DAAD PhD Scholarship at the Graduate School Practices of Literature, Münster
Call for Applications: DAAD Scholarship for International PhD Students at the Graduate School Practices of Literature, WWU Münster, Germany
Start date: October 1, 2023
Deadline: March 31, 2023
The Graduate School Practices of Literature (GSPoL) at the University of Münster invites international applications for a PhD scholarship starting October 1, 2023. The three-year scholarship is part of the Graduate School Scholarship Programme (GSSP) funded by the Federal Foreign Ministry in collaboration with the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).
Graduate schools and structured doctoral training have been widely adopted by institutions across Europe to enhance networking skills, interdisciplinary collaboration, and employability in and outside academia. High-quality standards regarding the selection and hosting of doctoral researchers, as well as an international research environment, create an ideal setting particularly for international candidates. Members of the GSPoL benefit from interdisciplinary supervision and exchange and have the opportunity to prepare for careers in academic and non-academic contexts.
Areas of study: English/American Studies, Arabic/Islamic Studies, German Studies, Latin Philology/Studies, (Neo-)Medieval Latin Studies, Dutch Studies, Scandinavian Studies, Romance Studies (main areas: French, Spanish and Italian Literature), Sinology, and Slavic Studies.
The program comprises three main research areas:
1. Literature, Culture and Society
(relationship between literature, culture and society; social theories; cultural theories; cultural turn and/in literary studies)
2. Theories of Literature and Culture
(science studies; history, theory and methodology in literary/cultural studies)
3. Literary/Cultural Studies and the Professional World
(professional sectors that require expertise in literary/cultural studies; the literary marketplace; transferable skills)
Curriculum: lecture series and workshops, colloquia, research groups, and mandatory electives such as internships, academic teaching, etc.
Supervision: Each doctoral candidate will have an interdisciplinary support group consisting of three supervisors. A written mentoring agreement and an individual timeline will be established and signed by the PhD candidate and their supervisors.
Application Guidelines
The application deadline for the winter term 2023/2024 is March 31, 2023. Applications may be submitted in German or English.
Requirements
- excellent academic profile and a GSPoL-related university degree (generally a master’s degree in literary studies with a minimum GPA of 2.0, or, in exceptional cases, a bachelor’s degree with a minimum GPA of 1.50, according to the German grading system)
- German and English language skills (one language at the level of C1 and the other at the level of B1, in accordance with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages); see also FAQs
- additional foreign language skills according to Annex B of the PhD Study Regulations of the Department of History/Philosophy and Philology; see also FAQs
- at the time of the nomination (i.e., the submission of the nomination letter to the DAAD), applicants must not have resided in Germany for more than the past fifteen months
- as a rule, applicants should not have graduated more than six years before the nomination (exceptions apply)
- applicants with a PhD are not eligible
- research phases outside Germany during the funding period can be supported if they do not exceed 25 percent of the total funding period and do not take place directly at the beginning of the programme
The application for a scholarship follows a three-step process:
Step 1: written application to the GSPoL (via email as a single PDF file) consisting of:
letter of motivation stating the reasons for the application to the GSPoL
curriculum vitae (without photograph)
proof that the applicant has completed a GSPoL-related university degree (generally a master’s degree in literary studies with a minimum GPA of 2.0 or a bachelor’s degree in literary studies with a minimum GPA of 1.50) according to § 5 (1) the GSPoL study regulations; please include a degree certificate and a transcript of records listing your courses and grades and explaining the grading system at your home university as well as a certified translation if the original documents are not in German or English
proof of German, English and, possibly, additional foreign language skills according to § 5 (2) of the GSPoL study regulations
brief(approx. half-page) abstract of the PhD project
approx. 10-page project proposal, which discusses the research aims and methodology as well as the contents, originality and significance of the project
timeline, including optional stays/studies abroad of up to nine months in total (i.e., 25 percent of the duration of the scholarship), which may not be scheduled at the beginning of the programme
two letters of reference, including at least one letter from a professor from the applicant’s home university; if the applicant holds a bachelor’s degree or has completed a first academic degree with a regular duration of less than eight semesters, three references are required; please use the official DAAD template (PDF or Word) and ask your professors to email the confidential document to the GSPoL.
Step 2: interview at the GSPoL
Step 3: nomination to the DAAD and standard application procedure at and final decision by the DAAD (online application with supporting documentation via the DAAD portal)
Please send your application (via email as a single PDF file, except for the required letters of reference) and any questions you may have to:
Graduate School Practices of Literature
WWU Münster, Fachbereich 09 (Philologie)
Dr. Anna Thiemann
c/o Germanistisches Institut
Schlossplatz 34
48143 Münster
Phone +49 251 83 - 24439
thiemann.gspol@uni-muenster.de
The scholarship award is contingent on the availability of funds from the Federal Foreign Ministry. Please refer to our website for updates and further information: go.wwu.de/gssp