Faculty Fellowship Program

2021-2022 FACULTY FELLOWSHIPS

APPLICATION DEADLINE: Wed., February 3, 2021
*With two external (non-Northwestern) reference letters due no later than 2/5/21

The Kaplan Institute for the Humanities invites faculty members working in the humanities and humanistic social sciences in the Weinberg School of Arts and Sciences; Bienen School of Music; Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing and Communications; School of Communication; and School of Education and Social Policy to apply to become Kaplan Institute Fellows. These fellowships enable Northwestern faculty to pursue independent projects of significance to the humanities while immersed in an interdisciplinary community of scholars.

Fellowship award

For Weinberg, Bienen, Medill, and School of Communication faculty:

Faculty may apply for a 50% teaching reduction (which doesn't count against the leave clock), or, funds permitting, a full year of supported leave.

For SESP faculty:

SESP faculty who earn a Kaplan Fellowship will be provided a research fund of $10,000. This fund is intended to provide resources to support the faculty member in advancing the project referenced in their proposal. Faculty will have discretion in deciding how to use these funds to advance their project, assuming compliance with University policy.

What are Humanities Fellows?

Fellows join a vibrant community of faculty, graduate and undergraduate Franke Fellows, Library Fellows, and visiting artists from across disciplines at Northwestern to discuss research in the humanities. Activities include:

• Participating in Institute events while in residence on campus throughout the 2021-2022 academic year. These include lunch seminars ("Kaplan Conversations") held on Wednesdays at noon, and Harris Lectures, Dialogue events,  and the Future Directions Forum, among others.
• Presenting a 20-minute talk based upon Institute-supported research at a Wednesday "Kaplan Conversation."
• After completion of their fellowship, Fellows design a humanities course to be offered as part of their regular teaching responsibilities. Kaplan teaching is an opportunity for innovative multidisciplinary course design. The timing and topic of this course is set in consultation with the Fellow, the Chair of their department, and the Institute Director. (For SESP fellows, a service role would be slated in lieu of offering a course.)

How are the Fellowships awarded?

Three senior humanities scholars from outside Northwestern, completely unaffiliated with the university, evaluate applications for scholarly merit. Fellowships are judged on the originality, quality, clarity, and importance of the proposed project as well as the applicant’s ability to contribute productively to an interdisciplinary group. Final selections are based on the external reviewers’ rankings and the need to ensure distribution across rank and department. Two fellowships are reserved for junior faculty.

What are the guidelines for eligibility?

The following applies to ALL APPLICANTS:

• Full-time faculty members on continuous appointments may apply.
  • Note: SESP faculty eligibility includes tenure line faculty, pre- and post-tenure, as well as non-tenure eligible teaching faculty on multi-year appointments.
• Applicants must be eligible for an academic leave and must secure approval/confirmation of eligibility for leave from their Department Chair before applying.
• Faculty applying for a full year of fellowship funding must also simultaneously apply for an external fellowship—please indicate that you’ve done so in your cover letter.
• Applicants for a teaching reduction may not have been on leave in 2020-2021.
• Faculty members are not allowed to apply for a fellowship during the year in which they are up for tenure review.
• Previous Institute Fellows may apply for a second fellowship only after an interval of five years. Preference is given to applicants who have not previously held a fellowship at the Institute and to projects that have not been previously funded by the Institute.

Additional eligibility guidelines

For applicants from Weinberg College:

• Only those eligible for a leave in 2021-2022 may apply to expand the normal one-quarter leave into a full-year leave.
• Faculty must apply for leave on Weinberg's website: https://www.weinberg.northwestern.edu/faculty/forms/faculty_leave_of_absence.html
• Teaching reductions do not count against a faculty member’s ongoing “leave clock.”
• In accordance with Weinberg College policy, faculty teaching loads may not fall below one course in any given year.

How do I apply?

IMPORTANT: APPROVALS REQUIRED BEFORE YOU SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION:
To indicate approval/confirmation of eligibility for leave from your Department Chair (and Dean, when applicable), please forward your email correspondence signaling the approval—or request the Chair/Dean to email their approval directly—to Tom Burke at thomas.burke@northwestern.edu.

All other application materials must be submitted via the online application portal.