Intercultural Fellows Grant Program Application

OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT FOR UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION
and RUTGERS – CAMDEN FACULTY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

Funding       Procedures     Application

PURPOSE   Through a generous grant from the Bildner Family Foundation, the Rutgers – Camden Intercultural Fellows Program will provide support for faculty members to revise the content and/or pedagogy of existing courses or curricula, or to develop new courses that address issues of intercultural interaction, during the academic year 2004-2005.

 These courses will typically be courses with large enrollments.  They may be in any discipline, but should address intercultural issues in a multidisciplinary way.   According to the terms of the grant, the faculty who teach these courses should be “interested in bridging multicultural theory and practice, … interested in multidisciplinary work, and in academic boundary crossing.”  Faculty will be expected to attend a summer “Intercultural Institute” which will “cultivate the capacity to examine new areas of intercultural learning holistically, critically, and reflectively.”  Faculty will also be expected to become familiar with the basic concepts of diversity, multiculturalism, and multidisciplinarity to which students will be exposed in English Composition I, which has been revised to include a focus on diversity.

 According to the terms of the grant, the intercultural issues that are to be addressed may include the following:

1) examination of the interaction among cultural groups;
2) comparative exploration of cultures, with cultures explored in larger contexts;
3) examination of power relations among groups, including the issues of privilege, subordination, discrimination, disenfranchisement, and the sources of inequality;
4) examination of the enriching aspects of cultural diversity and interaction;
5) examination of current problems related to intercultural interaction and potential solutions;
6) examination of issues related to cultural diversity in the United States;
7) examination of the tension created by global interdependencies and diverse world cultures.
 

FUNDING PARAMETERS   Intercultural Fellows will receive $4000 which can be used for a variety of purposes including summer salary, travel, and supplies.  Fellows will also be invited to participate in workshops and consulting sessions with nationally known experts who will provide expertise and assistance in intercultural curriculum development.  In addition Fellows will be provided with assistance in evaluating the effects of their course revisions.
 

ASSISTANCE   Applicants are encouraged to discuss proposal ideas with Susan Forman, Vice President for Undergraduate Education, (732-932-1644, sgforman@rci.rutgers.edu).   Applicants may contact Dr. Holly Blackford, Director of the Writing Program at Rutgers-Camden, at blackfor@camden.rutgers.edu for a copy of a document that explains how English Composition I instructors will incorporate diversity into the freshman writing program.  That document is also available online.
 

APPLICATION   The application form follows.  Applications should not exceed four pages and should include:  a) a brief description of the current course or curriculum to be revised;
b) student enrollment; c) frequency of course/curriculum offering; d) goals of revision in terms of student learning; e) outline of proposed changes in content and/or teaching methods;
f) preliminary evaluation plan; g) biographical sketch.
 

PROPOSAL REVIEW   Proposals will undergo a peer review process.  Reviewers will consider the following factors; a) relevance to the objectives of this program; b) clarity of project plan;
c) soundness of proposed changes; d) potential for impact on students; e) innovativeness of proposed changes.  Priority will be given to proposals that link course revisions to build on intercultural content in English Composition I and address large enrollment courses.
 

INTERCULTURAL FELLOWS PROGRAM APPLICATION:
Send five copies of the completed application to:  Assistant Dean Nancy Rosoff, 3rd Floor Armitage Hall, Camden Faculty of Arts and Sciences by November 14, 2003.  FAXes will not be accepted.

Name:

Signature:

Academic Rank or Title:

Dept./Unit  School/Faculty/Program

Campus Address:                                                           E-mail:

Campus Telephone:                                                        Campus FAX:

Project Title:
 

Endorsement by Dept./Unit Head

Name:

Signature:

Date:

Academic Unit:

Comments:

Endorsement by Dean of Faculty

Name:

Signature:

Date:

Academic Unit:

Comments:
 

Please respond to the following items in no more than 4 pages.

1. Project abstract (100 words)

2. Very brief description of current course or curriculum that will be revised.

3. How many students typically enroll in this course?

4. How often is this course taught?

5. What are the goals of your course revision in terms of changes in student learning?

6. Outline the changes in content and/or teaching methods that you are planning to work on.

7. You will be provided with assistance in developing an evaluation plan, but please outline your preliminary thoughts about the methods you will use to evaluate the effectiveness of your revision.

8. How are you planning to use the $4000 provided for this program?  (Provide an itemized budget and brief justification for each item.)

9. Please provide a brief biographical sketch.