Call for Proposals 2001 Course Development Competition The Curriculum Resource Center (CRC) Central European University Application deadline April 15, 2001 The Curriculum Resource Center (CRC) of Central European University, sponsored by the Higher Education Support Program of Open Society Institute, announces a call for proposals to develop university courses. Aims of the Program 1. This competition is intended to encourage the introduction of new courses, which are innovative in content, methodology and teaching approach. 2. The program seeks to further the dissemination of new curricula across our region (defined as Central and Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union and Mongolia). 3. Finally, we also aim to provide incentives and means for interdisciplinary and international co-operation amongst academics from the region. Competition Description 1. Applicants are invited to develop and teach a one or two semester long course on an important topic from a new perspective, in the discipline areas listed below. The course should be clearly directed towards one of the following levels: introductory; intermediate; advanced; post-graduate. 2. The competition is open to individuals and groups for 10 month grants. During this period, the successful applicants should first prepare and then teach their proposed course. 3. Group grants will be awarded to promote innovative, collaborative projects and priority will be given to groups of academics from at least two different countries or cities of the region who aim to design a course from an international perspective. 4. Where appropriate, applicants are strongly recommended to base their courses on their original research in the given field. 5. All applicants should show how they intend to apply new approaches (teaching methodology) to delivering the course. 6. Project proposals should demonstrate the following: compatibility with the curriculum reform endeavours; innovative character and approach (also to course design); relevance to regional issues; scientific quality in the selected field; feasibility. 7. All accepted applicants will attend a workshop on Curriculum Design and Teaching Methodology at the beginning of their grant period. 8. Application is restricted to resident citizens of Central and Eastern Europe, the Former Soviet Union and Mongolia who are teaching or intending to teach at a university in any country of this region. 9. Previous CDC grantees and HESP/RSS Course Development Fellows are not eligible for 5 years. Previous CRC participants can apply for a CDC grant. Current CEP Eastern Scholars may not apply. Course Development Competition Grants Grants for both individual and group projects will consist of the following: 1. Monthly individual stipends for the preparation and teaching period; 2. An allowance for legitimate additional course development expenses (book purchases, teaching materials, photocopying, slides, etc.); 3. An allowance for additional, justified travel costs and administrative expenses in the case of group grants; 4. By negotiation with the CRC, an allowance for justified travel to a library outside the home city for the development of course materials etc. The CRC will not, however, cover the costs of study in countries outside the region. Group stipends for the teaching period will be calculated from the amount of a full stipend in proportion to the degree of involvement of each participant (involvement should be expressed clearly as a percentage in the course plan). Group leaders will, in addition, receive a small group leader's fee for their extra responsibilities. Evaluation Procedures Applications will be evaluated and judged by a special selection committee set up by the CRC. Members of the committee will be respected scholars with sufficient knowledge of the higher education needs of the region. Finally, all successful applicants are expected to have their students on the given course provide their own evaluation. Finished courses will be edited and placed on the CRC Web Site to be available to all. Discipline Areas for the Course Development Competition 2001 The CRC invites applications to the Course Development Competition in the following subject areas: Literature Applications may be in any one of the following fields: 1. Comparative European / Central Asian Literature a. Contemporary - with an emphasis on the questions raised by the comparative aspect; b. Innovative and original Literary History and Scholarship of any periodl; c. The question of periodisation from a comparative viewpoint; d. The question of canons from a comparative viewpoint 2. Literature as a site for interdisciplinarity 3. Contemporary Literary Theories with an applied perspective The CRC will not fund American Studies. It will also not fund any courses, which do not provide the comparative perspective. If hoping to discuss German or British Literature, for instance, you should seek to include texts from your own country and/or culture to provide the comparative perspective. History Proposals that address, in various ways, the nature of history as a discipline, and comparative history, are encouraged: 1. Trends in contemporary historiography (surveys of methodologically and theoretically innovative contributions in recent historical scholarship); 2. Historiography and the production of knowledge (surveys of historical scholarship as a branch of cognition positioned between the social sciences and the humanities; its embeddedness in the web of these disciplines; history and interdisciplinarity); 3. Applied comparative historiography (surveys of specific historical themes employing the tools of the comparative method and relying on recent achievements in contemporary historiography) Sociology of Nationalism We encourage applicants to design courses that concentrate on the sociological and social-psychological theories of nationalism, national identity, national feeling and national conflict, as well as on the methods of empirical investigation of the subject. Lecture topics could cover the sociological aspects of national attitudes, stereotyping, prejudice, ethnic identity, group conflicts, acculturation, assimilation, etc. Comparative Politics Ideal proposals in this field would aim at the renewal of the content and method of teaching comparative politics at universities in Eastern and Central Europe and the former Soviet Union. Courses should focus on cross-national comparisons of one or several aspects of the political process. For example: constitutional design, executive-legislative relations, the electoral process, political parties, social movements, interest groups, the judiciary, public administration, political communication, interest aggregation, representation, the political system as a whole, political dynamics, or various types of regime change. Preference will be given to courses that use state of the art literature and employ innovative methods of class work and evaluation that emphasize active participation. Religious Studies Proposals that address one or more of the following issues are particularly encouraged. 1. A comparative study of the religions of Central, Southeastern, Eastern Europe and Central Asia. 2. The relationship between religion, culture, and national identity. 3. Religion as resistance (to the State, to the West) in historical perspective. 4. Symbol, myth, meaning, and gender: how has religion functioned to define the meaning and value of men's and women's lives, men's and women's 'appropriate roles' in life. How is religion felt or experienced in the lives of 21st century women and men in this region and/or your country. Gender Identity Courses should focus on questions of Gender Identity: Male, Female and Gay Identity (including Lesbian identity). The emphasis should not be on Women's Studies or Feminism, but on scholarship performed on the variety of issues surrounding differences in Gender and Sexual Identity. We encourage comparative perspectives, for instance: comparisons between 'traditional' feminist ideas and questions and those that arise when studying Men and Masculinities. How to Apply 1. Applications must be presented in English on CRC Course Development Competition forms (photocopied forms are acceptable). 2. For individual proposals, the application form must be accompanied by a description of the proposed course, preliminary bibliography of materials to be used in preparation and teaching, a presentation plan, a curriculum vitae (also highlighting research activity), a letter of recommendation and a letter of endorsement from the host university. The letter of endorsement should include the host university's commitment to allowing you to teach the proposed course, and should clearly indicate the period when the course will be taught. 3. For group proposals, the application should be submitted by the project leader. In addition to the above it should contain a list of the individuals involved in the project, their CVs, institutional affiliations, contact information and a letter from each individual stating their willingness to be involved in the project. For group projects letters of endorsement must be submitted from all the institutions that will host the course (Please feel free to duplicate the letter of endorsement form if necessary). 4. Application forms can be obtained from your local Soros Foundation free of charge, from the Curriculum Resource Center at Central European University or from our website, http://www.ceu.hu/crc/cdc/. Applications must arrive to CRC by 15 April 2001 to the address: CRC - Central European University 1051 Budapest, Nador u. 9, Hungary Applicants will be informed about the results in mid-May. Preparation should begin in June and courses should be taught during the first and/or second semester of the 2001/2002 academic year. Listed with AZER.com: 03/08/2001 AI Home | Magazine Choice | Topics | Store | Contact us From Azerbaijan International © Azerbaijan International 2000. All rights reserved.