McNamara, Urquidez Tackle Dissertations at the Academy

For the past two years, the Academy has offered Dissertation Year Fellowships in an effort to promote diversity on campus and support the development of doctoral students of many disciplines. This academic year, Alberto Urquidez and Sarah McNamara came to PEA as dissertation fellows. Their research centers on racism and Civil Rights history, respectively.

Urquidez encountered the fellowship on Google, when looking for programs dealing with research related to racism. His academic field spans philosophy of race, language and social science, while also including epistemology and metaphysics. His dissertation is attempting to answer the simple question of, “What is racism?”

“My topic is by its very nature interdisciplinary, intersecting sociology, history and other fields, because it is on the concept of racism. The question I am tackling is of course a question of interest to many scholars in various fields,”

“My topic is by its very nature interdisciplinary, intersecting sociology, history and other fields, because it is on the concept of racism. The question I am tackling is of course a question of interest to many scholars in various fields,” he said.

McNamara’s dissertation pertains to women’s activism and the beginnings of the Civil Rights movement. Although the main purpose of the fellowship is to work on writing, McNamara has enjoyed a certain amount of interaction with students. After settling into a new environment, she actively sought students who were involved in groups that overlapped with her topical interests and background, specifically Fem Club and La Alianza De Latina. Her Cuban heritage drew her to LAL, where McNamara was given the opportunity to speak.

“I had the opportunity to give them a talk for Hispanic Heritage Month and play a part in the execution of celebrating our ethnic heritage. One of the things about the Exeter Dissertation Fellowship is that it really highlights ethno-racial politics and creates a platform to speak about those things in a very interactive environment,” McNamara said.

McNamara has been able to frequently interact with students, however the faculty have been less available. “I definitely interact with students more frequently than I interact with faculty. The faculty members are great, it’s a very friendly and very welcoming environment but I think they respect my time as much as they understand what the purpose of the fellowship is. They want to make sure I’m writing,” she said.

In order to apply for the position, applicants must have completed all other steps in the Ph.D. process and be devoted solely to writing their dissertation. The application involves a three-tier interview process, including a first interview, an in-person interview and then a public presentation. The fellowship provides a stipend of $14,000 for research and $1000 for travel. Alongside the financial support, the fellows are given room and board as well as access to the Academy’s facilities and resources for professional and academic development opportunities.

The dissertation fellows are invited to participate in all aspects of school life, interacting with students and faculty as they wish. The fellows have no prescribed teaching duties, but are encouraged to seek conversation with students and faculty related to their discipline.

Exeter’s Dissertation Fellowship is decidedly unique in its lack of a service requirement. Most other programs require their fellows to teach classes, at least part-time. According to McNamara, this has set Exeter apart from other programs and allowed her to focus fully on finishing her dissertation and interacting with students.

“Exeter has a pretty unique fellowship that gives people the opportunity to work on their dissertation without any service commitment. That’s pretty unique for a dissertation completion fellowship,” McNamara said. “Most fellowships require that you teach and in reality, when you’re working on a humanities dissertation, it’s pretty difficult to teach and deal with the needs of students. Being at Exeter allows me to still have the communication and relationship with students that I really like while still making sure that I’m focused and doing what I need to do to finish the dissertation and get the Ph.D.”

The fellowship has placed McNamara into a stimulating work environment, where she is alone with her thoughts. Devoid of many distractions, such as her former posts as student senate representative and graduate history society president, McNamara is focused on finishing her dissertation and receiving her Ph.D. In the last month alone, McNamara has completed a chapter of her dissertation, two conference presentations, given three public talks and is traveling to complete a fourth. This productivity stems directly from the lack of service requirement of the Dissertation Fellowship Program, which for this reason McNamara describes it as “unique and generous.”

Urquidez has enjoyed similar experiences and opportunities to McNamara. The faculty and students have received him equally as well.

“The community here has been much more supportive than I could have ever imagined. I've been invited to classes, lectures, events, club meetings and local pubs—I mean, restaurants and such. I've already made some great friends here. I plan to be in touch with them for years to come,” Urquidez said.

The religion department as a whole has also welcome him as a part of their faculty. Urquidez has attended department meetings.

Urquidez has been very productive since the beginning of his fellowship. He is currently writing the second of four chapters of his dissertation, although he has been equally focused on outlining and writing notes and ideas for his other chapters. Similar to McNamara, Urquidez has not only written but he has also had the chance to interact with students.

“I've had a couple of students who have reached out to me. I am always blown away by the kinds of questions and conversations I find myself having with Exeter students,” he said.

Urquidez said that he appreciates the opportunities he has been granted by the Academy and the experiences he was able to acquire during his time at Exeter. “It's going to be very sad when the year comes to an end, but I'll be taking some great experiences and memories with me.”