Edmond J. Safra Undergraduate Fellowships in Ethics
The deadline for Spring 2013 fellowships has passed. Please consider applying next year.
The Center for Ethics invites applications from Harvard undergraduates to participate in the Edmond J. Safra Undergraduate Fellowship program. Launching in Spring 2013, the Fellowship seeks to foster an interdisciplinary academic community of undergraduates and faculty who are interested in pursuing research with an ethical dimension. Undergraduate Fellows will develop competence in modes of inquiry that are essential to thinking through important moral problems in public life.
Purpose
The Edmond J. Safra Undergraduate Fellowship program seeks to provide a unifying academic experience for undergraduates pursuing research in ethics to discuss their work across departments, and engage in an informed analysis of values in their area of inquiry. The Fellowship program offers an interdisciplinary approach for undergraduates pursuing research in human values across social sciences, natural sciences, and humanities.
Eligibility
Students in their sophomore, junior, or senior year, with a GPA of at least 3.0, are invited to apply. The Fellowship is renewable for Sophomores and Juniors who participate in the program. Applicants should have completed, or be concurrently enrolled in, two courses from the Center’s Ethics Course Catalog, and at least one seminar course that has a normative dimension.
Activities
Undergraduate Fellows are expected to participate in a six-session interdisciplinary workshop, led by Professor Eric Beerbohm, during the Spring semester 2013. In addition to the workshop and enrollment in ethics-related courses, Fellows will attend at least three of the Center’s public lectures, including the Inaugural Kissel Lecture by Professor Michael Sandel. Fellows will be paired with a Center faculty affiliate to advise them on their research.
Outside of these requirements, Undergraduate Fellows will be offered a further range of optional activities, including meals with faculty, participation in a mentorship program with an Edmond J. Safra Graduate Fellow, and possible research opportunities in the Edmond J. Safra Research Lab on Institutional Corruption. Students who participate in the fellowship program are also eligible to apply for summer funding through the Lester Kissel Grants in Practical Ethics, which support research and writing that make contributions to the understanding of practical ethics.
Awards
Undergraduate Fellows will receive $500 in research funds, as well as the opportunity to apply for summer funding through the Lester Kissel Grants in Practical Ethics. The Fellowship is renewable for Sophomores and Juniors who participate in the program.
How to Apply
Deadline: December 12, 2012
1. Complete and submit the application webform.
2. Submit the following via email, in PDF format, to
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:
- 1 page statement describing your interest in the fellowship program.
- Unofficial transcript (accepted applicants will be asked to furnish an official transcript).
For information about the Lester Kissel Grants in Practical Ethics, 2003-09, click here.
Ethics Course Catalog
Ethical Reasoning: General Education
ETH-REASON 11: Human Rights: A Philosophical Introduction
ETH-REASON 24: Bioethics
ETH-REASON 30: The Just World (Sponsored by the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics)
GOV 1060: Ancient and Medieval Political Philosophy
GOV 1061: The History of Modern Political Philosophy
PHIL 168: Kant’s Ethical Theory
PHIL 179: Race and Social Justice
Philosophy
PHIL 3: Introduction to the Problems of Philosophy
PHIL 176: Topics in Ethics: Proseminar
Government
GOV 10: Foundations of Political Theory
GOV 63: Recent Political Theory: Topics and Resources
GOV 94al: Global Distributive Justice
GOV 94ch: Tactic & Ethics
GOV 2030: Political Concepts
Psychology
PSY 1750: Free Will, Responsibility and Law
Sociology
SOCIOL 143: Building Just Institutions
History of Science
HISTSCI 196: Ethics of Public Health in the Contemporary World
Harvard Kennedy School
DPI 216: Democratic Theory
DPI 251: Moral Controversies and Public Policy (Sponsored by the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics)