The purpose of this Postdoctoral Fellowship is to support research in popular music studies by providing scholars in the early stages of their careers with the time and resources necessary to advance their work. During the course of the fellowship, John P. Murphy Fellows will pursue a research and writing project for two full academic years. An essential feature of the program is that Fellows make intellectual contributions to the CWRU community through their participation in workshops, lectures, and courses; all classes in Music are part of the Joint Music Program with the Cleveland Institute of Music. The John P. Murphy Fellow will offer two courses at CWRU (one course each academic year) over the period of the fellowship, in consultation with the Music Department.
Fellows will also be given the opportunity to take advantage of the longstanding partnership between the Center for Popular Music Studies and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Rock Hall’s Library & Archives. Working with the Education Department at the Rock Hall, the Fellow might
- be given the opportunity to present their research at a Rock Hall event
- help develop ideas for a future Rock Hall project
- work with the Rock Hall staff on shaping a public event
- create educational content for the Rock Hall’s education site, Rock Hall EDU
Additional resources in the area include the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s Library & Archives and the Browne Popular Culture Library at Bowling Green State University. Case Western Reserve University also sits in the center of University Circle, a nexus of internationally known cultural institutions including the Cleveland Museum of Art, Severance Hall, Western Reserve Historical Society, and numerous others.
This postdoctoral fellowship is made possible through the generosity of the John P. Murphy Foundation and the Richman Fund for Popular Music Studies at the College of Arts and Sciences at Case Western Reserve University. For further information, please see the foundation’s website at murphykulas.org.
Qualifications
Candidates must have the PhD in hand from an institution other than Case Western Reserve University before July 1, 2025; the PhD must date from no earlier than 2015. Candidates should demonstrate in the dissertation a focus on popular music. The candidate’s PhD may come from musicology, ethnomusicology, music theory, area studies, or related fields.
Application Instructions
In order to be considered for the program, applicants must submit:
- A cover letter including contact and biographical information.
- An academic c.v. including detailed information on your scholarly projects, publications, degrees and awards, teaching experience, etc.
- A proposal for the scholarly project that you will undertake during the postdoctoral fellowship. The project can include, but does not necessarily need to, expansion and revision of your doctoral research into one or more new publications. There are two components to the project proposal:
- Project title and an abstract, including a clear statement of the project’s scholarly significance. (250 word maximum)
- Project description, explaining the objectives, methodology, contribution and originality of the project in a manner that is clear to a range of scholars in the humanities who may not be specialists in your field. (1000 word maximum)
- Contact information for three references
- A one page description of up to three ideas for courses that you would be interested in teaching.
Applications can be submitted via Interfolio (http://apply.interfolio.com/160865).
For questions, please contact Daniel Goldmark (dig5@case.edu).
Case Western Reserve University strives to maintain a diverse and inclusive work environment. All applicants are protected under Federal law from discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, age and genetics.
Case Western Reserve provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. Applicants requiring a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the Office of Equity by phone at 216.368.3066 or by email at equity@case.edu. Determinations as to granting reasonable accommodations for any applicant will be made on a case-by-case basis.