OVERVIEW: The Center for the Humanities sponsors Working Groups to build community and foster interdisciplinary exchange on topics with a humanistic focus. Funding is provided to convene NYU faculty and graduate students in carefully-planned meetings on a focused topic in the humanities where interdisciplinary approaches are likely to be particularly fruitful. Funding is available for a period of one or two years and the work achieved by Working Groups is expected to generate new curricular offerings, publications, conferences, or collaborative faculty projects.
ELIGIBILITY: Full-time faculty on continuing contracts from across the University are eligible to apply. Each Working Group will have at least two faculty co-directors from two separate departments or schools in the humanities. If you are unsure whether you are eligible, please contact the Center directly.
Applicants are encouraged to involve additional colleagues and graduate students from their own and other disciplines in the planning and implementation of the proposed Working Group.
PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS: There are three main requirements expected of faculty participating in this program:
Co-Directors: Each Working Group must have co-directors drawn from at least two distinct disciplinary areas, departments, or schools at NYU, which may include the sciences and the professional schools, but at least one co-director must be from the humanities. Although the core participants of the Working Group are expected to be members of the NYU community, participants from other area institutions are also welcome.
Activities: Please note that funding for Working Groups is not intended to support lecture series. While meetings may be timed to take advantage of visits to NYU by distinguished scholars, reliance on invited outside speakers should be limited. The Center believes that active participation in a successful Working Group will have many educational benefits for graduate students. Consequently, graduate students, including those from the professional schools, should be actively involved in each Working Group and contribute at least a quarter of the Working Group’s presentations.
Reporting: The co-directors of each Working Group are expected to send a brief written report to the NYU Center for the Humanities at the end of each of the two years of the grant period, including a summary of activities and outcomes, and an accounting of all expenditure.
FUNDING AND DURATION: A Working Group may receive up to $5,000 per year, with a maximum of $10,000 over a possible two-year period. The proposal must include a preliminary budget along with a timeline.
The Center recognizes the benefit of sustained work over an extended period of time. While proposals for one-year Working Groups will be considered, those committed to two-year projects will be given priority.
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS: Applicants are asked to provide information regarding each co-director, including their full titles, departments, and schools. Co-directors must be from two or more separate disciplinary areas, departments, or schools. CVs for co-directors must be submitted, along with a list of core NYU participants, including graduate students, and their affiliations. Where applicable, list participants from other institutions and indicate their affiliations. Applications must also include a project description, list of activities, budget and timeline, and a letter of support from each co-director’s dean. Detailed information about what is required is provided on the application portal (link below).
LETTERS OF SUPPORT: Each applicant must request a letter of support from their deans. Please note that letters are due the same day as the application deadline. Please communicate with your dean to be sure that a) they received the invitation to submit a reference, and b) they have submitted their reference in a timely manner.
If, for some reason, a referees is unable to submit their letter through the InfoReady portal, they may email the letter as a PDF attachment to Caila Bowen, Head of Communications and Programs at the Center for the Humanities (caila”dot”bowen”at”nyu.edu).
SELECTION CRITERIA AND REVIEW PROCESS: We consider the following when reviewing applications.
- Is the proposed topic presented in a clear, detailed, well-organized way, and does it adhere to the Working Groups guidelines?
- If you are working with a cultural institution in New York City, how does this proposal incorporate this institution? How will NYU faculty and students collaborate with this institution?
- To what extent does the proposal demonstrate an interdisciplinary approach to the topic? Does it draw effectively on the expertise within NYU on the selected topic?
- To what degree and in what capacity will graduate students participate in the proposed Working Group?
- How will the work of the group advance faculty and graduate student research in the humanities?
- Does the work of the group have the potential for making a significant impact within a department, school, or the humanities in general (for example, through curricular development, a conference, a publication, etc.)?
- Is the budget solid and reflective of real needs?
- Is the group likely to sustain a certain level of activity when it no longer receives funding?
QUERIES: Please address questions to: info@nyuhumanities.org
Opportunity Deadline:March 9, 2025 11:59pm