CIIS Fellows Program

  1. Office & Department Directory
  2. Center for International and Intercultural Studies
  3. Opportunities for Students
  4. CIIS Fellows Program

The CIIS Fellows Program is designed to enhance opportunities for faculty-student collaboration on research undertaken in another country or within an intercultural/international U.S. context. Faculty members should plan to meet with the Associate Dean of International and Intercultural studies in advance of submitting their application.  

The CIIS Fellows Program provides funding for a faculty member and one to three students to pursue research outside the regular semester and to share an experience of working off-campus in a significantly different cultural setting. The students' research will not be credit-bearing though it may lay the foundation for future academic work and will involve learning essential research skills.

Applications should be sent to ciis@stlawu.edu and the Associate Dean of International and Intercultural studies. A strong application in narrative form should include the following

  • A detailed description of the project and methodology
  • Specific roles that student collaborators will play (co-authored by the student collaborator)
  • An itinerary and budget include plans to seek additional funding. CIIS Fellows funding should cover the full travel and research costs for both the student(s) and faculty member and faculty may combine individual research funds with their CIIS Fellows application. 
  • Plans for IRB approval (if applicable)
  • A description of any safety or security concerns related to the project.

Faculty members interested in this program should contact the Associate Dean of International and Intercultural Studies. The annual deadline to apply is February 15. Please submit your proposal directly to ciis@stlawu.edu and copy the Associate Dean of International and Intercultural studies.

Featured CIIS Fellows

Summer 2024: Global Warming and Dysoxia in Tropical Coastal Environments (Croatia)

Two geology students (Avery Pope and James Cary) joined faculty mentor Dr. Antun Husinec in his collaborative research with colleagues and students from Croatia on the Jurassic-Cretaceous Adriatic platform in Croatia. This research collected important paleoclimatic data for the Lower Jurassic Toarcian period (183-174 Ma), a major global warming episode associated with bottom-water
dysoxia and some of the highest carbon dioxide levels in Earth's history.

Summer 2023: Study Abroad Benefits and Inequalities among Pre-Health Students (Denmark and Sweden)

Sociology Professor Alanna Gillis worked collaboratively with Anna Wilkerson, Sophia Brigante and Evelyn Villanueava on a qualitative research project in Scandinavia. Their research explored how inequality has long been observed in the pre-health professions pathway, especially among premed
students on track for medical school. Much of the research examines experiences within
traditional classrooms. However, they argued that experiences beyond the traditional classroom
impact inequality just as much, if not more, due to student ability to use their resources to
acquire additional knowledge, social connections, and cultural capital. Their  study examined a study abroad program with renown coursework, experiences, and support for students that significantly enhance pre-health students’ future pathways: the pre-medicine courses within the DIS program in Denmark and Sweden.

January 2020: Eliza Maher '20 and Professor Natalia Singer

Eliza Maher '20, with the guidance of Professor Natalia Singer, conducted research in the Southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, India in January 2020. Hear from Eliza about her experience in her own words.

During the spring semester, Professor Singer usually teaches the English and Global Studies 251. Intercultural Living-Learning Community: Travel Writing and Literature course. This is a very popular class for students returning from fall off-campus study. The Intercultural Studies Living/Learning community is an opportunity for students to reflect on off-campus study and to become better informed and engaged global citizens.

July/August 2018: Janis Broder '20 and Dr. Tamara Feinstein

Janis Broder '20 and Dr. Tamara Feinstein were awarded a CIIS Fellows grant to research the background of Arpilleras, an textile art form developed during the Pinochet era.

Their project, “Arpilleras and Memory from Dirty War Chile," was conducted in July and August 2018, in and around Santiago, Chile. The pair conducted research at archives and interviewed survivors of the regime who were involved in the conceptualization and production of arpilleras.

The knowledge gained during the stay will be incorporated into Dr. Feinstein's teachings and research. It also was used in an art show of arpilleras, a joint endeavor between St. Lawrence University and SUNY Potsdam, during the spring of 2019.