Becoming a CLIC Visiting Scholar/Student

CLIC welcomes visiting scholars and affiliates. We believe in intellectual exchange across disciplinary and national boundaries, and our past experiences have been very positive, with mutual benefit for our students and faculty as well as for our visiting colleagues. CLIC visitors are designated 'visiting scholar' if they hold a PhD and a faculty position at their home institution. All other visitors are designated 'affiliates'. 

Typically, CLIC visitors are supported by their own funds (e.g., from their own home institution or a grant agency) and must make their own arrangements regarding travel and living accommodations. Note that applicants who need to secure a visa to the U.S. through CLIC should allow for at least two months for the process from the date of acceptance.  In addition, international visiting affiliates who do not hold a PhD are considered by the university to be 'exchange visitors' and are obliged to pay UCLA university fees for each quarter of their stay.  These fees are summarized at the International Education Office website. At this time, domestic visiting scholars and affiliates and international visitors who hold a PhD are not obliged to pay UCLA university fees.

Since office space is limited at UCLA, CLIC cannot provide office space to visitors. There are, however, reading rooms and other spaces on campus that are open to everyone (e.g., desks and facilities in some of the UCLA libraries offer unrestricted use). There are also computer rooms and digital laboratories in various departments affiliated with CLIC. Access to these facilities is subject to specific regulations and restrictions established by each department. Visitors should first inquire about such facilities through the mediation of CLIC faculty. Access to university library collections is open to the public at UCLA, but borrowing books and journals is subject to restrictions and regulations which are usually lifted for CLIC visitors with proof of official status.

Once accepted as a CLIC visiting scholar or affiliate, visitors are welcome to participate in all CLIC-sponsored activities (e.g., seminars, workshops, conferences). Participation in regular classes is often welcome, however, some restrictions may apply. CLIC visitors are encouraged to directly contact the instructor offering each course they would like to attend to request permission and to learn individual instructor's pre-requisites and expectations for visitors.

Visiting scholars and affiliates who are planning to carry out research that involves the collection of data involving human subjects while they are affiliated with CLIC must complete an online training course and submit the appropriate application(s) to the UCLA Office for the Protection of Research Subjects (OPRS). All research activities must comply with university procedures and regulations. In order to submit an application for permission to conduct research involving human subjects, any visitors who are students need a UCLA faculty sponsor (the CLIC Director or another CLIC faculty member should be consulted for guidance in this matter).

To apply to visit CLIC as a visiting scholar or affiliate, send all of the following documents to clic@anthro.ucla.edu with 'CLIC Visitor Application' in the Subject line. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis as they are received.

• Research plan: a minimum 1-page project description that outlines an original research project on which the visitor will work while at UCLA and a separate statement indicating the courses in which the visitor would like to participate and/or the names of the CLIC faculty with whom the visitor intends to interact. 


• A curriculum vitae.



• A letter of recommendation from a sponsor who is able to provide an evaluation of the applicant's background and on-going research. Letters may be from a colleague or advisor, as is appropriate to the applicant's academic position. Letters may be sent electronically via email to clic@anthro.ucla.edu or in hard copy to the Center for Language, Interaction, and Culture, UCLA Department of Anthropology, 375 Portola Plaza, 341 Haines Hall, Box 951553, Los Angeles CA 90095-1553. 



• A statement of commitment to come for at least a full quarter if the applicant wishes to attend classes.