Welcome to the Humanities Initiative

The Humanities Initiative offers Research Fellowships to full-time faculty in the humanities and art disciplines, including but not limited to history, art history, music, philosophy, cultural studies, literary and language studies, religious studies, drama and performance studies, cinema studies, and gender studies. Fellows are expected to be present in New York within the University community for the entire year of their residency. They will meet on a weekly basis to discuss their work-in-progress and that of invited guests, and will participate in Initiative activities, including the planning of an annual humanities festival.

Eligibility
All full-time faculty in the humanities and art disciplines are eligible to apply. Applicants may not have had an NYU-supported leave in the year preceding the Fellowship year. More than one applicant from the same department may apply. Prospective fellows should be at a stage in their research and writing that will permit them to be in residence at NYU for the totality of the Fellowship year.

Funding
The teaching load of Faculty Fellows will be reduced by up to two courses. Fellows’ remaining course load will be two or more courses, and must include one undergraduate course. Fellows will receive regular salary and benefits through their home department and school. The Provost’s Office will contribute up to $15,000 toward the teaching replacement costs and benefits of the Fellows’ departments.

Course release
Faculty members must consult with their department chair regarding their intent to apply, and agree on a reasonable course load for the Fellowship year that will minimize the impact on undergraduate teaching. Chairs should write a brief letter in support of the applicant and indicate the department’s willingness to free the Fellow from specified teaching assignments and administrative responsibilities. Fellows in consultation with their chair may choose to reduce their teaching load by one course each semester or by two courses in either the fall or spring semester. 

Selection criteria
Successful proposals will clearly define a research problem that can be investigated in a one-year project period; will provide a self-contained account of what will be done, how and why; and will demonstrate the likelihood of a significant contribution to the field. Applicants should demonstrate outstanding scholarly promise and ability to successfully undertake the project. In selecting a cohort of Fellows, the Selection Committee will be particularly interested in identifying scholars who represent a diversity of fields and methodological perspectives, and who have demonstrated the ability to engage with other scholars in interdisciplinary conversations. The creative work of applicants in the arts disciplines must involve substantial historical or humanistic research.

Review process
Fellows will be selected by the Humanities Initiative Fellowship Selection Committee, composed of senior faculty appointed by the Provost, based on review of the proposal, the C.V., and an external reference.

Application format
Applications should contain the materials below. Please do not staple any part of the application (paper clips are fine). 

1. Face sheet
   For full consideration, a face sheet must accompany the application, including all of the following information:
   • Applicant’s name
   • Applicant’s full title (professor, associate professor, assistant professor, etc.)
   • Applicant’s department and school
   • Applicant’s office address, including phone and fax numbers
   • Applicant’s e-mail address and Net ID
   • Title of proposed project
   • Year of last sabbatical (if no sabbatical taken, please indicate “not applicable”)
   • Name, affiliation, and e-mail of external referee
   • Name, telephone, and e-mail of department chair
2. Research description
   The proposal, consisting of no more than 1200 words, should describe the research project to be undertaken during the applicant’s residency, goals to be accomplished, the project’s significance within the field, and its capacity to bridge disciplinary boundaries.
3. Abbreviated curriculum vitae
   In no more than five pages, please indicate education and positions held, publications and major presentations, honors and awards.
4. Published work
   Please submit one sample of a published work such as an article, book chapter, or significant conference paper. The submission of books or entire dissertations is discouraged.
5. Letter of support from department chair (or dean, if in Gallatin, for example)
   This letter should indicate the department’s willingness to free the Fellow from teaching assignments and administrative responsibilities. It should specify the proposed course release and resulting course assignment and describe how the department will address the impact, if any, on the department’s undergraduate program.
6. Letter from external referee
   Applicants should obtain one letter of reference from outside NYU from a colleague in a relevant field, to be submitted under separate cover (see address below). Referees should be asked to comment on the potential of the project to have a significant impact on the field, the capacity of the project and the applicant to engage scholars in other disciplines, and the standing of the scholar in his or her field. References should not be requested from current or previous collaborators, dissertation advisors, personal friends, or mentors.

Application deadline and subsmission
Applications for the Faculty Research Fellowships are due no later than Monday, November 8, 2010 by close of business. Items 1, 2, and 3 described above should be submitted electronically, as a single Microsoft Word (or compatible) document to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . If convenient, you may also elect to include Item 4 in portable document format (pdf) with this transmission, or you may send it in hard copy to:

The Humanities Initiative
Faculty Research Fellowship Competition
New York University
20 Cooper Square, Fifth Floor
New York, NY 10003-7112
Attention: Asya Berger

Please instruct your chair and your external referee to forward their letters (Items 5 and 6) electronically, also to the e-mail address noted above. Scanned letters bearing the author’s original signature are preferred, although simple e-mails from verifiable addresses will also be accepted.

Notification
Applicants and their respective departments will be notified of award decisions on or around February 7, 2011.

Further information
Questions regarding applications are welcome and should be addressed to Asya Berger.