ALTERNATIVE POLITICAL IMAGINARIES
The 2008-09 John Hope Franklin Humanities Institute Seminar
To Apply:

Click here to open a PDF of the Duke FACULTY Call for Proposals (deadline 11/19/2007)
Click here to open a PDF of the Duke GRADUATE STUDENT Call for Proposals (deadline 1/18/2008)
Click here to open a PDF of the POSTDOCTORAL FELLOW Call for Proposals (deadline 1/18/2008)

ELIGIBILITY AND PARTICIPATION
The 2007-08 FHI Seminar will be comprised of: (1) up to eight Duke Faculty Fellows from the College of Arts & Sciences; (2) one faculty member from the professional schools; (3) a professional librarian; (4) up to three Duke Graduate Fellows; (5) up to two external Post-Doctoral Fellows, selected via a national call for proposals.

Duke Faculty Fellows - Deadline November 19, 2007
All tenured, tenure-track and regular rank Duke faculty members are eligible to apply for fellowships in the FHI Seminar. We are committed to diversity in the fullest sense of the word, and as in all previous Seminars, we shall be looking for a mix of junior and senior faculty from range of departments in the
humanities and social sciences, whose work spans a broad spectrum of methodologies and historical periods. We will continue our commitment to issues of social equity, historical memory, race, and justice—values exemplified by the work of our namesake John Hope Franklin.

Faculty fellows will be appointed for the 2008-09 academic year. In exchange for participation in the seminar, the FHI will arrange for release from two courses, and will provide each Fellow’s department with a subvention to offset teaching replacement costs. The seminar is provided with funding to support visiting speakers, small conferences/symposia, and other programs. FHI staff members provide logistical and technical support, website development assistance, and other forms of programmatic support, as well as general administrative support.

Faculty Fellows will be expected to participate actively in weekly meetings and programs, to provide input and suggestions on visiting speakers, readings, and topics, and to contribute as needed in the coordination of seminar programs and projects. Fellows are strongly encouraged to draw from their Seminar experience to develop an interdisciplinary course designed to have an impact on curriculum development in the humanities. Courses may be team-taught and designed for any Duke student constituency (graduate, undergraduate, MALS, etc.), and should take place within three academic years of the conclusion of the seminar. If feasible, fellows may teach a related course during the spring semester of the FHI Seminar, allowing students to take advantage of the visiting speakers and programs offered by the Seminar.

To support the development of courses and special projects which might emerge out of the Seminar, the FHI has established, with the support of the A.W. Mellon Foundation, the "Post-Seminar Initiative" (PSI). The PSI is a pool of funds designed to support design, planning and implementation of courses and special projects developed by current and former Fellows in the FHI Seminar. PSI funds are requested via a short, informal proposal, and may be used to offset research travel, guest speakers, materials and other relevant costs.

Each FHI Faculty Fellow will be provided with shared office space in the John Hope Franklin Center for International and Interdisciplinary Studies. We encourage participating fellows to become a member of the Franklin Center community – to hold office hours in the Franklin Center, to use their offices for writing and research, and to teach courses at the Franklin Center. Among its many other resources, the Center has a library-delivery service that enables research materials to be delivered quickly and efficiently.

Duke Graduate Students - Deadline January 18, 2008
Duke Graduate Fellows will be appointed for the 2008-09 academic year. The fellowship provides a stipend equivalent to the full funding threshold identified by the Graduate School ($18,250 in 2007-08), and a small pool of research/travel funds (via reimbursement). The FHI is unable to cover fees.

Graduate Fellows will be provided with office space in the FHI’s home, the John Hope Franklin Center for Interdisciplinary and International Studies, a “center of centers” on Duke’s west campus. Seminar Fellows become members of a vibrant intellectual and professional community which includes 23 interdisciplinary centers, institutes, and programs. Among its other amenities, the Franklin Center has a library delivery service that enables research materials to be delivered quickly and efficiently.

Graduate Fellows will be expected to participate actively in weekly Seminar meetings and related programs, to provide input on visiting speakers, readings, and topics, and to contribute as needed in the coordination of seminar programs and projects. The Seminar is provided with funds to support visiting speakers, small conferences/symposia, and other programs. FHI staff members provide logistical and technical support, website development assistance, and other forms of program support, as well as financial management and general administrative support.

The FHI is committed to diversity in the fullest sense of the word, and as in all previous Seminars, we shall be looking for a mix of scholarly approaches from a range of disciplines in the humanities and social sciences, and for individuals working in a broad spectrum of methodologies and historical periods. We will continue our commitment to issues of social equity, historical memory, race, and justice—values exemplified by the work of our namesake John Hope Franklin. Duke University provides equal employment opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation or preference, sex, or age.

For general information on the Franklin Humanities Institute Seminar, including information on previous themes, co-conveners, and fellows, please visit www.jhfc.duke.edu/fhi/seminar/index.php.

See the relevant section below for specific application procedures for Duke Graduate Students.

Postdoctoral Fellows - Deadline January 18, 2008
Postdoctoral Fellows will be appointed for the 2008-09 academic year. The fellowship provides a stipend of $40,000, health and dental benefits, and a pool of up to $2,500 in research/travel funds (disbursed via reimbursement). The FHI is unable to offer direct support for housing or relocation, but will gladly assist in the identification of necessary relocation resources.

Postdoctoral Fellows will be required to teach one course during the fellowship term, in spring semester 2009, and a one-paragraph course description must be included in the written proposal (see below). Fellows will also be expected to participate actively in weekly Seminar meetings and related programs, to provide input on visiting speakers, readings, and topics, and to contribute as needed in the coordination of seminar programs and projects.

Fellows will be provided with office space and a computer in the John Hope Franklin Center for Interdisciplinary and International Studies, a “center of centers” on Duke’s west campus. Seminar Fellows become members of a vibrant intellectual and professional community of 23 interdisciplinary centers, institutes, and programs. Among its other amenities, the Franklin Center has a library delivery service that enables research materials to be delivered quickly and efficiently.

The emphasis of this program is on recent PhDs, but all un-tenured scholars who hold a PhD in the
humanities or interpretive social sciences may apply. Scholars who hold a tenured faculty position or who will hold tenure during the fellowship year are ineligible. If the applicant does not have the PhD in-hand at the time of application, the FHI must receive by June 30, 2008 one of the following: (a) proof of completion of the degree; (b) a letter from the applicant’s committee chair or department confirming that the PhD will be granted before September 1, 2008. Duke PhDs are not eligible.


THE PROPOSAL AND SELECTION PROCESS
The proposal process is different for Duke faculty, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows. Please carefully review the section that applies to your status.

Duke Faculty
Fellowship proposals from Duke faculty members should include the following components:

1. A letter-form proposal, with original signature, of 1500 words or less that describes: (a) your current research; (b) the ways in which your work connects with the theme of the seminar; (c) your teaching goals and the ways in which your participation in the seminar might support your work in the classroom; and (d) a description of a course or special project you might develop as a result of your participation in the seminar. Please address your letter-form proposal to the Seminar Co-Conveners, Professors Robyn Wiegman and Michael Hardt (see delivery address below).

2. A current curriculum vitae and a short biographical summary.

3. A letter, with original signature, from your department chair agreeing to release time equivalent to two courses in academic year 2008-09.

Faculty deadline and proposal format: The complete proposal with original signatures must be received by the Franklin Humanities Institute by 5:00 PM on Monday, November 19, 2007. Proposals should be delivered to:

Professors Robyn Wiegman and Michael Hardt
c/o Grant Samuelsen, Associate Director
John Hope Franklin Humanities Institute
Box 90403, 2204 Erwin Road

The Seminar Co-Conveners and the Director of the Franklin Humanities Institute will review all proposals and forward their recommendations to the Dean of Humanities, who will make the final decisions. Fellowship appointments will be announced in late winter, 2008.

Duke Graduate Students
The Seminar Co-Conveners and the Director of the Franklin Humanities Institute will review all proposals. Fellowship appointments will be announced by March 7, 2008.

Graduate fellowship proposals should consist of the following materials. Items 1-4 must be submitted via email attachments in a common document format such as PDF or Microsoft Word. Letters of recommendation (item 5) may be submitted by mail or email. Whenever possible, please combine documents such as the cover letter, proposal, and CV into a single file, and use filenames that will help to identify your submission (“smith.application.doc” rather than “application.doc”).

1. A cover letter of up to 500 words including a description of how the applicant's training, experience, and interests relate and can contribute to the aims and themes of the Seminar.

2. A proposal of no more than 1500 words outlining the applicant’s research plan for the fellowship/seminar year.

3. A recent writing sample or samples (maximum 30 pages total)

4. A current curriculum vitae.

5. Two (2) letters of recommendation. Letters should be sent directly to the FHI, and may either be written for this purpose or drawn from the applicant’s placement dossier.

Graduate student deadline and proposal format : All electronic components of the application (items 1-5, above), must be received by 5:00 PM, Friday, January 18, 2008. Send materials to fhi@duke.edu. Please include the phrase “Fellowship Application” in the subject line of your email. If you are unable to send your application via email, please send one original and one copy to the address listed below.

Letters of recommendation and other non-electronic materials must be postmarked or hand-delivered on or before the deadline, and sent to:

Professors Robyn Wiegman and Michael Hardt
c/o Grant Samuelsen, Associate Director
John Hope Franklin Humanities Institute
2204 Erwin Road, Box 90403
Duke University
Durham, NC 27708-0403

Postdoctoral Fellows
Postdoctoral fellowship proposals should consist of the following materials. The Seminar Co-Conveners and the Director of the Franklin Humanities Institute will review all proposals, and appointments will be announced by March 7, 2008.

Note: Items 1-5 must be submitted via email attachments in a common document format such as PDF or Microsoft Word. Writing samples and letters of recommendation (items 5 & 6) may be submitted by mail or email. Whenever possible, please combine emailed documents such as the cover letter, proposal, and CV into a single file, and use filenames that will help to identify your submission (“smith.application.doc” rather than “application.doc”). If you are unable to submit the proposal electronically, please contact grant.samuelsen@duke.edu.

1. A cover letter including a description of how the applicant's training, experience, and interests relate and can contribute to the aims and themes of the Seminar (500 words maximum).

2. A proposal outlining the applicant’s research plan for the fellowship/seminar year, including a one-paragraph description of a proposed course, related to the theme of the seminar and to be taught in the spring 2009 semester (1500 words maximum).

3. A current CV.

4. A recent writing sample or samples (maximum 30 pages total)

5. Two (2) letters of recommendation. Letters should be sent directly to the FHI, and may either be written for this purpose or drawn from the applicant’s placement dossier.

DEADLINE: All electronic components of the application (items 1-5, above), must be received by 5:00 PM (US Eastern Standard Time), Friday, January 18, 2008. Send materials to fhi@duke.edu. Please include the phrase “Fellowship Application” in the subject line of your email. If you are unable to send your application via email, please send one original and one copy to the address listed below.

Letters of recommendation and other non-electronic materials must be postmarked on or before January 18, and should be sent to:

Grant Samuelsen, Associate Director
John Hope Franklin Humanities Institute
2204 Erwin Road, Box 90403
Duke University
Durham, NC 27708-0403

QUESTIONS?
For general inquiries about the FHI seminar and this call for proposal, please contact Grant Samuelsen (grant.samuelsen@duke.edu).