Limited Submission: New Directions Fellowship Program

ORSP invites proposals to a limited submission opportunity. One proposal will be selected to move forward to submission to the sponsor. Please send required materials to Susan Pelton, spelton@sfsu.edu, and Thien Lam, ttlam@sfsu.edu by the deadline specified.

Sponsor: Mellon Foundation

Title of Funding Opportunity: New Directions Fellowship Program

Required Materials for ORSP Submission

1. One-page (inclusive of any references) project summary explaining significance of research and how proposed new direction will assist in development of the field
2. One-page CV

Selection Criteria

1. Originality of idea, overall significance of research and appropriateness of proposed training program
2. Case for importance of extra-disciplinary training
3. Likely ability to derive satisfactory results from proposed training program within reasonable time frame
4. Potential for long-term impact on new field of study, beyond just the candidate’s research
5. Record of candidate, including history of effectively advancing public-facing and/or community-engaged work

Deadlines

1. Submit materials to ORSP and committee for review: October 31, 5pm PT
2. ORSP and committee to choose one application to move forward: November 7
3. Application deadline: December 11

Funding and Duration

Up to $300,000 over three years

Eligibility

Eligible candidates will be faculty members who were awarded a doctorate in the humanities or humanistic social sciences within the last 6 to 12 years (2013–2019) and whose research interests call for formal training in a discipline other than the one in which they are an expert. Terminal degree holders, such as MFAs, are ineligible. The proposed field of study must by a foray into a new area of intellectual inquiry and not just an enhancement to go further in the primary field. Language study, technical training or skills acquisition such as GIS mapping do not, by themselves, constitute a new direction.

Overview

Serious interdisciplinary research often requires established scholars to pursue formal, substantive and methodological training in addition to the PhD and outside their areas of formal expertise. The New Directions Fellowship Program is intended to enable scholars-teachers to work on problems that interest them most, at an appropriately advanced level of sophistication. In addition to facilitating the work of individual faculty members, these awards should benefit scholarship in the humanities more generally.

For more information and guidelines, see the program page.