Charles Redd Center Visiting Fellowship in Western American Studies

Brian Cannon Announcement
Location
Utah, United States
Subject Fields
American History / Studies, Native American History / Studies, Borderlands

 

The Charles Redd Center for Western Studies at Brigham Young University invites applications for its Visiting Fellow Program in Western Studies for 2018-2019.  University faculty of all ranks, independent scholars, freelance authors and other public intellectuals who are working on a significant article- or book-length study regarding the American West are eligible to apply for the position.  The Visiting Scholar may be in residence for 2-4 months.  The Center will provide a stipend of $2,500 per month for 2-4 months, office space, a networked computer, campus library and activity privileges, and limited photocopying and printing.  Upon request, the Center will provide a part-time research assistant. Applications for September 2018-April 2019 are due March 15.  

Julianne Newmark of New Mexico Tech described her experiences as a visiting scholar. "During my months as a Redd Center visiting fellow, I had an incredibly productive time, compiling hundreds of pages of manuscript notes drawn from my archival research in the L. Tom Perry Special Collections library and completing two scholarly articles. This archival research material has laid the foundation for my second book manuscript and such productivity would have been impossible without the singular focus on research afforded by a long-term fellowship like the Redd Center's.  With a beautiful office to use, a helpful group of people at the Redd Center to consult, and the collegiality and intellectual inspiration of the BYU community to inspire me further, I was able grow as a scholar and build my own record of publication."

John Turner of George Mason University wrote, “The Redd Center's Visiting Fellow program was essential to the successful completion of my research. It granted me ready access to the extensive archival and library holdings at BYU, as well as enabling visits to other repositories in Utah. The Redd Center also facilitated affordable housing, many conversation partners, and a productive writing environment.”  

Application packages should contain a formal letter describing the applicant’s background, research interests and desired dates of stay; a CV; a one-page discussion of the applicant’s research project and its significance; and the names and contact information for two references.  Electronic applications are encouraged and should be submitted to amy_carlin@byu.edu  Alternately, applications can be mailed to:

Charles Redd Center
for Western Studies
954 SWKT 
Brigham Young University
Provo, Utah 84602,

by the postmark deadline of March 15.   Incomplete applications will not be considered. Announcement of the awards will be made by May 1.  Award recipients will be required to submit a one-page report of work completed for inclusion in the Center’s annual report. 

Visiting Scholars enjoy the luxury of focusing almost exclusively on their research and writing.  Visiting Scholars fully participate in the intellectual life of the Center and the University.  During their time at BYU they give a public talk on their research and lead a seminar session with interested faculty and students.  They also make themselves available for a small number of guest presentations to BYU classes on their research.  BYU, with a student body of 32,000, is located 50 miles south of Salt Lake City at the foot of the Wasatch Mountain Range and within an hour’s drive of several world-class winter sports resorts.

Visiting Scholars will enjoy library privileges including access to BYU’s extensive western and Mormon archival collections.  Major western collections at BYU include the papers of Zane Grey, Gertrude Bonnin (Zitkala Sa), Elizabeth Custer, William Henry Jackson, Charles R. Savage, Thomas F. O’Dea, Cecil B. DeMille, Arthur Watkins, Reed Smoot, Wallace Bennett, Walter Mason Camp, Earl A. Briningstool, Robert Spurrier Ellison, Finis Ewing and the Utah Parks Company as well as over 50 overland trail journals.  Major Mormon collections include the papers of Newell K. Whitney, Hyrum Smith, Emmeline Wells, Thomas and Elizabeth Kane, John Steele, L. John Nuttall, J. Reuben Clark, Adam S. Bennion, David M. Kennedy, Gustive O. Larson and Ernest L. Wilkinson as well as a rich array of LDS missionary diaries.   

 

Contact Information

Brian Q. Cannon

Charles Redd Center

Brigham Young University

Contact Email
brian_cannon@byu.edu