The intellectual joy of discussing a book or books with colleagues and community members in a seminar-like format is, for many, a rare experience. The Institute's Campus Reading Seminar grants support reading groups and scholarly exchanges on subjects dealing with race, ethnicity, diversity, equity, and inclusivity by making funds available for the purchase of books that focus on such themes. Participants in Campus Reading Seminars may include faculty members, academic and classified staff, students, and people from the community. A faculty or academic staff member must submit the proposal. The interdisciplinary composition and diversity of the participants foster intracampus and cross-disciplinary exchanges, stimulate curricular and pedagogical innovations, and encourage campus-community interaction.
Deadline and Contact Information: Two copies of your application must be postmarked no later than Monday, November 15, 2010. This deadline is firm! Electronic submissions are acceptable if sent by that date. You will receive notification re. funding by the week of November 30, 2010. Send to: Franc James, Program Associate, UW System Institute on Race and Ethnicity, 161 W. Wisconsin Ave., Suite 6000, Milwaukee, WI 53203-2602. Any questions? Contact Franc at (414) 227-3250 or: fjames@uwm.edu Happy reading!
Funding: The maximum request is $400.00, which only can be used for book purchases. Seminar participants may keep the books. Depending upon the number of proposals the Institute receives, it may be that not all proposals will be funded. (Applicants are responsible for checking on individual campus procedures before sending a proposal directly to the Institute.)
Proposal Format:- Basic Information: Applicant's Name; Department; Campus; Campus Mailing Address; Campus Phone; and E-mail address.
- Book(s): For each book, list the full title, author(s), publisher, publication date, cost per book, and source of purchase. After each entry, tell us something about the book(s) as described in the "Books" section above.
- Participants: For each participant, list her/his name, department/affiliation, and e-mail address.
- Miscellaneous (optional): Here you may choose to tell us something that might distinguish your seminar: seminar site; planned meeting schedule; noteworthy seminar participants; other relevant campus activities; past seminar experience, etc.
Books: Your seminar may revolve around one or two books maximum. Tell us something about the book(s): theme, focus, subject area, fiction/nonfiction, author's background, etc. Explain why the book(s) would serve as an excellent basis for a seminar discussion. Perhaps include a published review(s) of the book(s). Be sure to check a number of sources for the lowest price.
Participants: A minimum of six (6); a maximum of fifteen (15). Be inclusive! Attempt to include not only faculty, but also administrators, students, academic staff, classified staff, community members, etc. Strive for a representative group across academic disciplines, race/ethnicity/gender, political ideologies, etc. Simply list the name and position/affiliation of each prospective seminar participant. (Be sure to obtain firm commitments before listing names.)
Discussions: Plan to meet as a seminar group for a minimum of twelve (12) hours over the course of the 2010-11 academic year. Identify a moderator who will lead and organize meetings. Strive to identify a consistent seminar location that is conducive to discussion and thought.
Final Report: By July 1, 2011, have a sample of your participants send us a letter. How were the discussions valuable? Any applications: curricular? pedagogical? scholarly? collegial? personal?