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Program of Study

With the assistance of the program’s Director, Fellows design and pursue their own nine-month academic program, which combines coursework and independent study with faculty with the use of the libraries, research centers, and other University resources.

Revson Fellows’ individually designed study programs involve at least two courses, which may include faculty-guided study and research, and participation in workshops or University seminars. Fellows devote at least three days per week to their studies on campus. Fellows can audit classes or take them for credit.

No two academic programs are alike. Instead, each Fellow works with the program’s Director, administrators, and faculty to select a custom-designed course of study that addresses the probing questions that motivated the Fellow to apply for the Fellowship.

Additional resources to assist applicants in developing their program of study proposal can be found in the application section.

Successful academic programs have included:

• An economic policy analyst for a trade union applied for a Fellowship to investigate the effects of globalization and shifting economic trends on a union’s capacity to recruit and mobilize members and pursue successful public awareness strategies. The Fellow took courses on Economics, Globalization and its Risks at the School of International Affairs; Social Impact of Mass Media at the School of Journalism; and Modern Political Economy at the Business School. Coursework was complemented by participation in a University seminar on Contentious Politics and guided readings on labor history and current issues. The Fellow made use of the writing seminar to develop stronger awareness of and ability to employ effective political rhetoric.
• A Fellow who directed a community foundation for Korean Americans immigrants sought a deeper understanding of how urban immigrant communities could work towards development that is economically, politically, and environmentally sustainable, while empowering immigrant leaders to take greater roles in shaping the future of their communities. Studies included courses in International and Public Affairs: Micro-Enterprise Development and Women; Human Ecology and Sustainable Development; and Critical Issues in Urban Public Policy, as well as studies in Sociology: Process of Stratification and Inequality; and an ISERP workshop on Sustainability in an International Urban Context.
• A Fellow without a college degree, who had been a supervising marshal in the Fire Department, applied to the program to gain skills and become a more effective advocate against workplace discrimination. The Fellow took courses in employment discrimination and mediation and conflict resolution at the Law School. During the Fellowship year, the Fellow applied and was accepted to Columbia Law School and anticipates graduating in 2007 and returning to the field of anti-discrimination work.
• A communications director at a New York City HIV/AIDS center came to the Fellowship for a year of immersion in scholarly discourse about gender, health, and HIV/AIDS in order to become a more effective communicator between the health care community and diverse urban communities. The Fellow took courses at the School of Public Health and in the departments of sociology and anthropology, and went on to pursue graduate studies in Sociomedical Sciences at Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health. The Fellow currently publishes research and policy papers on drug use and HIV/AIDS infection, and directs an international harm reduction initiative for a major foundation.