of up to $500. After acceptance into the program, Fellows submit a detailed budget for approval of up to $500 in funds to support research, including stipends for interviews, meals, books, and local travel.

- Support on methodology for human rights research and writing

- Facilitated peer workshops where students have the opportunity to share drafts and to give and receive feedback from other Fellows

- Opportunities to connect with scholars and community leaders with lived experience on related topics

- Access to shared workspace in the Pozen Center
 

All students admitted to the program are required to enroll in “Human Rights Research and Methods,” which is offered as a one-credit course in Autumn and Winter respectively. Human Rights Lab BA. This is a non-traditional course that meets 4-5 times per quarter, likely late Friday afternoon. 

Fellows enroll in each of the two offerings, for a total of two credits over the academic year. We will work with you to ensure you meet your course requirements. 

The Human Rights Lab piloted the inaugural cohort of the Lab BA Fellowship during the 2019-20 academic year. You can browse through the names, majors, and thesis topics of students in past BA Fellowship cohorts here and view this year's BA Fellowship cohort page here.

Apply

This year's application is now closed. 

We understand that your thesis topic may still be in flux; this does not mean you can’t apply. We’re interested in seeing that you’re considering what questions you want your work to investigate, but it’s expected that such work hasn’t fully taken shape. 

The application asks you to list two academic references who can speak to the substance and/or quality of your work. Your references are not required to provide letters up front, but they may be contacted as part of the application process.

Questions

Please contact Lab Director Alice Kim with any questions.