Program Overview

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Program Overview

The Interdisciplinary Doctoral Program in the Humanities (IHUM) confers a joint doctoral degree, with applications accepted in the third year of study from students enrolled in the Ph.D. programs in the following departments and schools:

• Anthropology
• Architecture
• Art and Archaeology
• Classics
• Comparative Literature
• East Asian Studies
• English
• French and Italian
• German
• History
• Music
• Near Eastern Studies
• Philosophy
• Political Philosophy in Politics
• Religion
• Slavic Languages and Literatures
• Sociology
• Spanish and Portuguese

Program Details

HUM583 is the only required course for students accepted into the IHUM program. Applicants should discuss a plan to complete the seminar with the Director if they cannot take HUM583 when they enter the program. Any graduate student may take HUM583 before applying to IHUM. All applicants should be able to demonstrate a record of interdisciplinary exploration and make the case that the time and resources afforded by the fellowship will substantively expand the interdisciplinary nature of the dissertation project.

Application Process

Graduate students are eligible to apply to IHUM in their third year of graduate study. The application process involves submitting:

• A five-hundred-word description of interdisciplinary interests as they bear on prospective dissertation work
• A twenty-page, double-spaced writing sample representative of interests
• Approval from the DGS
• Name of a recommender
• A one-paragraph recommendation from an advisor in the department, to be emailed to the IHUM Program Manager

Program Structure

Students who join the PhD Program become core members of a community focused on interdisciplinary research and exchange, which meets for seminars, salons, and other events. They are required to co-organize a salon during the fourth or fifth year and to attend graduate salons hosted by their peers two to four times a year. In their fourth and fifth years, students collaborate with their cohort to choose the annual Faber Lecturer.

Fellowship and Support

After presenting a detailed plan for their IHUM fellowship year to the Director, students spend their fourth year on research and exploration in areas beyond the boundaries of their fundamental disciplinary training. Students then receive an additional year of university fellowship support to be used in their sixth year as a DCE1 student. Enrollment into a DCE1 year is not guaranteed to IHUM students; central Graduate School eligibility rules for entering DCE status apply.

FAQs

What kinds of interdisciplinary projects does IHUM support?

A strong proposal will demonstrate why the project requires intellectual and disciplinary resources beyond those available within the parameters of the home discipline and additional time for training and research.

Imaginative and resourceful as it is, I am not sure if my dissertation is particularly interdisciplinary. Should I apply?

IHUM works with an expansive notion of interdisciplinarity. If you work between two or more disciplines or between an academic field and a creative practice, you should apply to the program.

What should I submit as a writing sample?

The writing sample should ideally reflect your interdisciplinary interests, but most important is that you show us your best work.

Who can apply to the program?

The program is open to students already pursuing the PhD in one of the eligible departments or programs.

When do students take the IHUM fellowship year?

The purpose of the fellowship year is to provide time for exploration, which is best undertaken early in the dissertation process.

Are students in IHUM still eligible for other fellowships at Princeton?

Students in IHUM remain eligible for the University’s Honorific Fellowships, as well as the Hyde Fellowships.

Does an IHUM fellowship provide support for tuition, travel, or other research expenses?

In addition to another year of fellowship support, IHUM also provides a small research and travel stipend in each of the three years students are enrolled in the degree program.

What other events or initiatives does IHUM support on campus?

IHUM co-sponsors a range of conferences, lectures, performances, exhibits, and other events across campus, particularly those that foster interdisciplinarity.

What is the role of the IHUM adviser?

The IHUM adviser is typically a member of the IHUM Executive Committee or an IHUM Associate Faculty member and is NOT a member of the student’s home department. The IHUM adviser’s only official duty is to write a reader report of the dissertation once it has been submitted.