Overview:

Presented in collaboration with schools in the College of Liberal Arts, the Center for the Humanities Faculty Research Fellowship offers OSU faculty time and support to develop research and writing projects, opportunities to discuss work among a community of scholars, and occasions to share ideas with diverse public audiences. Note: prospective applicants must discuss support and course scheduling needs with their school director before submitting materials. 

Eligibility:

This opportunity is open to Oregon State University faculty actively engaged in humanities research as stipulated by their position description.

Terms and Expectations: 

• Engage with a substantial research project involving humanistic methods with intent toward publication. 
• Participate in fellows’ cohort activities during the academic year including quarterly meetings and at least one public presentation.
• Present work in progress to a public audience once during the academic year. Staff will work with fellows to determine the most useful format for presentation (e.g., a talk, workshop, etc.). 
• Within 4 weeks of the end of the academic year, fellows will submit a 1–2-page letter describing what they accomplished during the fellowship and how their experience benefitted the project.
• Fellows are invited to acknowledge Center for the Humanities support in published work connected with the fellowship project. 

Fellowship Offerings: 

Determined in consultation with school directors, each fellow will receive: 

• A one– or two–course reallocation during the academic year following application. 
• Opportunities to discuss work in progress with a supportive community of scholars and with a general public audience.  

Program and Application Dates: 

• November 1, 2024: Application window opens.
• December 6, 2024: Applications due via Submittable.
• By March 1, 2025: Applicants notified of status.
• Academic year 2025-26: Fellows engage in research and writing, attend cohort meetings, and share work in progress.

How to Apply: 

All applications are due December 6, 2024, via Submittable. Interested faculty should first consult with their school director on the feasibility of course reallocation during the fellowship year. Applications consist of the Submittable form, a project abstract (300 words), a narrative proposal (up to 5 pages double-spaced), and a current CV. 

The narrative proposal should include an overview of the research project that speaks to the review criteria outlined in the below section as well as a brief timeline of work to be accomplished during the fellowship term.  

Review and Selection: 

Applications will be evaluated by a diverse review committee composed of faculty with experience working in humanities-based disciplines and methodologies. Proposals are evaluated based on need, scholarly merit, clarity of thought and purpose, and potential for making an original and significant contribution to humanistic understanding/creative production. Review criteria generally follow NEH guidelines so that proposals may be adapted for submission to external funding opportunities. Reviewers will consider:

• The significance of the proposed project’s intervention in the specific field and its value to the humanities and/or a broader public.. 
• The feasibility and appropriateness of the proposed plan of work, including the soundness of expected outcomes, publication format, and potential venues of dissemination.
• The probability that the fellowship will enable the applicant to achieve the expected outcomes.  
• Quality of the conception, definition, organization, and description of the project, as well as the clarity of expression.

Partners and Co-sponsors: 

Faculty research fellowships are sponsored by the Center for the Humanities working in partnership with schools in the College of Liberal Arts.  

Overview:  

The Center for the Humanities Summer Research Fellowship offers support to OSU faculty working on a research and writing project grounded in the humanities. Fellows receive a summer stipend and opportunities to receive and provide feedback via participation in a series of writing workshops. Note: prospective applicants must discuss support and course scheduling needs with their school director before submitting materials. 

Eligibility
This opportunity is open to Oregon State University faculty actively engaged in humanities research as stipulated by their position description.

Terms and Expectations: 

• Make progress on a substantial research project with intent toward publication.
• Participate in a six-week writing workshop during summer term, meeting regularly either online or in person.
• Share a 15-page excerpt from a work in progress one week before scheduled workshop and read and respond consistently to other fellows’ work.
• Within four weeks of fellowship end, fellows submit a 1–2-page letter describing how the project benefitted from program participation. 

Fellowship Offerings:

Each fellow will receive a $4500 summer stipend and opportunities to receive feedback on work in progress within a supportive community of scholars. 

Program and Application Dates:

• November 1, 2024: Application window opens.
• December 6, 2024: Applications due via Submittable.
• By March 1, 2025: Applicants notified of status.
• Summer 2025: Work on writing projects and engage in program activities. 
• AY 2025–2026: Fellows continue research and reunite near the end of the year to discuss project progress. 

How to Apply:
All applications are due December 6, 2024, via Submittable. Prospective applicants must discuss support and course scheduling needs with their school director before submitting materials. Applications consist of the Submittable form, a project abstract (300 words), a narrative proposal (4–5 pages, double-spaced) and a CV.

The narrative proposal should include an overview of the research project that speaks to the review criteria outlined in the below section as well as a brief timeline of work to be accomplished during the fellowship term.  

Review and Selection:
Applications will be evaluated by a diverse review committee composed of faculty with experience working in humanities-based disciplines and methodologies. Reviewers will consider:

• The significance of the proposed project’s intervention in the specific field and its value to the humanities and/or a broader public.
• The feasibility and appropriateness of the proposed plan of summer-term work.
• Quality of the conception, definition, organization, and description of the project, as well as the clarity of expression.

Overview: 

The Center for the Humanities Teaching Innovation Fellowship supports the development of new courses and redesign of existing courses in the humanities at Oregon State University. Fellowships prioritize course proposals that advance the goals of schools within the College of Liberal Arts and that reflect the university’s core values and mission. Proposed courses should incorporate one or a combination of the following:

• Community-engaged, object-based, field-based, or experiential student-learning opportunities.
• Ideas for activities or assignments that involve innovative, evidenced-based approaches to learning and instruction.
• Content, teaching methods, and outcomes that energize student interest in the humanities and that demonstrate the value and impact of humanistic perspectives.
• A focus on questions of global, regional, and/or local significance.

Eligibility: 

This opportunity is open to all tenure-stream and fixed-term instructors at .5 FTE or higher in the College of Liberal Arts who are proposing a new or revised, on-campus or hybrid, repeatable course in the humanities. Please consult with your unit lead or school director before applying. 

Terms and Expectations:

• Develop a new or substantially revised course offering with the intent to teach the course within the next 3 academic years. 
• Participate in fellows’ cohort activities during summer (July, August, September), including a series of online meetings.  
• Present ideas in a roundtable discussion or workshop during the term following the fellowship.  
• Within four weeks of fellowship end, submit a reflection letter (1–2 pages) on how your course development benefitted from this program. 

Fellowship Offerings:

• A summer stipend of $4500. 
• Opportunities to engage with a supportive community and occasions for knowledge exchange and feedback. 

Program and Application Dates:
 

• November 1, 2024: Application window opens.
• December 6, 2024: Applications due via Submittable.
• By March 1, 2025: Applicants notified of status.
• Summer 2025: Fellows work to design or redesign courses and engage in program activities. 
• Fall 2025: Fellows present in a roundtable or workshop. 

How to Apply:

Applications are due December 6, 2024 via Submittable. Answer questions in the form provided then upload a proposal (up to five double-spaced pages including a narrative description, plus any supplementary materials/reading lists), and a current CV. Proposals should include:

• A description of the course, the new instructional approach and/or content, planned assessment activities, outcomes, class productions, rationale for the level of the course, a tentative reading list, and, if applicable, community partnerships.
• A statement of purpose emphasizing expected benefits to student learning, school goals, humanities engagement, and, if applicable, community partners.
• If the proposal involves the redesign of a current course, address how the course will substantially differ in content or pedagogical approach.
• A brief outline of work to be performed during the fellowship.

Review and Selection:

Applications will be evaluated by a diverse review committee composed of faculty with experience working in humanities-based disciplines and methodologies. Reviewers will consider: 

• The feasibility of course implementation and alignment with school and university goals.
• Prospective significance of impact on teaching practices and student learning outcomes.
• Inclusion of innovative methods of student engagement and/or objects of study with the humanities. 
• The vision of how course outcomes would benefit students, the humanities, and communities beyond the university.

Oregon State University graduate students from any field who work at the intersection of the humanities, writing, and environmental sciences are invited to apply for a residency sponsored by the Spring Creek Project. To be eligible, students must be engaged in a writing and/or research project (e.g., a thesis, independent study, or internship) that aligns with the mission of the Spring Creek Project, and applications must include a recommendation letter from a nominating faculty member. 

Residents receive exclusive use of the Cabin at Shotpouch Creek for approximately one week as well as a stipend of $250. The cabin offers a profound experience of concentrated solitude and simple living that is conducive to curiosity, reflection, and sustained focus. Within 4 weeks of the session end, residents will provide a short letter describing their experience at the cabin and how it influenced their work.  

Graduate students may apply for a solo residency or a collaborative residency with one other student. If applying collaboratively, each student will need to submit an application and faculty recommendation letter. If awarded collaboratively, each student will receive $250.

Dates and Application Deadline

One winter break session is available:

• December 14 through December 20

Application deadline: 11:59pm on Friday, November 15, 2024

Materials will be reviewed by a selection committee, and applicants will be notified of status approximately one week after application deadline. 

Two documents are required for applications to be considered complete:

• From a faculty member: a one-page recommendation letter that speaks to the content and direction of the proposed project and the student’s responsibility and ability to live respectfully in a nature preserve. This letter will be submitted directly by the faculty member via Submittable, so student applicants should share the link to this page when requesting a recommendation.
• From the student: a one-page narrative letter that describes the proposed project, communicates how the project aligns with the mission of the Spring Creek Project, and notes how time at Shotpouch Cabin would benefit project advancement.

For More Information

Please visit our website and/or contact Joy Jensen at joy.jensen@oregonstate.edu.

About Shotpouch Cabin

The Cabin at Shotpouch Creek is a comfortable retreat nestled in the Oregon Coast Range on a 70-acre nature preserve about 25 miles west of Corvallis. It overlooks Shotpouch Creek, a tributary of the Tum Tum River in the Marys River Watershed. From the cabin, miles of hiking trails climb into the forest- and fern-covered hills. The cabin is furnished with two bedrooms, a well-equipped, simple kitchen, electric heat, and a landline telephone. There is no internet or cell phone service. Students must be highly responsible and respectful of the values of the retreat and in a position to benefit from prolonged solitude and silence. The cabin and land are entirely smoke-free, and we cannot allow pets. Residents must provide their own transportation to the cabin. More information will be provided before the stay. 

About the Spring Creek Project  

The mission of the Spring Creek Project is to bring together the practical wisdom of environmental science, the clarity of philosophy, and the transformational power of the written word and the arts to envision and inspire just and joyous relations with the planet and with one another. Dedicated to creating conversations among writers, philosophers, artists, and others in the humanities and environmental sciences, we work to nurture collaborations among people with various ways of seeing, understanding, and expressing the relation between humans and the rest of the natural world.