A Cotlow Award

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A Cotlow Award

• What is it?
• How do I get one?

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Cotlow awards are grants to support student
research

• On anthropological topics in any of the four
  fields
• Awarded on a competitive basis each year
• Usually done during the summer

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Its about anthropology

• The project you are proposing must make sense in
  terms of anthropology
• You should have had some coursework in
  anthropology so you can bring an anthropological
  perspective to the project
• Take an anthropology research methods course to
  help you strengthen your proposal

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Who is eligible?

• You must be a full-time GW student

• BA
• MA
• PhD

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What is anthropology?

• Archaeology
• Biological anthropology
• Cultural anthropology
• Linguistic anthropology

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Cotlow Advisory Committee, 2007-2008

• Barbara Miller (cultural anthropology), chair
• 2112 G ST NW, room 101
• barbar_at_gwu.edu
• Robin Bernstein (biological anthropology)
• 2114 G St NW, room 307
• robinb_at_gwu.edu
• Jeffrey Blomster (archaeology)
• 2112 G ST NW, HAH, room 301
• blomster_at_gwu.edu
• Alexander Dent (linguistic anthropology)
• 2110 G St NW, HAH, room 302
• asdent_at_gmail.edu

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How to find a topic

• Inspiration (hard to explain!)
• Something from your backgroundbeen there, seen
  something
• Something you heard about in a class
• An issue that is in the news
• A place you want to go
• Scan past Cotlow proposals (dept website)
• Scan programs of professional anthropology
  meetings, such as the American Anthropological
  Association, etc.
• Talk with anthropology professors

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Tips for success in topic selection

• Work with your strengths if you know Spanish,
  dont propose to do a project in Russia
• Use your past experience and contacts to increase
  the feasibility of the project
• Follow your heart

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Is it anthropological?

• Talk to some professors to see how you can shape
  it
• Read the literature (in anthropology)
• Think about methodshow would you study it?

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Seek faculty mentoring

• A side benefit of the Cotlow process is that
  students and faculty get to know each other
• So, if you are thinking of a project somewhere in
  South America or about fossil hominins or about
  rap musictalk to a professor who knows that
  area/topic.
• Who are the faculty? Check out the departments
  website

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The literature

• Do some preliminary library research on the topic
  (start with AnthroSourceavailable through
  Gelman)
• Learn about some anthropologists who have done
  related work and learn how they did it (methods)

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Nextreview the Cotlow proposal form

• Study the Cotlow Proposal form
• Available on the anthropology department website
  www.gwu.edu/anth/cotlow.html

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1. Personal information

• Nothing too difficult in this section but note
• You should be working with at least one professor
  in the anthropology department as your mentor

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2. Language skills

• Provide an honest assessment of your skills in a
  field language, if relevant
• If you think you need to hire an assistant to
  help you, please explain your plans to do so and
  reflect this plan in your budget

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3. Title of the project and abstract

• Think of a crisp and engaging title
• The Abstract a very short and very important
  description of your projects goals and
  importance
• WRITE IT LAST (or, write it early on, and keep
  revising it, and review it at the end before you
  submit the proposal)

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4. Description of the project

• This section discusses what the project is
  generally all about
• Overall research goals
• Location of the research, description of the
  location/site, and why this particular site

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5. Significance of the topic to anthropology

• Review of the literature
• You discuss what selected anthropologists have
  written on/around your topic
• Specific references needed name names, ring
  bells!
• Use social science citation style (AuthorName
  DATE) see the style guidelines on aaanet.org
• References cited are listed in the section called
  References Cited/Select Bibliography

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6. Methods

• Another very important section!
• Objectives State your research questions what
  do you want to learn? (try sticking to three or
  so)
• Present the methods you will use to provide
  information to help answer those questions
  including data collection methods and data
  analysis methods as relevant and appropriate
  consult with your mentor(s) about ideas

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7. Ethics (a) Anthropology Codes

• Learn about anthropology ethics from your
  professors and go to the American Anthropological
  Association website aaanet.org
• The AAA website has an extensive set of ethics
  guidelines for all four fields

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Ethics (b) GW Research Rules

• Related to research involving human subjects
  which is not the same as human beings!
• Consult the GW website for its Institutional
  Review Board http//www.gwumc.edu/research/human
• Most (but not all) student projects involving
  living humans fit under the category of
  excluded research and you do not need to fill
  out IRB forms see the current Cotlow application
  form for further details and consult with your
  mentor(s).

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8. Research product

• How will you use and present your findings?
• For your academic goals (thesis, etc.)
• To the scholarly community (conference paper,
  film, website, etc.)
• To the host community or country (copy of your
  thesis to a library, website, shared skills with
  local people, etc.)

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A required product

• If you get a Cotlow award, you are required to
  present your findings at the annual Anthropology
  Student Research Conference in late October or
  early November

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9. Timetable

• Lay out your goals week by week
• Imagine your way through the projectthis stage
  may prompt you to rethink your research
  objectives!
• Look at examples of successful proposals posted
  on the Cotlow area of the Anthropology Department
  website

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10. Budget

• Cotlow awards range from 200 to 1800
• Consider your potential expenses carefully and
  try to find the lowest rates for travel, housing,
  etc.
• In your budget, list all major expenditures,
  estimated as best as you can

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Details in the budget

• You may want to add a line for local travel,
  rough amount 200 (just an example)
• Or, gifts to project participants, 200
• Or, translation assistance, 500
• Ask your faculty mentor(s) for advice

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What you cannot ask for

• Equipment, such as cameras or laptops

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11. Staff

• Most Cotlow projects do not involve staff, but
  some do, perhaps for translation assistance
• If your project involves an assistant, explain
  the reasons why and what the qualifications of
  the person will be
• Make sure to include a line item for staff in
  your Budget section

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12. Outside financial support

• Some Cotlow applicants co-finance the project, or
  get financial help from other grants, or family,
  etc. If so, please mention this support
• In other cases, applicants get in-kind support
  (such as free housing or food from relatives or
  friends in the research area). If so, please
  mention this support

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13. References/Select Bibliography

• Provide references for all sources cited in your
  proposal you may also include references that
  you have not cited but which served as background
  information.
• Follow, generally, the reference style of the
  American Anthropological Association (aaanet.org).

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14. Permits

• Particular research sites may require permission
  from the country, locality, or institution for
  your project
• In your application, please provide copies of
  such permissions or mention that you are in
  process of securing such permissions

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15. Transcript

• Include a copy of your transcript at GW, either
  official or unofficial
• Failure to include your transcript will mean that
  your proposal is incomplete and cannot be reviewed

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Final Note 1 legal conditions of the award

• Expenditure report submitted to the Cotlow
  administrator within three months of the end of
  research
• Presentation of findings at the Cotlow Conference
  in the fall
• Compliance with all relevant ethical guidelines
• Compliance with GW safety guidelines when outside
  the US

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Final Note 2 personal safety during research

• Do your best to choose a research site that will
  be safe for you
• In case of potential problems, keep track of US
  government advisories about the country
• Have a back-up site in mind in case you need to
  change your research site at the last minute due
  to safety concerns

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Proposal drafts and revisions take time and are
essential for a successful proposal

• Give yourself a lot of time to write and revise
  the proposal
• Ask faculty mentor(s) to review drafts (and
  remember that they need time to do so)
• Revise
• Revise again
• Submit on time!