Fellowships and Assistantships

The Marco Institute offers several fellowships/assistantships for Marco-affiliated graduate students from any department, whether or not they are completing the Marco graduate certificate! Information about each of these positions is available below. 

• Anne Marie Van Hook Memorial Travel Fellowship 

• Jimmy & Dee Haslam Dissertation Fellowship 

• Jimmy & Dee Haslam Fellowship in Public Humanities 

• Medieval & Renaissance Studies (MRST) Graduate Teaching Assistantship 

Anne Marie Van Hook Memorial Travel Fellowship

The Van Hook Travel Fellowship provides one graduate student per year with an award of $5,000 to fund archival, library, or archaeological research abroad or, in exceptional cases, within North America. The recipient will be an ABD graduate student working in a Marco field. 

To apply for the Van Hook Fellowship, please submit the following materials electronically to [email protected]: 

• Curriculum vitae 

• Research plan of no more than 1,200 words explaining how the proposed travel enhances the applicant’s research project. 

• Detailed budget indicating the rough percentage of costs associated with different aspects of the research plan. Due to UT financial aid requirements, the applicant should also indicate whether they have any student loans. 

• Two letters of support, including one from the applicant’s dissertation supervisor. Letters should be addressed to Marco’s Riggsby Director and submitted electronically to [email protected]. 

Haslam Dissertation Fellowship

The Jimmy & Dee Haslam Dissertation Fellowship is a non-service fellowship, tenurable during the academic year (August 1 to July 31), at the standard College rate, as well as fee waiver and benefits. The recipient will be an ABD graduate student working in a Marco field. The recipient will be expected to devote the full academic year to research on his or her doctoral dissertation, either in residence in Knoxville or on research-related travel approved by the recipient’s dissertation supervisor. 

To apply for the Haslam Dissertation Fellowship, please submit the following materials electronically to [email protected]: 

• Curriculum vitae 

• A dissertation abstract, up to and no more than 3 pages 

• Research plan of no more than 1,200 words, addressing precisely where in the process of researching and writing the dissertation the applicant is, the expected date of completion, and how the project fits into or challenges current scholarship in the field. 

• Two letters of support, including one from the applicant’s dissertation supervisor. Letters should be addressed to Marco’s Riggsby Director and submitted electronically to [email protected]. 

Haslam Fellowship in Public Humanities

The Public Humanities fellow works part-time in the Marco Institute’s research, teaching, outreach, and educational programming for the public, including the TOMES Project. The Public Humanities fellowship provides a 9-month stipend at the standard College rate tenurable during the academic year (August 1 to July 31). The recipient will be a PhD student working in a Marco field who has completed at least two years of their degree program, with preference given to more advanced applicants. 

To apply for the Haslam Public Humanities fellowship, please submit the following materials electronically to [email protected]: 

A curriculum vitae 

A description (no more than 500 words) of your knowledge of and interest in the Marco Institute and its programs, and any skills you have that might be relevant to assisting with those programs. 

Two letters of support. Letters should be addressed to Marco’s Riggsby Director and submitted electronically to [email protected]. 

Medieval and Renaissance Studies (MRST) Graduate Teaching Assistantship

The MRST GTA works in support of the Medieval and Renaissance Studies lecturer in the MRST 201/202 survey course, which fulfills the university’s Cultures and Civilizations general education requirement. The survey covers the periods from 350-1500 C.E. The undergraduate catalogue describes this course as an “introduction to basic themes in the medieval experience approached from interdisciplinary points of view and including philosophy and religion, art and architecture, language and literature, and social and political history. Writing-emphasis course.” 

The GTA is expected to attend all lectures, grade written work, hold weekly office hours for consultation with students, and lecture once a semester. The GTA will receive a stipend at the standard College rate of $19,401 for the academic year, along with a tuition waiver and the usual graduate student benefits. 

To apply for the Medieval & Renaissance Studies GTAship, please submit the following materials electronically to [email protected]: 

• A letter of intent describing concisely (no more than 500 words) the applicant’s interest in the position; their qualifications as both a scholar and teacher of the period; their experience with the material covered in MRST 201 and 202; and their pedagogical methods. Applicants should also make clear the nature of their experience in historical disciplines and methods. 

• A curriculum vitae 

• One letter of recommendation (preferably from the applicant’s advisor). The letter should be addressed to Marco’s Riggsby Director and submitted electronically to [email protected].