Baker-Nord Center | Grant Opportunities

Seminar Fellowships

Revolution!

2012 - 2013 Academic year

Research Award of $2,500


Applications are invited for participation in the Baker-Nord Center for the Humanities (BNC) annual themed seminar, to be held in Spring 2013 on the topic of Revolution. The seminar includes weekly meetings throughout the spring semester 2013, with weekly meeting time to be determined by seminar participants.

Revolution – as a political, critical, and aesthetic idea – has emerged as one of the most urgent preoccupations of the present cultural moment. From North Africa, to the Middle East, to Wall Street, to the White House, we are grappling with the notion of seismic upheaval, with eruptions in the social, moral, and intellectual landscape.

Revolution, however, not only refers to a forcible overthrow of a government or social system but also carries the connotation of a dramatic and wide-reaching change in the way something works or is organized or in people’s ideas about it.

What forms does revolution take in our current political/ cultural/ technological milieu? How is it achieved? In what sense is it reflected or predicted in critical theory, philosophy, literature, art, historical perspective?

This year, the Baker-Nord Humanities Center embraces a broad interpretation of revolution, and our thematic programming will explore the concept – its questions and contexts – opening up an interdisciplinary inquiry & discussion about the nature, dimensions, and multiple meanings of revolution.

Moderated by the Director of the Center, the seminar is designed to allow participants to shape a collective path of inquiry. Typical seminar meetings include close readings of selected texts pertaining to an important issue and lively discussion. Every effort is made to invite guest speakers, recognized in the field, to contribute to discussion. The seminar enhances teaching, research as well as professional development.

Eligibility:

  • Students enrolled in Ph.D. study in a humanities department within the College of Arts and Sciences, Case Western Reserve University. Applications must be accompanied by a letter of recommendation/support from either the department chair or Ph.D. advisor. (Preference will be given to students advanced to candidacy.)
  • Full-time faculty in the arts, humanities, and humanities-related discipline within the College of Arts and Sciences, as well as humanities-related disciplines within Case Western Reserve University. Applications must be accompanied by a letter of recommendation from the department chair.
  • Full-time staff and faculty from regional educational, arts, and culture institutions – with a preference for those institutions with an established collaboration with Case Western Reserve University – are eligible. Applications must be accompanied by letter of recommendation from the Director or Dean of the employing institution.

Seminar participants are expected to attend and participate in the weekly meetings, which will be held on the CWRU campus at a time mutually agreeable to participants. (If no single date/time can be agreed upon, the date/time agreeable to the largest number of participants will be selected and those unable to attend will be excused from the seminar.) All participants will be required to submit an evaluation of their seminar experience upon completion.

All applications will be reviewed by a committee; please be aware that there are a limited number of available spaces in the seminar.

Available to full-time faculty in the arts and humanities within the College of Arts and Sciences and humanities-related disciplines within Case Western Reserve University; full-time staff from UCI institutions (requires nomination by the institution). Before applying, carefully read the application instructions and eligibility requirements.

Application (Deadline extended until 1 June 2012)


Download Acrobat Reader Download printable application guidelines and cover sheet

» In addition to this cover sheet, complete applications must include:

  1. A brief statement of application (max. 2 pages, double-spaced, 12-point font, 1-inch margins) that addresses the following points: a) interest in the theme (feel free to add or expand on the Center’s explication of it); b) qualifications for the seminar (what would you bring to the discussion); c) what you hope to gain from participation in the seminar; d) what interests you in engaging in the collegial, interdisciplinary environment of the seminar. To close, we require an express commitment to full participation in the seminar during its tenure.
  2. Curriculum Vitae
  3. A letter of either recommendation from the department chair or nomination from institution Director indicating his/her support. This letter must accompany the application. A Baker-Nord scholarship in no way obligates the recipient’s department or institution to lessen the recipient’s duties and responsibilities.


Mail to:

Baker-Nord Center for the Humanities
Case Western Reserve University
10900 Euclid Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44106-7120

Campus Deliveries to:

Clark Hall Room 207
Location Code 7120

If you have questions or comments or need more more information, please visit our contact page.