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Faculty Fellowship

Humanities Center Faculty Fellowships (Applications Now Closed)

The University of Pittsburgh Humanities Center is pleased to invite applications for Faculty Fellowships to be taken in the 2024-25 academic year. The goal of this fellowship is to support humanities research by faculty at Pitt and to connect them with the multidisciplinary networks of the Humanities Center.

This year, we are calling for applications that connect with the 2024-25 annual theme of “Method?” Please see our announcement of this theme here for further details.

Also, the Humanities Center is collaborating with the Asian Studies Center to create an East Asian Studies Faculty Fellowship. Applicants for the general Humanities Center Faculty Fellowship may indicate that they also wish to be considered for the East Asian Studies slot. See below for specific instructions. We are very grateful to the Asian Studies Center for the financial commitment that makes this additional fellowship possible.

Fellows will participate in the intellectual life of the Center throughout the academic year, and they will share their work with the Humanities Center community. Humanities Center Faculty Fellowship recipients will receive one full semester’s release from teaching to be taken during the 2024-25 academic year. The associated course releases (normally two) may be taken in one semester or spread over the two semesters of the year, provided that they are used in the year of the fellowship. East Asian Studies Faculty Fellowship recipients will receive one course release to be taken during the 2024-25 academic year. They will also have the option to buy out a second course through salary reduction. The Center is committed to creating a multidisciplinary humanities environment incorporating a diversity of experiences, identities, and disciplines.

Eligibility. Successful applicants for the fellowship must be faculty members on continuing contract at the University of Pittsburgh, which includes appointment stream and tenure stream faculty. Additionally, fellows should be in residence in Pittsburgh during the 2024-25 academic year of the fellowship, and they commit to participating in the intellectual life of the Center. Colleagues who have previously held a Humanities Center Faculty Fellowship are eligible to apply again after five years, for work on a new project. Such applicants will be asked to give a brief account of how the previously supported project was brought to completion and how this new project differs from it.

Application Requirements. Applications for a Humanities Center Faculty Fellowship must include the following:

  1. A current CV indicating whether the proposed project has received support in the past (no more than three pages);
  2. A proposal laying out the project to be pursued while a fellow (no more than 600 words);
  3. A discussion of how this project would contribute to the 2024-25 Humanities Center theme of “Method?” (no more than 300 words);
  4. Nomination of a potential Visiting Fellow (see here for further details on this fellowship program), giving their institutional affiliation and explaining why you believe they would make a valuable contribution to the theme of “Method?” (no more than 300 words);
  5. The Humanities Center is committed to fostering a multidisciplinary humanities environment incorporating a diversity of experiences, identities, and disciplines. Applicants are invited to articulate how they and their project would contribute to this goal (no more than 300 words);
  6. A sample of research output. Note: if you submit a writing sample, please aim for 5,000 to 10,000 words; film clips, musical performances, or audio submissions should aim for about 10 minutes. If you have questions about the format of your submission, please let us know.
  7. Colleagues who have previously held a Humanities Center Faculty Fellowship and who are applying to work on a new project, please give a brief account of how the previously supported project was brought to completion and how this new project differs from it.

Selection Criteria. Applications will be assessed by the Steering Committee of the Humanities Center. In that review of applications, the following criteria will be used to rank proposals:

  1. Potential impact of the fellowship on career trajectory of the applicant, taking into account relative advantages and constraints on resources for the proposed project and over the course of the applicant’s career;
  2. The clarity with which the application lays out the research project to be pursued;
  3. The potential impact of the research project for disciplinary, academic, and/or non-university constituencies;
  4. The likelihood that the project and the applicant would make a significant contribution to the theme of “Method?”;
  5. Potential impact of the nominated visiting fellow on the fellowship cohort’s exploration of the theme;
  6. The likelihood that the fellow and the project would contribute to a multidisciplinary humanities environment incorporating a diversity of experiences, identities, and disciplines;
  7. The feasibility of achieving the stated goals in the time period of the fellowship.

Deadline. Applications must be submitted by Monday, October 9, 2023.

Submission. Apply here.

Questions. For any questions, please contact the Co-Directors of the Humanities Center, Carla Nappi (nappi@pitt.edu) and David Marshall (dlm91@pitt.edu).

East Asian Studies Faculty Fellowship

The University of Pittsburgh Humanities Center is pleased to invite applications for East Asian Studies Faculty Fellowships to be taken in the 2024-25 academic year. The goal of this fellowship is to support humanities research by faculty at Pitt and to connect them with the multidisciplinary networks of the Humanities Center. Faculty without previous research experience in East Asia are strongly encouraged to apply.  Applicants must provide justification along with details on established institutional affiliation in the countries involved as evidence for the feasibility and significance of the project. Applications should also connect to the 2024-25 Humanities Center theme of “Method?” Please see our announcement of this theme for further details.

Fellows will participate in the intellectual life of the Center throughout the academic year, and they will share their work with the Humanities Center community. Fellowship recipients will receive one course release to be taken during the 2024-25 academic year. They will also have the option to buy out a second course through salary reduction. The Center is committed to creating a multidisciplinary humanities environment incorporating a diversity of experiences, identities, and disciplines.

Eligibility. Successful applicants for the fellowship must be faculty members on continuing contract at the University of Pittsburgh, which includes appointment stream and tenure stream faculty. Additionally, fellows should be in residence in Pittsburgh during the 2024-25 academic year of the fellowship, and they commit to participating in the intellectual life of the Center. Colleagues who have previously held a Humanities Center Faculty Fellowship are eligible to apply again after five years, for work on a new project. Such applicants will be asked to give a brief account of how the previously supported project was brought to completion and how this new project differs from it.

Application Requirements. If you wish to be considered for both the general fellowship and the East Asian Studies Faculty Fellowship, then please indicate that when you apply.  If you are applying for the East Asian Studies Faculty Fellowship, you do not need to submit additional materials, but you should address the following in your application:

  1. How your project contributes to East Asian Studies;
  2. How your project integrates the study of East Asia into the humanities.

Selection Criteria. In addition to the general criteria, applications for the East Asian Studies Faculty Fellowship will be assessed relative to:

  1. The significance of the project to East Asian Studies;
  2. The feasibility of the project based on the qualifications and experience of the applicant;
  3. How innovative and creative the proposal is in relation to new approaches within the applicant’s field or fields of interdisciplinary study.

Deadline. Applications must be submitted by Monday, October 9, 2023

Submission. Apply here.

Questions. For any questions, please contact the Co-Directors of the Humanities Center, Carla Nappi (nappi@pitt.edu) and David Marshall (dlm91@pitt.edu).