The Humanities and the Humanities Project Application
Call for Proposals
The deadline for applications for the 2010-2011 academic year is April 15, 2010.
Please contact paul.duro@rochester.edu for more information.
View application guidelines ↓
The purpose of the Humanities Project is to advance research and artistic production in all areas of the humanities and the humanistic social sciences. Projects and initiatives that will significantly elevate the profile of the humanities at Rochester are especially encouraged. A basic tenet is that the Humanities Project seeks to underwrite the very best work—of whatever kind—representing the rich array of humanistic and artistic production. Fostering innovative work in both traditional and newer areas of scholarship, the Humanities Project is designed to make possible new avenues for the pursuit of research and artistic production in the humanities. Many of the projects previously funded have brought outside speakers or artists to campus, but we are also interested in encouraging new or alternative forms of scholarship and artistic production at Rochester.
The committee encourages proposals of broad appeal that are interdisciplinary in nature. It also welcomes smaller projects aimed at a more specialized audience. We encourage projects that can be expected to have a tangible impact on the UR community and beyond, and/or those that might have a continuing presence or effect. We especially encourage high-profile events of the sort that will focus regional and national attention on the University of Rochester, and that should attract nationally competitive funding to supplement or extend work funded by the Humanities Project.
Humanities Project Application Guidelines
The Humanities Project Administrative Committee welcomes applications for projects that fall within the purview of the Humanities Project. Proposals must be authored by tenure-track faculty members appointed at the rank of Assistant Professor or higher in a humanities or humanistic social sciences department in the School of Arts and Sciences, although projects may include faculty in other units. Proposals should clearly state the aims of the project, the means of achieving those aims, and why the proposed format is best suited to achieve them. As they develop their proposals, applicants to the Humanities Project are strongly encouraged to consider these aims before they settle on the format the project might take. It is understood that successful humanities projects will enrich the intellectual life of the community, and they will ideally provide lasting benefits. Proposals that are not centrally focused on the humanities cannot be considered.
The Application
The most important factor to bear in mind when preparing an application is an arresting rationale. Do not assume everyone on the committee is familiar with your topic. We want to be told why the project is important, for whom it is important, and why the Humanities Project should fund the initiative.
Applications for funding from the Humanities Project must include:
- A brief overview (250 words) of the proposal's importance, and relevance, to the aims of the Humanities Project
- A detailed academic rationale, including potential connections with other projects both within the university and beyond
- An explanation of the proposal's goals
- A detailed budget showing, as far as possible, how funds would be disbursed
- Names and departmental affiliations of the Principal Investigator(s), with brief biography
- Names, affiliations, and brief biographies of all participants
- Information on applications for funding from other sources
We welcome draft applications and budgets on which the committee will provide feedback and advice, provided such drafts are submitted one month before the announced deadline. (The committee makes no guarantee that such advice indicates eventual approval). We invite colleagues to alert us to upcoming pro-posals for future years, especially if these are large projects that might require significant funds, and/or provide significant opportunities for collaboration, and/or are multi-year in concept.
It will be the responsibility of the principal investigator(s) of all funded projects to provide a detailed report on the project upon its completion.
Submission Deadlines
The deadline for applications for the 2010-2011 academic year is April 15, 2010.
Please contact paul.duro@rochester.edu for more information.