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Humanities Research Scholar Award

The Center for the Humanities invites applications for the Research Scholar Award, a three-year distinction offering research funding in its first and third year.

The Award is given to an Associate or Full Professor undertaking a major research or creative project in the humanities.

Projects eligible for the award include, but are not limited to, work culminating in a book; a collection of artworks or compositions; a film, website, or other work in the new media; a novel, memoir, or full-length play; a collection of short stories, poems, or essays. Rarely will a single peer-reviewed article be considered the sole appropriate outcome of the scholarship proposed for this award.

The award confers a $3,500 research support fund or a $3,000 summer research stipend or course reassignment funding in each of the first and third years of the project. Renewal of funding in the third year is contingent upon demonstrated progress toward completion in the first two years of the award period. The conferral of course reassignment requires authorization of the Dean and recipient’s department chair or program director.

Deadline: August 30, 2019

Please note that the 2018-2021 HRSA recipient will be formally announced at the fall 2018 Stalnaker lecture. The next application deadline for this award will be late August 2019, with the award recipient being announced in fall 2019 (for a 2020-2023 award cycle).

Criteria

Because of the wide range of potential projects upon which applications for the Research Scholar Award may be based, the following criteria are meant to guide applicants generally as they compose their applications. They do not, however, exhaust the range of considerations that the Board of Directors may take into account as it deliberates among proposals.

This award is intended to fund a project from preliminary inquiry through to preparation for publication.
This award underwrites a single project, not two or more projects that form part of a long-term research agenda. Accordingly, the proposed project should be of significant stature: single articles and essays, individual artworks, short compositions, or works whose nature limits their impact or duration (such as an event, happening, or single live performance) are unlikely to earn the support of this award.
The proposed work should engage with or respond to established research, writing, or production in its field and should promise significant impact on that field.
The proposed project should engage with questions, problems, or issues central to humanistic inquiry.
The applicant’s scholarly or creative achievement to date should demonstrate his/her experience, expertise, and qualifications for undertaking and completing the proposed project.

Additional Information

In addition to addressing the criteria above, proposals should also include:

A detailed timeline of work to be completed in the first year of the award period, with tentative timelines for the two years to follow.
A budget for the first year of the award period outlining the uses to which funding will be put. If the applicant plans to request a course reassignment for the first year of work, s/he should also include a budget for expending the award as a research fund in case the reassignment request is denied at the department or college level.
A complete curriculum vitae.
A sample of recently published, performed, or exhibited work related to the work proposed.
Optional: Applicants may include a letter of support for the project from a person qualified to judge the merit of the proposed work and its likely significance within its field.

Those considering applying for this award are strongly encouraged to consult with the Center's Director in advance of submitting an application. Preliminary inquiries may be sent to leah.kalmanson@drake.edu.

Materials should be submitted in confidence to leah.kalmanson@drake.edu.