Fulbright Program: U.S. Applicant Podcast
Transcript For: Defining your field of study
July 26, 2007
Not sure how to categorize your project? Program managers advise students at the May 16, 2007 Information Session.
Valerie: Hi, this is Valerie Hymas Tony: And Tony Claudino Valerie: And we’re here, and we want to announce the questions and answer session for the most recent U.S. student guidance session Tony: And so, if you couldn’t make it to any of the six locations that were having these info sessions, here’s a chance to listen to some of the Q & A we have for these sessions. Applicant: Hello Walter and everybody else, I’m applying to Slovenia and my question is really about field of study. I want to do research about contemporary Slovenian photography, with the hopes of curating an exhibition. What does that fall under? Curatorial studies? Art history? What is your recommendation for field of study? Walter: What are you proposing to do? Applicant: I want to look at the period of the last 16 years which is the period of time that Slovenia has seceded from Yugoslavia and examine how contemporary Slovenian photographers are showing their social identity. So I’d research this and then curate an exhibition. What does that fall under? Walter: It sounds like art history to me unless you are going there and taking the photographs yourself. Applicant #2: I have a question. I am planning to apply for a Fulbright in Egypt, and I have a question regarding, it’s a field of study question and it possibly also touches on issues of social, cultural, and political sensitivity and I am interested in studying and researching the Hafids (?) in Egypt and undergoing that training myself. I’m not sure if that falls under performance studies. I would like to be looking at it from a kind of interdisciplinary, ethnomusicological and performance study perspective, but I’m not sure if undergoing that training myself would designate me as someone in a fine arts discipline. Jermaine: I have to admit that I’m not familiar with the group that you plan on studying, actually. Can you say a little more about them please? Applicant #2: The Hafids are the individuals in the Muslim community who commit the Koran to memory, not for artistic recitation but for formal religious recitation. I’m interested in studying the intersection of identity and memory with social performance and perhaps undergoing some of the memorization training myself. There are very specific rules for recitation memorization. I’ve done some preliminary research in graduate school on this topic, in an ethnomusicological context but I have done a lot or some field research here in Chicago and I’ve encountered more performative fine art way and I’m not really sure which would be the best field to apply in. Jermaine: I’m honestly not hearing a lot that’s either ethnomusicological or performative in general about your project so you might want to consider either sociology or anthropology instead. It actually sounds a lot more anthropological to me. You really have to think about your field of study in terms of what you plan on doing while you’re in Egypt. You know you’re talking about your past paper; I’m talking about your research methods and your research focus during your time in Egypt. And that should really be the determining factor in terms of what field of study that you decide to apply in, and the country summary. And they might be able to give you some pointers as to whether or not that project might be something that would raise too many red flags to be feasible for that country. Valerie: And that’s it for the questions some candidates have asked us during one of our guidance sessions. Please remember that if you have a question, feel free to email us, or contact us. Our information is all online. Tony: And, look for the next podcast. Thanks.
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