The History Department is pleased to announce up to 4 short-term grants of $4,500 apiece to support travel to South Korea (and potentially also China and/or Japan) to research the legacies of Japan’s historical state-sponsorship of militarized sexual slavery (commonly euphemized as the “comfort women”). The amount of funding sponsored during the summer 2024 covers visits to "comfort women" museums and possibly to meet with survivors to learn about the "comfort women" issue. The awardees will have an orientation with the funding’s sponsoring group, CARE (Comfort Women Action for Redress and Education), before they begin their trip during which the list of museums and the required reading will be provided.

Applications of 750 words explaining the candidate’s proposed itinerary and research aims are due May 15 to the History Department. Please use the form below to apply.

As deliverables, the awardees should submit an essay (appr. 1200 words) or a short video (3-7 min) to demonstrate what they've learned during their trip, and their ideas on how to make it relevant and educate the "comfort women" issue in the United States. Students in Education (future teachers) can submit a lesson plan according to the federal or state History/Social Science Standards, in place of an essay or a video.

Applicants who have taken classes that discuss the "comfort women" issue and those who are majoring in History, Education, Asian and Asian-American Studies, or Women Gender and Sexuality Studies will be given extra points. The awardees must be enrolled at UConn in the fall of 2024.

The research trip must be completed before the beginning of the 2024 fall semester.

The project deadline is November 1st, 2024.

The awardees will be required to present their deliverables at an online showcase at the end of November, and the deliverables will be uploaded online for public access.