Development Fund Policies and Procedures

Course Development Award Application

Grants for Activities and Events Application

Please see the application for necessary details and instructions to see if you and your proposal are eligible

____________________________________________________________

Humanities Development Fund Committee Membership

Margaret Oakes (ENG), Chair
John Armstrong, (COM)
John Barrington (HIST)
Chris Blackwell (CL)
Sam Britt (REL)
Ron Friis (MLL)
Sarah Worth (PHL)

_______________________________________________

I.Background and Policy

Since 1997 the mission of the Humanities Development Fund has been to provide financial support for courses, activities, and events that benefit study and research by Furman faculty and students in the humanistic disciplines. In accordance with the spirit of the original grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities which provided the seed money for this fund, monies will be available for members of the humanities departments (Classics, Communication Studies, English, History, Modern Languages and Literatures, Philosophy, and Religion) and those from a humanities-related discipline (art history, political philosophy, theater arts).

II.Types of Awards

A.Course Development Awards
Applications will be considered for the development of a new course or the significant overhaul or enrichment of a longstanding existing course. The course may fulfill a Core Requirement but may not be a First-Year Seminar.
B.Grants for Activities and Events at Furman outside the Classroom
Applications for events will be taken throughout the upcoming school year as funds permit. Grants may include, but are not limited to, artistic performances, cultural festivals, conferences at Furman on humanities-related topics, or the creation or purchase of virtual or physical resources (for instance, a website, database, book collection, or film).  Speaking engagements by scholars and writers may also be funded, but applications that encourage active engagement and participation by both students and faculty will be given stronger consideration.

III.General Guidelines

A.Timing of Applications
The new application year begins in the spring term to allow for awards during the summer, but applications will be taken throughout the following school year as funds permit.  The application form will be made available to faculty through email and Public Announcement postings in March to allow for summer planning. Notice of the possibility of funding will be promulgated to the faculty at regular times throughout the school year as long as that year’s funds are available for disbursement.
B.Eligible Applicants
All full- and part-time humanities faculty as defined in Policy 157.1 are eligible to apply as long as the course or event they are applying for will take place during a period of their employment. Preference will be given to interdisciplinary projects involving faculty from two or more departments.  However, the committee recognizes that faculty in a single department and single faculty members have varied scholarly interests; thus, intra-departmental applications may be considered if they combine different facets of humanistic study and if the event, course, or resource is widely accessible to students and faculty outside the department.  Every effort is made to ensure that grants are awarded across the spectrum of the humanities faculty.  Those who do not teach in a humanities department but who demonstrate a serious interest in and requisite training in the humanities may apply jointly with a faculty member who teaches in a humanities department.