Every year, the Thomas J. Watson Foundation awards Watson Fellowships to about sixty graduating seniors from small colleges around the United States. Fellowships are intended for self-directed study in an area of personal interest; the only major requirement is that the Fellows must remain outside the US for a full calendar year.
Some people choose many countries, others few. Topics range from sociopolitical ("Story of Forced Displacement: Images and Narratives from a Migrant's Life" -- Agnes Maria Flak) to the exploratory ("Falconry, Ancient and Modern" -- Arthur Middleton) to the downright fun ("The Abyss Gazes Also Into You: Living With The Legend of a Lake Monster" -- Buck DeFore).
I went to Scotland to study bagpipes. "Auld Tunes and New: the Bagpipe Music of Scotland" is the project I submitted. Linked from this page are the various materials I sent in.
If you've got questions, please write to me: easter+watson at sccs dot swarthmore dot edu
The links:
