Faculty Summer Reading Groups
Funding Program Suspended for Summer 2023
Building on a successful pilot program the Arts & Humanities Forum announces the return of Faculty Summer Reading Groups for 2022. These reading groups aim to foster intellectual community, broaden disciplinary perspectives, and create collegial collaboration through organized discussions of a shared set of readings.
For this program, a member of the OU Regular Faculty will form a reading group of around 4-6 individuals, around a shared set of readings (around 5 monographs or the equivalent). Throughout the 2022 summer, the group will regularly meet (virtually or in person) to discuss the shared set of readings. The group will set the schedule for the meetings, which can be spread out over the summer or in a week-long intensive session. The expectation is that groups will meet for a minimum of 10 hours over the summer.
Groups must comprise members from more than one department/unit on campus. They must be organized around a broad topical focus. These areas of focus may include (but are not limited to):
- Memory
- Technology and Society
- Environmental Justice
- Sovereignty
- Critical Theory
- Postcolonial/Decolonizing Studies
- Digital Humanities
- Feminist Ontologies
- Disease
The Forum would be particularly pleased to fund a Reading Group organized in dialogue with the Forum 2022-23 Theme “Porous.”
How often do we narrate security into filters, borders, boundaries that are actually quite permeable? And in what ways can the arts and humanities help us to experience, appreciate, and at times proceed with greater caution around those permeabilities? From virus transmission to nuclear defense to international migration to climate crisis, the arts and humanities can contribute a great deal to understanding the human experience of feeling secure or feeling vulnerable.
Participants in the selected groups will receive $650 each, with the organizer receiving $800. Funds can be taken as research funds or supplemental salary. The OU Arts & Humanities Forum will also provide the selected books to each participant.
Applications must be submitted by email to humanities.forum@ou.edu by 5/1/2022 at 5pm.
Each group should consist of 4-6 participants, inclusive of the group organizer.
The group must be organized by an OU Regular Faculty member (Tenured, Tenure-track, or Ranked Renewable Term) in the humanities, arts, or interpretive social sciences. However, in the spirit of fostering a rich intellectual community at OU, group members can include non-regular faculty, lecturers, adjunct faculty, and (in some cases) OU staff.
Participants must be drawn from at least two different departments.
Faculty may only apply with one reading group each summer.
Proposal Content and Format
Proposals must use a font of 11 points or larger. Page margins should be 1” on all four sides. Line spacing must not be smaller than 1.5 lines. Please be certain that you have included all required components, in order. Late or incomplete applications will be disqualified from consideration.
Proposal
The project description should include each of the following components and be submitted as a single PDF file. Email completed applications to humanities.forum@ou.edu
1. Cover Sheet:
Complete the proposal cover sheet. Incorporate a scanned copy of the form into your final proposal.
2. Project Abstract (500 words maximum)
Outline the main objectives of the reading group. Make sure to clearly explain for non-specialists how the topic fits into broader conversations in the Arts and/or Humanities, and a brief justification for the selected readings that are included in your list.
3. Bibliography of Potential Readings
We expect the reading level to be on the order of around 5 books or equivalent articles. We are especially interested to see engagement with recent and cutting-edge work.
4. Proposed Schedule of Meetings
Groups can choose how organize their meetings. They can hold regularly scheduled sessions throughout the summer or in an intensive week-long session. They can meet in person, virtually, or in some hybrid combination of the two. The expectation is that the groups will meet for a minimum of 10 hours over the summer.
5. Information on Participants
For each participant (including organizer), please include a 100 word Bio sketch, including areas of specialization and research interests. Also, please include 2-3 sentences explaining how the reading group will benefit each participant’s scholarly development and/or publications.
6. 2-page CV for the organizer
The Forum’s Faculty Advisory Committee will review all proposal materials and select successful applications. Proposals will be evaluated for feasibility and anticipated impact of the reading group in terms of future publications and extramural funding.
Recipients of an Arts & Humanities Faculty Reading Group grant are subject to the following requirements:
Reporting
By September 15, the group organizer is required to submit a brief (1-2 page) report on the reading group activities, as well as a finalized bibliography of works read and discussed.
Acknowledging AHFF Support
All written publications (whether in hard copy or electronic form) that have benefited from Arts & Humanities funding must acknowledge the support of the OU Arts & Humanities Forum.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
Please contact Kimberly Marshall, Faculty Director (Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology): kjm@ou.edu
