[ecrea] Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University: Open call for fellowship applications

http://www.onlinecreation.info/?p=452

The application deadline is 11:59 p.m. ET on December 18, 2011.
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Open Call for Fellowship Applications, Academic Year 2012-2013

The Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University has 
opened our yearly call for fellowship applications. This opportunity is 
for those who wish to spend the 2012-2013 academic year as a fellow 
conducting research with the Berkman community.

We invite people who are working on issues related to Internet and 
society who are familiar to us as well as those who are not; those 
working on issues that overlap with ongoing Berkman interests and those 
who will expose us to new opportunities and approaches; scholars, 
practitioners, innovators and others committed to understanding and 
advancing the public interest; and people just beginning their work, in 
the midst of it, or eager to reflect.

Through this annual open call, we seek to advance our work and give it 
new direction, and to deepen and broaden our community.

About Berkman's Fellowship Program

Berkman Center fellowships provide the opportunity for innovative 
thinkers and changemakers to hone and share ideas, find camaraderie, and 
spawn new initiatives. The program aims to encourage and support fellows 
in an inviting and rigorous intellectual environment, with community 
activities designed to foster inquiry and collaboration. With Berkman 
faculty, students, staff, and other affiliates, fellows help to develop 
and advance Berkman Center projects, and learn and teach through 
courses, curricula and diverse gatherings.

Together fellows actively participate in exchanges through a weekly 
fellows hour, various online media, fellows-run working groups, and a 
wide-range of events and interactions. Much of what makes the fellowship 
program rewarding is created each year by the fellows themselves to 
address their own interests and priorities. These innovative, 
entrepreneurial, collaborative ventures -- ranging from goal-oriented to 
experimental, from rigorous to humorous -- are what ensure the dynamism 
of the fellows, the fellowship program and the Berkman community.

Fellows are essential to the Berkman Center as nodes of intelligence, 
insight, energy, and knowledge-sharing. From their diverse backgrounds 
and wide-ranging physical and virtual travels, fellows bring fresh 
ideas, skills, passion and connections to the Center, and from their 
time spent in Cambridge help build and extend new perspectives and 
initiatives out into the world.

About Berkman Fellowships

An appointment that defies one-size-fits-all description, each Berkman 
fellowship carries a unique set of opportunities, responsibilities and 
expectations. All fellows engage issues related to the fairly limitless 
expanse of Internet & society issues, and are committed to the 
intellectual life of the Center and fellowship program activities. Some 
fellows work as researchers directly on Berkman Center projects. Other 
fellowships consist of independent work, such as the research and 
writing of a manuscript or series of papers, an event, or the 
development and implementation of a project or a study on issues related 
to the Berkman Center's areas of inquiry. Each Berkman fellow develops 
and coordinates their fellowship workplan with the Center's directors 
and staff.

Fellowship terms typically run the course of the academic year, roughly 
from the beginning of September through the end of May. In some cases, 
the period of appointment does not align with the US academic year. In 
some instances, fellows are re-appointed for consecutive fellowship terms.

While we embrace our many virtual connections, spending time together in 
person remains essential. In order to maximize their engagement with the 
community, fellows are expected to routinely spend time in and conduct 
much of their work from Cambridge, in most cases requiring residency. 
Tuesdays hold particular importance as it is the day the fellows 
community meets for a weekly fellows hour, in addition to it being the 
day we host our public luncheon series; as such, we ask that fellows 
commit to spending as many Tuesdays at the Center as is possible.

Qualifications

While fellowships are extremely competitive and our standards are 
accordingly high, we do not have a defined set of requirements for the 
fellows we select through our open call; we welcome applications from a 
wildly diverse pool of individuals.

Fellows come from across the disciplinary spectrum, different life 
paths, and are at all stages of career development. Some fellows are 
academics, whether students, post-docs or professors. Others come from 
outside academia, and include lawyers, philosophers, activists, 
technologists, entrepreneurs, journalists and other types of practitioners.

The commonality between all Berkman fellows is an interest in the 
Internet and a commitment to spending the period of their fellowship 
studying it.

Commitment to Diversity

The work and well-being of the Berkman Center for Internet & Society are 
strengthened profoundly by the diversity of our network and our 
differences in background, culture, experience, national origin, 
religion, sexual orientation, and much more. We actively seek and 
welcome applications from people of color, women, the LGBTQ community, 
and persons with disabilities, as well as applications from researchers 
and practitioners from across the spectrum of disciplines and methods. 
The roots of this deep commitment are many and, appropriately, diverse. 
We are not nearly far enough along in this regard, and we may never be. 
It is a constant process in which there remains much to learn. We 
welcome your inquiries, comments and ideas on how we may continue to 
improve.

Stipends, Benefits, and Access to University Resources

Stipends: Fellowships awarded through the open call for applications are 
rarely stipended. Some fellows receive partial stipends -- the award of 
such a stipend is based on the nature of the responsibilities the 
applicant would assume while a fellow, and their relation, relevance, 
and application to Berkman's funded projects. Most fellows receive no 
direct funding or stipend through the Berkman Center, but rather have 
obtained funding through other means, such as an outside grant or award, 
a home institution, or other forms of scholarship.

Benefits: Fringe benefits do not routinely accompany Berkman 
fellowships. Fellows must make their own housing, insurance, childcare, 
and transportation arrangements.

Office Space: Most Berkman fellows work out of the greater-Boston area 
and spend a significant amount of time at the Berkman Center. There are 
many desks and workspaces available for flexible use at the Berkman 
Center, though few fellows are given their own permanent desk or office. 
We endeavor to provide comfortable and productive spaces for fellows to 
work, even if it is not the same space each day. Fellows are welcome to 
host small meetings and gatherings at the Center and on the Harvard campus.

Access to University Resources: A Harvard ID is a key into many of 
Harvard's resources, including access to the Harvard library network 
(including checkout privileges and access to the University's 
e-resources), the ability to purchase University health insurance, and 
the ability to purchase Harvard gym membership. At present, we are not 
able to routinely provide Harvard IDs to fellows, though some IDs are 
issued based on need, funding, and other administrative reasons. Berkman 
fellows bringing their own funding via scholarships or other financial 
support have the opportunity to pay the University appointment fees 
necessary to issue an ID. Physical access into Langdell Library (the 
Harvard Law School Library) can be arranged for all Berkman fellows. 
Berkman fellows wishing to audit classes at Harvard University must ask 
permission directly from the professor of the desired class.

Additional Information about the Berkman Center

The Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University is a 
research program founded to explore cyberspace, share in its study, and 
help pioneer its development. Founded in 1997, through a generous gift 
from Jack N. and Lillian R. Berkman, the Center now is home to an 
ever-growing community of faculty, fellows, staff, and affiliates 
working on projects that span the intersections among innovation, 
democracy, learning, law, technology, and policy. More information can 
be found at: http://cyber.law.harvard.edu.

Required Application Materials

1.) A current resume or CV.
2.) A personal statement which should a) frame your motivation for 
applying for a Berkman Center fellowship and b) outline the work you 
propose to conduct during a fellowship. This statement should be roughly 
1,000 -- 1,500 words or a multi-media equivalent.
3.) A copy of a recent publication or piece of your work that is related 
to Internet research. It should be on the order of a paper, chapter, or 
presentation - not an entire book or dissertation - and should be in 
English.
4.) Two letters of reference, to be sent directly from the referrer to 
Rebecca Tabasky at (rtabasky /at/ cyber.law.harvard.edu).

To Apply for a 2012-2013 Academic Year Fellowship Through Our Open Call

Applications will be completed through a combination of online webform 
submission (through which you will submit information and attach digital 
copies of application materials 1-3) and receipt of the letters of 
recommendation directly from your references.

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis through 11:59 p.m. ET 
on December 18, 2011. Incomplete applications and applications received 
after the application deadline will not be accepted or reviewed.

Our online application webform can be found at: 
https://cyber.law.harvard.edu/forms/fellows_app.cgi.

Letters of recommendation should be sent directly from the referrer to 
Rebecca Tabasky at (rtabasky /at/ cyber.law.harvard.edu).

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Questions

If you have further questions about our open call for fellowship 
applications, please check out our fellowship program FAQ where you 
might find an answer.

If you have questions that are not addressed in our FAQ, please contact 
Rebecca Tabasky at (rtabasky /at/ cyber.law.harvard.edu).