Department of Folk Studies and Anthropology News

The application window for the 2024-2025 Drs. Du-Powell Scholarship in Anthropology opened on February 1 and applications will be accepted until February 29, 2024.

The goal of the scholarship is to provide up to $650 to support student research and/or study abroad/away experiences in anthropology between July 1, 2024 and June 30, 2025. The activity should fall partly or wholly within that time frame, with one exception. Current students participating in Dr. Jean-Luc Houle’s archaeology field course in Mongolia in May-June 2024 are eligible to apply.

The scholarship was established by Dr. Chunmei Du to honor the memory of her late husband, Dr. Lindsey Wells Powell, a member of the anthropology faculty in the WKU Department of Folk Studies and Anthropology from 2009-2014. Dr. Powell was a cultural and visual anthropologist who conducted research, produced ethnographic films, and curated exhibits on Japanese social movements and protest spectacles, the American occupation of Japan, artwork made by Japanese prisoners of war, kingship in the Thar Desert of India, South Asian art patronage and collecting, ethnic minorities in China, and ethnographic filmmakers Timothy Asch and John Marshall. A staunch advocate for the four-field approach in anthropology, Dr. Powell was a beloved educator who taught courses in cultural anthropology, visual anthropology, linguistic anthropology, and Asian studies and led student study abroad programs in Japan and India. Dr. Powell also worked as a film archivist and projectionist, was an accomplished classical violinist and bluegrass fiddler, and enjoyed growing heirloom and ethnic crops.

WKU students must meet the following criteria to be eligible for the scholarship.

• proposed research project or study abroad/away program is anthropology focused
• student is declared as an anthropology major
• student has completed at least 12 hours of anthropology courses

WKU students who are awarded the scholarship must meet the following expectations.

• recipient will submit a written report at the conclusion of the research project or study abroad/away program using guidelines provided by the Department of Folk Studies and Anthropology
• recipient will acknowledge the support of the scholarship in all written and oral products using verbiage provided by the Department of Folk Studies and Anthropology
• recipient will present a paper or poster about the research project or study abroad/away program at the WKU Student Research Conference or Dr. Lindsey Powell Memorial Conference, as appropriate

The application is available at https://www.wku.edu/fsa/resources.php under Student Funding.