Humanities Lab Proposals Now Being Accepted for 2023-24

Orange quotation box over brown background; text: Call for proposals: Humanities Labs at FHI. Apply by 3.31.2023.

Deadline: March 31, 2023

Information Session

Monday 3/20 3:30 pm: Interested in proposing a Lab? Join us at this virtual info session – bring your questions!  Register here >>

Overview

The John Hope Franklin Humanities Institute is soliciting proposals for 1 or 2 new Humanities Labs to begin in the 2023-24 academic year. The new Lab(s) will receive funding for 2-3 years, contingent on successful annual reviews.

We invite proposals centered on collaborative, interdisciplinary faculty research in the humanities around a theme, a geographical area, a historical period, a genre, a concept, a paradigm, or another well-defined object of your choosing. While all topics are welcome, we would be particularly interested in proposals that address areas of studies that are still in nascent development at Duke and could be energized by the presence of a Humanities Lab, such as (and by no means limited to) Disability Studies, Trans Studies, Indigenous Studies, and Critical approaches to AI/algorithms/digital technology. Projects that focus on or otherwise engage substantially with earlier historical periods – such as ones addressing Religion and Secularism or Political Theology – are also encouraged.

As a focal point, we ask that each proposal include plans for a faculty/grad seminar on the topic of the Lab. We also encourage collaborations with journalists, artists, curators, designers, translators, architects, writers, activists, musicians, and other thinkers and makers who bring humanistic expertise to engagements with a variety of publics, as well as possible connections to partners outside the US, including those working in languages other than English. We welcome projects that range across departments and, if appropriate, schools (Law, Pratt, Nicholas, etc.)

Support for the Labs

Applicants may propose Lab budgets of $25,000 to $40,000 annually. The Lab’s budget should cover the cost of both core operations and programming. Operations budget may include faculty course releases (limited to one course per lab per year, contingent on Department Chair and Divisional Dean approval), graduate assistantships, undergraduate salaries, student staff assistance with programming, etc. Programming budget could be used for short-term residencies, visiting speakers, public events, Lab research projects, and related expenditures.

The Lab spaces at the FHI’s Smith Warehouse home are designed for flexible programming, from smaller public events to class meetings to group collaborations. To encourage intellectual cross-pollination across the FHI, each Lab may be asked to share space with other FHI programs that are thematically related, e.g. the Entanglement Project.

The FHI will support the Lab in budget and financial management, HR/payroll, facilities, and computer/AV maintenance. The new Lab will receive programming and logistical assistance from an FHI staff member as well as graduate assistant(s) hired by the FHI. Other members of the FHI staff may also be available for more specialized services, for example consultation on scholarly publishing and digital projects, as well as occasional videography.

Eligibility

Each Humanities Lab proposal should identify two to three regular-rank (tenured/tenure track, PoP, and Research) faculty members who will serve as the Lab’s co-directors, and two to three additional core faculty affiliates. The co-directors can be comprised of faculty from the humanities, arts, and interpretive social sciences, or humanities/arts/interpretive social sciences faculty along with faculty from other Schools. Affiliated faculty may be drawn from Arts and Sciences as well as Duke’s professional schools, other University Institutes, the Library, or the Nasher Museum. To avoid over-commitment of junior faculty time and effort, no more than one Lab co-director should be at the Assistant rank.

Proposal Guidelines

Proposals should include the following components:

  • A 2-3 page intellectual rationale, describing the Lab’s central research objectives. This statement should include:
    • A brief description of a faculty/grad seminar to be embedded in the Lab;
    • A brief descriptions (1/2 page each) of 1 to 2 other potential projects that the Lab might undertake in pursuit of these research objectives, e.g. publications, exhibitions, digital or multimedia projects, collaborations with individual or institutional partners, curricular and co-curricular projects, etc. We encourage you to conceptualize at least 1 major project that would span the life of the Lab. For models and ideas from past Labs, feel free to contact FHI Associate Director Chris Chia (chia@duke.edu).
  • A list of faculty participants (co-directors and core affiliates). Co-directors must sign the proposal.
  • An outline of the budget categories in which the lab plans to use its $25-40K annual funding. Please indicate any additional funds that the Lab will be able to draw upon (e.g. through existing projects and grants) or plans to raise funds from external or other Duke sources.
  • Additional materials:
    • Approval letters from the appropriate Department Chair and Divisional Dean for any Lab faculty member intending to request a course release.
    • Letters of support from the Department Chair and Divisional Dean for Lab co-director at the Assistant rank.

Complete proposal should be submitted electronically to fhi@duke.edu by Friday, March 31, 2023. Approval/support letters from Chairs and Deans may be submitted separately to the same email address.

Questions

Please email christina.chia@duke.edu.

Global Health Equity Pilot Funding Available

Deadline: April 24, 2023

In support of our vision to “seek to achieve health equity for vulnerable groups and individuals around the world”, the Duke Global Health Institute (DGHI) invites interdisciplinary teams led by regular rank faculty with a DGHI affiliation to submit research proposals around health equity in global health research. Pilot funding will support projects that focus on identifying, reducing and/or eliminating health disparities or other contributors to health-related social injustices. Applications should address how the pilot project will focus on health equity or social justice topic(s) and obtain critical data to support an extramural grant submission that will promote health equity. This pilot funding announcement aligns with Duke’s campus-wide focus on social equity and justice as well as DGHI’s own vision and mission. We foresee potential applications in various topics, fundamentally concerned with partnerships, working with vulnerable and underrepresented groups both internationally and locally, and addressing sociocultural, economic, and structural determinants of health.

Through this RFP, we seek to provide pilot funds to stimulate interdisciplinary research collaborations, with the goal of enabling investigators to leverage preliminary findings and data to obtain larger awards of external funding. Interested faculty are encouraged to collaborate with country-based collaborators on research projects.

  • Collaborative and interdisciplinary proposals are We encourage teams to include early- stage investigators, investigators new to global health, and/or investigators from low- and middle- income countries.
  • DGHI is seeking to support global health research ideas that will improve health equity and benefit hard-to-reach populations, low-resourced areas and partnership locations.
  • Applicants should address data governance and data ethics considerations impacting both external collaborators and individuals or populations represented in Examples include but are not limited to: governance of data assets; accessibility of data and findings (including data sharing); privacy, confidentiality, and/or other individual rights; equity.
  • Topic areas which have not previously received support and proposals that support and describe a sustainable line of global health research will be prioritized.

Eligible Applicants

Proposals that include collaborators throughout Duke and/or from other institutions are encouraged. Proposal teams require a DGHI faculty (regular rank) PI or co-PI. We expect international research projects to have a local co-PI.

Budgets

The budget may include: supplies, support for technicians, research assistants, and graduate students; research-related travel; and other justifiable and allowable research expenses. Faculty salary, travel to scientific meetings, and indirect costs are not allowable expenses. Applicants may apply for up to $25,000 for a 12-month project. Smaller proposals for shorter periods are also encouraged.

Application Requirements

Proposals must be for activities in low, lower- and upper- middle-income countries (a listing of eligible countries can be found at the World Bank website: http://data.worldbank.org/about/country-and-lending- groups) OR focused on health disparities in the American South. Applicants are expected to work with local collaborators; for international research, a local investigator should be included as co-PI, and should describe plans for how the results generated will be applied to future external funding, as this will be an important criterion in the review.

Cover Page. Must include the following information:

  • Proposal title
  • Name, title, departmental affiliation, address, email address, and telephone number of all proposed investigators
  • Designation of a Principal Investigator or Co- Principal Investigators
  • Name & Signature of Responsible Financial Administrator

Abstract (250 words maximum)

Research Plan (3 page maximum; single-spaced, 12 point font, 1” margins) including:

  • Statement of research objectives
  • Significance of the research (including significance to DGHI and/or Global Health and to research setting)
  • Proposed methods and plans for data analysis (specific details recommended)
  • Work already completed related to the proposed work (if relevant)
  • Description of the research team and research setting, including site collaboration plan
  • Potential for future external grant support

Appendix Materials (1 page maximum each; single-spaced, 12 point font, 1” margins) including:

  • Letter of support from a collaborating researcher at research site (if relevant)

Budget and Justification (1 page maximum)

NIH Biosketch OR Curriculum Vitae

  • Include current grant support and limit to 5 pages for each principal investigator

Submission Format

Please combine all required elements into a single pdf document and submit via email to kelly.deal@duke.edu with the subject line of “DGHI Health Equity Pilot Grant Submission.”

Successful applications will be required to submit a Data Management Plan which conforms to NIH specifications before funding will be awarded.

Schedule

Application receipt date: April 24, 2023

Inquiries

We welcome the opportunity to answer questions from potential applicants. Please submit inquires related to this funding announcement to:

Kelly Matthews Deal, MPH Assistant Director, Research

Duke Global Health Institute

Telephone (919) 681-7159

Email: Kelly.deal@duke.edu

See the announcement on the DGHI website.

Contextualizing Duke’s Centennial: Propose a Project or Course

Duke Bass Connections logo. Text: Special call for project and course proposals: Contextualizing Duke's Centennial: Exploring the Past to Shape Our Vision for the Future. Submission deadline: April 3.

Deadline: April 3, 2023

Bass Connections is now accepting proposals for new year-long projects and courses that engage students in the exploration of an issue related to Duke’s past, present or future during Duke’s Centennial. Faculty interested in proposing a project or course should read the full submission guidelines and submit a proposal by Monday, April 3 at 5:00 p.m.

Please note: This RFP is only for 2023-2024 projects or courses related to the centennial. Our next general call for Bass Connections projects will be issued in August 2023.

Background

Bass Connections brings together faculty and students of all levels to tackle complex societal issues through interdisciplinary research projects and courses.

This is a special call for proposals for Bass Connections project teams or project-based courses related to Duke’s Centennial. The maximum budget for a year-long project team is $25,000; funding for a course development grant is $5,000 (or $10,000 for co-taught courses) with the option of an additional $1,750 to support 75 hours of a doctoral student’s time to support elements of the course design. Course development proposals may focus on the creation of an entirely new course or embedding a Centennial-related collaborative project in an existing course.

The Centennial

In 2024 and the first half of 2025, Duke will celebrate its centennial. This is a special call for Bass Connections projects or courses that seek to explore/examine elements of Duke’s past, present and future through collaborative research. This opportunity provides space for faculty and students to undertake an academic exploration of Duke during this milestone and represents an important avenue to engage the community in clarifying and advancing Duke’s aspirations for the next century.

Research questions may include, but are not limited to, documenting, analyzing and exploring the:

  • Evolving relationship between Duke and Durham (e.g., the community’s role in shaping the university; the university’s role in shaping Durham’s politics, culture and economy; relationships and power dynamics between the university and the community)
  • Changing social experience of Duke students, faculty, and staff, including the impact of twentieth- and twenty-first century social movements on the campus (e.g., civil rights, women’s rights, LGBTQ+ rights, rights of indigenous peoples)
  • Internationalization of Duke as it has become a global university, attracting larger numbers of students from outside the United States, recruiting faculty whose research focuses on topics outside America, and developing partnerships with campuses in Singapore and China
  • Place of religion, sports and/or the arts in the life of the university
  • Influence of major events such as war, pandemics and financial crises on Duke’s campus
  • Impact of trends and transformations in American higher education on Duke (e.g., the dynamics of public funding, public perceptions of higher education, the embrace of interdisciplinary modes of scholarship and education, the links between academic research and innovation and policy)
  • Emergence of new areas of research and teaching, whether in response to curiosity-driven discoveries or engagement with societal problems

Such projects or courses could embrace a range of research methods including oral histories, engagement with Duke Archives, data analysis and text mining of digitized sources like the Duke Chronicle. Project teams or courses might result in an equally creative range of outputs such as exhibits, digital archives, websites, podcasts, data visualizations and white papers. Faculty are encouraged to propose projects or courses that engage with community partners where relevant and bring a range of voices to bear on these research questions.

Proposal Guidelines and Submission Instructions

The deadline for proposals is Monday, April 3, 2023 at 5:00 p.m.

Before applying, please review our proposal guidelines (linked in the table below). All proposals must be submitted through the online submission forms. You may work directly within the online form and save and return to the form as you work. You may also preview the proposal questions and draft your responses using the templates linked below.

Year-Long Projects Proposal Guidelines Submission Form Proposal Template
Project-Based Courses Proposal Guidelines Submission Form Proposal Template

Interested faculty are encouraged to contact Laura Howes, Director of Bass Connections, at laura.howes@duke.edu with questions or to discuss potential ideas.

Learn More

New CRISP Seed Grants Support Innovative Climate Research


graphic with text: Introducing Duke CRISP: Climate Research Innovation seed grant program. Research Awards (up to $100K) for projects focusing on Energy Transformation. Ideation Awards (up to $20K). Duke faculty, apply by Feb. 20, 2023. bit.ly/dukecrisp

Deadline: February 20, 2023

Faculty and research staff across all Duke University schools are invited to submit proposals by Feb. 20, 2023, for the first round of Climate Research Innovation Seed Program (CRISP) grants:

  • Research Awards (up to $100K) for projects focusing on Energy Transformation
  • Ideation Awards (up to $20K) for projects addressing any of the Duke Climate Commitment priority research areas (Energy Transformation, Environmental and Climate Justice, Climate and Community Resilience, and Climate and Data)

The Duke Climate Commitment and Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment, & Sustainability are pleased to issue the call for the first round of CRISP grants thanks to generous support from the Office of the Provost, Nicholas School of the Environment, Trinity College of Arts and Sciences, Pratt School of Engineering, Sanford School of Public Policy, Duke University School of Law, and Duke Divinity School.

Learn more on the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment, & Sustainability website.

Contact: tom.cinq.mars@duke.edu

Summer Course Development Grants Available for Curricular Priorities

Text that reads Summer Course Development Grants over background photo of students walking on Duke campus during summer.

Deadline: February 6, 2023

Overview

Duke’s Office of Undergraduate Education and Office of Interdisciplinary Studies, in partnership with Duke Learning Innovation, are opening a second round of proposals for Summer Course Development Grants. Schools, departments and other units that offer undergraduate curricula are eligible. These grants seek to foster the development or redesign of summer session courses that:

  • Align with the curricular priorities of the school, department or other unit
  • Have a good chance of attracting significant student interest from year to year
  • Incorporate innovative pedagogical approaches, which may include creation of digital learning assets to supplement or deliver instruction and/or enhance student engagement; such resources can be asynchronous components as part of an in-person class experience, or the development of hybrid courses
  • Will be taught by one or more Ph.D. students on a regular basis, beginning the following summer.
RFP round two released December 14, 2022
RFP deadline for submission 5:00 p.m., February 6, 2023
Recipients notified March 2023
Ph.D. student funds made available May 2023
Faculty research funds made available July 2023
Funds to be expended by September 2023

Rationale

The summers of 2021 and 2022 demonstrated significant demand by Duke students and undergraduates from other institutions for summer courses that enable them to make progress on their educational plans. We want to capitalize on that interest while allowing departments and programs to expand and improve their undergraduate curricula and provide Ph.D. students with opportunities to receive summer funding and gain experience as effective teachers.

This grant program provides schools, departments and other units that offer majors, minors or certificates the opportunity to develop or redesign a regular summer course that fulfills a critical curricular niche and will likely attract strong student interest. The data from Duke’s summer sessions indicate that broadly based courses, particularly those fulfilling widely needed curricular requirements, are most likely to attract significant enrollment. More specialized offerings that dovetail closely with doctoral research topics, by contrast, typically under-enroll and risk cancellation.

One challenge for many Ph.D. students who teach in the summer has been the development of course materials. Through this funding opportunity, we hope to generate departmental or program resources that instructors of record can build on from year to year, lowering the time summer instructors must invest to get a course up and running. Those resources might include asynchronous elements (e.g., recorded lectures, interviews or conversations) and guidelines for assignments, such as guided research, data analysis, primary source analysis, group projects and ongoing partnerships with Durham- or Triangle-based organizations.

Grant Details

Departments or other units that are awarded a Summer Course Development Grant will receive a funding package for one Ph.D. student in the summer (a full stipend of $8,415, including fringe, coverage of the full summer health fee, and tuition) to work as a graduate assistant developing course materials in partnership with one faculty member. Departments or other units do not need to provide any funds. The faculty member overseeing the graduate assistantship will receive $3,000 in research funding; applications with more than one faculty member will receive up to $5,000 in shared research funding.

Duke Learning Innovation will provide structured course design guidance, which will take the form of a required, in-person, three-day workshop series May 16-18, 2023, ongoing consultation with faculty and graduate assistants funded by the grants, and a culminating presentation of the summer’s work. Learning Innovation will also convene the graduate assistants periodically to share ideas and offer feedback on initial plans. Ideally, the Ph.D. student who works on developing or redesigning a course will have the chance to teach the resulting new or redesigned course the following summer.

Restrictions and Parameters

  • Funds may only be used for Ph.D. student graduate assistantships and faculty research funds.
  • The graduate assistantship must take place between May 15 and August 18, 2023.
  • Ph.D. students should spend approximately 19.9 hours/week on course development work, which should include syllabus creation, creation of course materials, structures for graded and ungraded assignments, and any asynchronous modules.
  • Courses must be offered during one of the two 2024 summer sessions, with the further expectation that units will continue to offer the course thereafter.

Eligibility

  • Any school, department or other unit that offers an undergraduate major, minor or certificate is eligible for the grant.
  • Applications should be submitted by the relevant director of undergraduate studies.
  • Two or more units may submit a joint application for a course that is or will be cross-listed.
  • International Ph.D. students who are included in the application as the graduate assistant should consult with Duke Visa Services for assistance with any visa-related requirements.

Review Process

The selection process will be overseen by the vice provosts for undergraduate education and interdisciplinary studies.

Proposal Requirements

Applications should consist of:

  • A description (maximum two pages) of the new or revised course, including anticipated course learning outcomes; learning approaches (inverted learning, asynchronous learning assets, synchronous components, etc.); assignments and modes of assessment; and role of the course within the unit’s curriculum (NOTE: we understand that for new courses, these ideas will often be tentative)
  • If the proposal is to redesign a course, the existing syllabus
  • A brief overview from the department or unit providing a high-level sketch of course development activities to be completed during the graduate assistantship
  • A letter of support from the faculty partner or partners, discussing their role in assisting/overseeing the course development process, and acknowledging that the selected Ph.D. student will need to attend the in-person May workshop series
  • A CV (maximum two pages) for each faculty partner

If a department or other unit has already identified an interested Ph.D. student who would serve as graduate assistant and likely teach the developed course the following summer, the application may also contain a letter of interest and CV (maximum two pages) from that student.

How to Apply

Proposals will be accepted using Formstack. The deadline for submission is 5:00 p.m. on February 6, 2023.

Contact

For any questions related to the online application and/or logistical questions, please contact the Office of Interdisciplinary Studies. For questions about the application, or to talk through specific ideas for a proposal, please contact Gary Bennett, vice provost for undergraduate education, or Ed Balleisen, vice provost for interdisciplinary studies.

FAQ

I am a faculty member with a new course idea. Am I eligible to apply for this grant?

Any school, department or unit that offers an undergraduate major, minor or certificate is eligible for a Summer Course Development Grant. Please coordinate with your department director of undergraduate studies, who will need to bring the idea forward and submit the application in Formstack.

Our program offers a certificate but we do not have Ph.D. students in our program. Am I eligible to apply for this grant?

Yes, any school, department or unit that offers an undergraduate major, minor or certificate is eligible for a Summer Course Development Grant. Ph.D. students from other programs can be added to the application as a possible graduate assistant. Please contact Ed Balleisen if you need assistance with finding a Ph.D. student for your application.

Our department received a grant but we have been unable to hire a Ph.D. student for the graduate assistant position. Do we still receive the grant?

No; disbursement of funds is dependent upon recruiting and hiring a student for the graduate assistant position.

Can a master’s or professional student be hired for the graduate assistant position?

No; only Ph.D. students are eligible for this funding.

Our proposed course will be a special topics course and will only be taught once. Are we eligible?

No; we are looking to seed courses that will be taught from summer to summer and that answer curricular needs.

Our proposed course will be cross-listed. Are we still eligible for a Summer Course Development Grant?

Yes, though in this case, both units should endorse the proposal.

We would like two faculty members to serve as advisers for the course development process. Is that allowed?

More than one faculty member may partner on the grant. Awardees with more than one faculty partner will receive up to $5,000 in shared research funding.

We have more than one Ph.D. student whom we would like to hire for the graduate assistant position. May we hire more than one student?

No; this funding is for one graduate assistant position filled by one Ph.D. student.

Support for Duke Units to Host Ph.D. Student Internships in Summer 2023

Photo of a stone archway on Duke's campus, with graphic of the Together Duke logo. Text: Request for Proposals. Ph.D. Student Summer Internships Hosted by Duke Units.

Deadline: January 12, 2023

Overview

During Summer 2023, the Provost’s Office will support professional development opportunities for current Duke Ph.D. students who do not have full summer funding. Units that would like to host such an opportunity may submit a proposal by January 12, 2023. Proposals will be accepted via Formstack (https://dukeinterdisc.formstack.com/forms/phd_internship_duke).

RFP released  12/12/22
RFP deadline for submission  1/12/23 at 5:00 p.m.
Anticipated unit/program notification  1/17/23
Anticipated student application period  1/23/23 – 4/20/23
Anticipated priority application/selection period (rolling consideration thereafter)  2/20/23 – 4/20/23
Internship start/end  5/16/23 – 8/19/23

We are seeking Ph.D. student internships opportunities that align with Together Duke and will provide Ph.D. students with research experience connected to their intellectual trajectory. Examples from past years:

  • A Duke Forest student intern assessed emerging risks to the Forest
  • Duke University Press hosted two student interns who worked on an innovation team that explored digital strategies for authors to engage with readers during the pandemic
  • The Triangle Center for Evolutionary Medicine had a student intern assist with development of curricular materials for K-12 schools
  • A student intern with the Modern Language Association designed and marketed a resource toolkit around curricular innovation and teacher training.

Restrictions and Parameters

  • These opportunities will only be open to current Ph.D. students without full summer funding. Students who will matriculate in the summer or fall of 2023 are not eligible.
  • Interested students will apply for posted opportunities through a central Duke portal, though the selection process and decision will rest with each internship host.
  • Internships may involve six weeks, eight weeks or twelve weeks of engagement, and must take place between May 16 – August 19, 2023 with no more than 19.9 hours/week, leaving time for students to engage with their own research, study and/or writing.
  • The earliest date an internship may start is May 16, 2023; the latest an internship may end is August 19, 2023.
  • Ph.D. students must receive a stipend commensurate with the three options for length of engagement, plus summer health fee and fringe, paid across the June – August payroll cycles. Interns may receive other Duke summer funding; however, total Duke summer funding may not exceed $8,915. The school of any selected student will be responsible for the provision of summer tuition scholarships.
  • Any proposal for an internship must comply with Duke University coronavirus response policies and the residency requirement detailed below.
  • Internship hosts must be based in an approved U.S. jurisdiction available for Duke employment: Arizona, Hawaii, Illinois, Montana, Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, California, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Washington, DC. Student applicants must also reside in one of these approved U.S. jurisdictions.
  • International Ph.D. students who reside in an approved U.S. jurisdiction should consult as soon as possible with Duke Visa Services for assistance with filing applications for Curricular Practical Training and any other visa-related requirements.
  • All student interns will be required to take the experiential workshop, GS950, during Duke Summer Session I or II.

Eligibility

  • Proposals should be submitted by the head of a unit (dean, director, chair, etc.).
  • Units must provide 50% of the stipend and fringes.

Selection Criteria and Review Process

Host units and supervisors must detail a program of work, with clear goals, deliverables and identification of a supervisor, in their proposed job description. We encourage host units to plan for regular interaction with interns and to include them in team meetings. The review process will be overseen by the vice provost for interdisciplinary studies.

Scope and Duration

In-person, remote and/or hybrid internships will be considered. The proposed internship experience should last for up to three months in the summer and proposals may be configured in one of the following formats:

  1. Three-month (19.9 hours/week) internship; intern will receive a stipend of $8,415 as well as coverage of summer tuition and health fee
  2. Two-month (19.9 hours/week) internship; intern will receive a stipend of $5,610 as well as coverage of summer tuition and health fee
  3. One and a half month/6-week internship (19.9 hours/week); intern will receive a stipend of $4,207.50 as well as coverage of summer tuition and health fee

The proposed internship will take place between May 16 – August 19, 2023, and interns will receive a stipend as well as coverage of summer tuition and the summer health fee across the June – August payroll cycles.

Proposal Requirements

Proposals will be accepted via Formstack: (https://dukeinterdisc.formstack.com/forms/phd_internship_duke).

You will be asked to provide the following information:

  • A title and brief description (one paragraph) for your proposed internship position
  • The number of interns your unit anticipates hosting
  • The start and end dates for the internship
  • The name and contact information for your unit business manager
  • The name and contact information for the internship coordinator and the direct supervisor (if different)
  • A brief plan (maximum one page) that articulates the anticipated project or projects, describes the nature of engagement with organizational staff members, and (if relevant) specifies how the organization envisages a remote/virtual work experience
  • Confirmation that the unit will provide 50% of the stipend and associated fringe.

Contact

For questions related to the online application and/or other logistical questions, please contact the Office of Interdisciplinary Studies at ovpis@duke.edu.

For questions related to internship work plans or financial support toward internship stipends, please contact Edward J. Balleisen at eballeis@duke.edu.

Propose a New Research Collaboration on Infectious and Chronic Diseases

Deadline: December 19, 2022

Through this request for proposals, the Duke Global Health Institute (DGHI) seeks to provide pilot funds to stimulate interdisciplinary research collaborations, with the goal of enabling investigators to leverage preliminary findings and data to obtain larger awards of external funding. Interested faculty are encouraged to collaborate with country-based collaborators on research projects incorporating infectious disease and chronic disease, including data collaboration.

View PDF for details.

Contact

Kelly Deal

Propose a Story+ Project for Summer 2023

Deadline: December 5, 2022

Story+ is a 6-week summer program that immerses interdisciplinary teams of students, faculty, and staff in arts and humanities research and public storytelling. Story+ promotes inquiry-based learning and vertically integrated collaboration through projects that may be driven by archival research, oral history, textual analysis, visual analysis, cultural criticism, art, or other humanistic research methods. Small teams of undergraduates, supervised regularly by graduate student project managers, collaborate on focused projects that contribute to the broader research, teaching, scholarly communications, and/or public engagement agendas of sponsors such as Duke faculty, Duke librarians, non-profit organizations, and other University or non-University entities. Story+ final products have taken the form of a variety of written content, museum/gallery/library exhibits, websites, annotated archives, short films/videos, curricula, podcasts, social media content, and other genres.

A typical Story+ team consists of a project sponsor, a project manager (MA, MFA or PhD student), and three undergraduate project researchers. Story+ provides funding for undergraduate and graduate students so that they can dedicate time and attention to six weeks of project work.

With mentorship from sponsors, project managers, and Story+ infrastructures, undergraduate students learn how to conduct rigorous interpretive research in a team setting, connect academic knowledge to broader social issues, and communicate their research for diverse audiences in a complex media environment. Graduate students get the distinctive pedagogical and professional opportunity to manage complex collaborative projects, mentor undergraduates, and facilitate the networks of relationships that such projects require. Project sponsors benefit from the opportunity to engage a dedicated team of students and the scholarly resources of Duke to begin a new project, shift an existing project into its next phase, or bring a project into completion with an eye towards engaging a broader audience. All participants benefit from the opportunity to try out new ideas and methods among a supportive, creative community of colleagues.

Call for Proposals: Story+ 2023

For summer 2023, we anticipate selecting up to 6 teams. As has been our practice, all proposals will be reviewed by a committee composed of program co-directors, FHI support staff, Library staff, past graduate student mentors, and previous project sponsors.

While we have found benefits to remote research work and might return to offering programs with this option in the future, we do not anticipate teams working remotely this year. Therefore, all project proposals should anticipate a full return to on-site engagement for summer 2023.

What Have Story+ Teams Done?

Outcomes of past Story+ teams have ranged from “finished products” (e.g., a completed curatorial plan, a physical exhibit, or a published research report), “prototypes” or pilot projects (e.g., a prototype online teaching module or a proof-of-concept audio podcast), as well as preliminary, exploratory research that contributes to a larger ongoing project (e.g., oral histories, translation, transcription, or archival discovery). As possible points of reference, please see our Story+ website for descriptions and outcomes from previous teams. While we value products, we also encourage participation by those committed to experimenting with novel processes of research. In particular, we recognize that team-based approaches may be new to some, and we want to work with you to explore how such an approach might enhance your work.

What Are the Objectives of Story+?

Our primary objectives are to enable teams to conduct rigorous, hands-on arts/humanities research, to facilitate collaborative and creative research transmission, and to promote community, inclusion, and care as humanistic modes of work.

We recognize that most undergraduate applicants will be new to research outside the classroom and/or to team-based research specifically. Story+ “Central” works collaboratively with project sponsors and project managers to cultivate week-to-week and overarching workflows that also teach independent and rigorous research practices.

What Time Commitment Should Project Sponsors Expect?

Project sponsors should plan to be accessible to their teams on at least a weekly basis and are expected to be regularly available to collaborate with their full team. The most successful of our projects have been those with sponsors who have clearly articulated goals for their own engagement with the teams and who identify key components of responsibility for project managers and work with them to amend/expand those plans as the work evolves.

We have articulated a Story+ Policies and Expectations for Story+ Team Leaders, which you should find helpful as you draft your proposal.

How to Apply

Please submit proposals via Qualtrics at https://duke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_dcmJUdVz5AFrAMe by December 5, 2022 at 5:00 pm.

The Qualtrics application form asks for the following components:

  1. Brief description of the overall project planned to be on-site at Duke campus for the full six-weeks of work (May 17-June 30). Think of this as the short abstract we might use to advertise the team to prospective student applicants. (250 words)
  2. Description of the specific project goal(s) and output(s) you hope to accomplish through Story+. Please address how Story+ goals (providing a rich arts/humanities team-based research and public storytelling experience for graduates and undergraduates) align with your project goals.
  3. A basic timeline (approximately May 17 to June 30) of project milestones, proposed team-based processes, desired outcome(s), and how/why this work is important to your research/your unit/your organization.
  4. A tentative six-week work plan. This might include a sketch of methods, methodologies, weekly schedule, opportunities for students, campus/community partners who might collaborate, post-Story+ afterlives of the work.
  5. List of essential skills undergraduates will need to contribute to the project. The more specific you can be, the better. We return to these details when constructing our call for applicants. (Please note that, while you can encourage particular undergraduates to apply and they have the opportunity to rank your project as their first choice, all undergraduate applicants will be placed in a general pool for consideration across projects.)
  6. List of skills or technologies you believe your project will need beyond those brought by students. If you can provide training or access to these skills and technologies, please indicate that here. If you cannot, please suggest pathways for acquisition, if you know of online or campus resources. If you don’t know where to access them, let us know that also. This information will help us plan how best to support each team’s work as well as possibilities of shared training sessions across teams.
  7. The name(s) of any specific graduate students you have in mind for the role of your project manager? If you do not have a specific student in mind, please list essential skills or disciplinary knowledge you would like your project manager to have. We have had Master’s students and Doctoral students fill this role with success.
  8. Any funding from external sources or other Duke units that you plan to engage to support the work of the team. This can be for additional graduate or undergraduate team participants, to support away-from-campus field trips, or fund visitors to campus for team consults.

Story+ is funded by Together Duke and administered by the Franklin Humanities Institute in conjunction with Bass Connections, with additional support from the Duke Libraries.