The 2024 SIAH application is due on March 1, 2024 at 11:59PM.
Program Details
The Summer Institute is open to all students, regardless of citizenship status or class standing.
In order to apply and be considered for the Summer Institute in the Arts and Humanities, students must:
- Be enrolled as a University of Washington (Seattle, Bothell, or Tacoma) undergraduate during their participation in the program to be eligible. Those graduating before the end of summer 2024 are not eligible to participate.
- Be in good academic standing in order to register for course credits and receive the Mary Gates Research Scholarship award.
- We want to ensure students have the capacity to prioritize their engagement in SIAH, as it is an intensive summer program. We encourage students who are on academic probation or are working to improve their GPA, to apply in future years. If students have any questions about this eligibility requirement, please contact us at undergradresearch@uw.edu.
- Have interest in an intensive experience in scholarly research in the arts and humanities.
- All Summer Institute participants will be named Mary Gates Scholars and will receive a $6,000 Mary Gates Research Scholarship award in two installments via UW Direct Deposit, the first at the start of Summer A-term and the second at the beginning of Summer B-term.
- Please note: tuition fees are not directly funded by the Summer Institute. However, participants’ award funds may be used for paying some or all of summer tuition.
- Summer quarter tuition may be estimated with the help of UW’s Current Tuition and Fees Dashboard.
- While we are here to answer questions about housing, the SIAH program does not provide housing or meal stipends during the course of the program. It will be the student’s responsibility to secure housing and meals. Read more about UW HFS Summer Housing information here.
- Students may be eligible for summer quarter financial aid. To determine eligibility, students are recommended to file a summer aid FAFSA application by May 15th for priority processing. For additional questions about summer quarter aid, please contact the UW Student Financial Aid Office (osfa@uw.edu).
- Summer Institute participants are expected to devote themselves to this intensive experience. The Summer Institute is a full-time commitment. Therefore, if selected you will not be able to take additional coursework during summer quarter.
- All Summer Institute participants will register for 12 summer quarter credits in HUM 498. A-term will be taken as credit/no-credit (6 credits); B-term (6 credits) will receive a formal grade. A formal schedule will be determined by the faculty and announced the first day of the Summer Institute. Teaching modality will be primarily in-person on UW’s Seattle campus.
Application Materials
Applicants are asked to submit the following in the online application:
- Personal information
- Three essay responses
1. Statement of Purpose (500 words maximum): Please describe one possible research or creative project related to the theme that you are interested in pursuing this summer. In your answer, please be sure to include: 1) some questions that might guide your project and 2) an explanation of why you think this work is politically and intellectually important.
NOTE: This question shows how you *might* interact with the theme and develop a potential project. It does not mean that you are committed to carrying out this specific project as your ideas may develop/shift during the program.
2. Connection to Research (250 words maximum): Describe a previous research experience and how it might connect to your proposed project. This experience may include research you have conducted as part of a class. What was exciting and/or challenging about that experience? If you have limited previous experience with academic research, describe a large-scale project that you’ve undertaken in the past, and how you would apply what you’ve learned about project management to the research process.
3. Optional – Identity Statement (250 words maximum): Is there anything you would like to share about your identity/identities and/or commitments that you have found salient in your experiences as a student? As a researcher?
- Up to two professional references. You will not need letters of recommendation from these references. Additional details are provided in the application portal.
- Resume
- ONE of the following work samples:
1. A creative work sample such as a portfolio of digital images and/or video/sound clips, etc. Creative work samples should be included within one PDF document containing the following:
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- Portfolio statement (1-2 double-spaced pages)
- Images (if applicable)
- URL to the sound/video (if applicable)
- Or other work, (e.g. Theatrical script, poetry, etc.)
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OR
2. A writing sample from your courses or personal work. Writing samples should consist of a minimum of 8 double-spaced pages, which can include a combination of multiple essays.
Student Experiences
The Summer Institute affords ample opportunity for interaction among students and faculty. Participants enjoy community-building activities throughout the summer term and participate in a final symposium to showcase and celebrate their accomplishments during the Summer Institute.
SIAH was like a garden. The space created by all participants allowed for the blossoming of not only research skills but also the expression of our voices. It was at once intellectually rigorous and spiritually expansive.“
I would say that it is important to release ideas of traditional research and to allow yourself to make something weird. This is a space where you have freedom to express yourself with an elaborate research project, and that is an opportunity that may never come again.
The methods and skills, and most of all the respect and care when it comes to research that I learned is so immensely helpful, and I will be holding them with me for the rest of my academic career.
Diversity Statement
We believe that diverse perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences enhance scholarly inquiry. We strongly encourage applicants from diverse student populations, including but not limited to community college transfer students; first generation college students; international students; undocumented students; trans*, non-binary, gender non-conforming students, and students of different sexual orientations; students with disabilities; students from low-income backgrounds, and groups who are underrepresented in higher education (e.g. African American/Black, American Indian/Alaskan Native, Latinx/Chicanx, Southeast Asian, and Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, immigrant, refugee).