Student Initiatives

2009-10

Emerging Democracies Graduate Workshop

The Weiser Center for Emerging Democracies (WCED) is offering a special workshop on the theme of "Emerging Democracies" open to past and current WCED Fellows and a few select other graduate students. The purpose of the workshop is to bring together graduate students who have common interests and to create an environment where these common interests and findings are shared, even though the specific research topic of each student may differ. The interdisciplinary and inter-regional approach will provide an opportunity to raise questions that apply to many of the new democracies. The workshop will meet six times over the 2009-10 academic year and is being led by Prof. Gerard Libaridian, member of the WCEE Directors' Council. For more information, please contact Julie Claus.

2008-09

Course Information

Sociology 595: Sociology of Emerging Democracies

This seminar is designed to explore the conditions and policies facilitating historical, contemporary, and prospective transformations from authoritarian rule to democracies with more robust economies and vital civil societies. We will focus on Europe and Eurasia, as does WCED for the moment, but welcome comparisons with other regions in the seminar, as in the Center. Therefore, students with interest in emerging democracies in other world regions are encouraged to enroll. more info

Student Funding

Call for Nominations: Weiser Emerging Democracy Fellowships for Incoming Graduate Students

The Weiser Center for Emerging Democracies at the University of Michigan (WCED) offers funding for Weiser Emerging Democracy Fellowships for Incoming Graduate Students in 2010-2011. These fellowships will be awarded to incoming graduate students at the University of Michigan who expect to focus their graduate work around the theme of "emerging democracy past or present" in Europe, Russia, or Eurasia.

This focus on emerging democracy is understood broadly. For example, it might refer to the institutionalization of democratic governance; how other areas of life affect democratic governance, from economics to the arts; how the public sphere and civil society extend and sustain democracy; or how international affairs and environmental conditions affect democracy. While focus on post-communist Europe and Eurasia is preferred, we also welcome comparative and historical studies of the emergence of democracy from dictatorial, authoritarian, or imperial rule.

By nomination of departments or schools, WCED will help recruit students to the University of Michigan and the study of emerging democracy. We encourage all units to collaborate with us in developing this thematic within scholarly disciplines, and across the university, by nominating their best prospective students in this field of scholarship.

Fellowship awards up to $12,000 will be given; the number of fellowships awarded is contingent on the availability of funds.

We expect Weiser Emerging Democracy Fellows to participate in the various lectures and conferences of the Center, so long as there is no conflict in their schedules. We also encourage fellows to join the emerging democracy graduate seminar or workshop, taking it either for credit or not for credit in one of the first two years of their residence at Michigan. Upon successful completion of this seminar or workshop, an additional $3,000 will be added to awardees’ accounts to support their research on emerging democracy.

Nominating departments/schools must provide:

1. A copy of all application materials submitted for consideration of admission.
2. A letter of support from the department chair and/or faculty advisor, including information on other funding to be offered to the nominee and the proposed use of Weiser Emerging Democracy Fellowship funds, and a brief explanation about how this student's work--if not obvious from the application--would inform the study of emerging democracy.

Deadline for submission of nomination materials: February 1, 2010.

For more information, please contact Julie Claus at 734.936.1842 or jclaus@umich.edu.

Please send nominations to:

Student Fellowships
Weiser Center for Emerging Democracies
1080 S. University Ave, Suite 3668
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1106