Eligibility and Application

Who should apply?

Full- and part-time university and community college Humanities faculty who teach undergraduate courses that involve or could involve topics related to STEMM. Project directors may admit exceptional individuals whose work lies outside undergraduate teaching but who demonstrate that their participation will advance project goals and enhance their own professional work. We also invite applications from non-tenure-stream faculty and well-qualified advanced graduate students in the Humanities. 

This Institute was developed based on the belief that we Humanist scholars and teachers are uniquely situated to take a leadership role in guiding the development and use of novel technologies. We are especially well-equipped to understand and grapple with the potential impact of emerging technologies on changing conceptions of self, the shapes of human societies, and the nature of our shared future. As Humanists, we bring to the discussion fundamental knowledge, diverse perspectives, and multiple tools for interpretation and analysis that tend to be underdeveloped in scientists and engineers. Given these strengths, we can educate humanities students from across disciplines to engage in critical discussions and societal deliberations about novel technologies, while also enhancing the capacities of future scientists and engineers to think critically, ethically, and humanistically about the research that they are pursuing. But in order to do this with credibility and with the greatest potential for real-world impact, we must cultivate a more sophisticated understanding of the actual science than is typical for a humanist. This NEH Institute will uniquely meet this need.

Together, we will address such questions as: What is the current status of research developments in bioengineering? What are some of the likely implications of these developments? How might the research trajectories be affected by humanities pedagogy and scholarship? What is the future of human nature? What is the nature of our human future? What does—and should—it mean to integrate humanities, arts, and STEMM in practice?

If you want to be able to integrate STEMM topics into your courses, and to do so competently and confidently, then this Institute is for you! No previous experience in STEMM is necessary for involvement and enrichment in this Institute.

We will accept 25 applicants to the Institute. The stipend for this four-week Institute is $3,450, which counts as taxable income.

The deadline to apply is March 3, 2023.

Eligibility

Participant Eligibility Criteria: Seminars and Institutes for Higher Education Faculty 

Seminars and Institutes are designed for a national audience of full- or part-time faculty who teach undergraduate students. Project directors may admit a limited number of others whose work lies outside undergraduate teaching but who demonstrate that their participation will advance project goals and enhance their own professional work. At least three seminar spaces and at least five institute spaces must be reserved for nontenured/non-tenure-track faculty members. Two seminar spaces and three institute spaces may be reserved for advanced graduate students.

Participants must be United States citizens, residents of U.S. jurisdictions, or foreign nationals who have been residing in the United States or its territories for at least the three years immediately preceding the application deadline. U.S. citizens teaching abroad at U.S. chartered institutions are also eligible to participate. Foreign nationals teaching abroad are not eligible to participate. 

A participant need not have an advanced degree in order to take part in a seminar or institute. 

Individuals may not apply to participate in a seminar or institute whose director is a family member, who is affiliated with the same institution, who has served as an academic advisor to the applicant, or who has led a previous NEH-funded Seminar, Institute or Landmarks program attended by the applicant. 

In any given year an individual may apply to a maximum of two projects but may attend only one. 

Participants may not be delinquent in the repayment of federal debt (e.g., taxes, student loans, child support payments, and delinquent payroll taxes for household or other employees). Individuals may not apply to participate in a seminar or institute if they have been debarred or suspended by any federal department or agency. 

To be considered for selection, applicants must submit a complete application as indicated on the individual seminar or institute’s website.

How to Apply

Instructions for Applying to the Institute

Please complete the following form, which records institutional affiliation data and information on students and courses taught. At the bottom of that form are links to upload an abridged (3 pg max) CV highlighting your suitability as a participant, and a short (750-word max) essay on what you hope to gain from participation and prospective ways this Institute will help to shape your future courses.

Deadline to Apply: March 3, 2023

Click Here for Institute Application

Selection Process

How We Will Select Participants

We will accept 25 applicants to the Institute. We are looking for diversity across subject matter expertise, geographic location, institution type, and career experience. The selection committee will include the Director, Co-Director, and another Humanist from ASU that is unaffiliated with the project, who will evaluate all applications individually and then in committee. 

We are excited to recruit a diverse group of faculty across the Humanities, at a variety of career stages, from diverse backgrounds, institutions, and geographies. At least 5 positions will be reserved for non-tenured/non-tenure-track faculty members, and we will reserve two spots for advanced graduate students.

Preference will be given to those applicants with well-developed plans to create curricular materials over the course of the Institute, as well as those who bring diverse perspectives and resources to the group. We also prioritize applicants for whom this is their first time attending a Seminar or Institute. Between two equally qualified applicants, we prioritize program diversity as the deciding factor.

In reviewing materials, we will consider the following factors:

  • How would this Institute enrich and benefit the applicant’s personal and professional development?
  • Does the applicant demonstrate effectiveness, impact, and/or reach as an educator? 
  • What diversity (of perspectives, background, experience, and skills) does the applicant contribute to the program?
  • Does the applicant’s intellectual and pedagogical commitments align with the theme of this Institute? 
  • Does the applicant demonstrate that Institute participation would impact their approach to teaching? Is there evidence provided that these gains will be long-term and sustained?

Endowment programs do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or age. For further information, write to the Equal Opportunity Officer, National Endowment for the Humanities, 400 7th Street, SW, Washington, D.C., 20024. TDD: 202-606-8282 (this is a special telephone device for the Deaf).

Important Dates

  • The deadline to apply is March 3, 2023.
  • Applicants will be notified on April 3, 2023.
  • The deadline for applicants to accept or decline the offer to participate is April 14, 2023.