Purpose
With this year’s theme, ISLA aims to foster scholarly engagement with “the public,” as both a constituency and a concept. In recent decades, political polarization, fragmentary media, and economic inequality have been blamed for hastening the dissolution of society, calling into question the coherence or meaningfulness of “the public” as an object of study or target of intervention. Still, a wide range of scholarship purports to measure and inform public health, public policy, and the public good. Many within the academy have further sought to produce publicly engaged scholarship, authored with and for communities who have been historically excluded from the university and denied access to its resources. Given that Notre Dame’s mission and Strategic Framework make clear that scholars have a role to play in analyzing and addressing issues facing the public, ISLA aims to support proposals that shed light on who constitutes the public and how they should be engaged.
We seek proposals that draw from the insights of the liberal arts to develop impactful models of publicly engaged scholarship and to interrogate and historicize the very notion of “the public” itself. What role does or should the public play in the creation and curation of art? Who constitutes the “public” of the “public humanities”? How should scholars partner with this constituency and to what ends? What historical, artistic, literary, or philosophical insights might help us better understand the dynamics of publics and the forces that bind them together or drive them apart? What methods in the social sciences best define and measure the public, and which policies and practices offer the most promise for fostering the public good? Such questions lie at the center of this year’s research theme.
Eligibility
This competition is open to students enrolled in Ph.D., DMA, and MFA programs as well as all regular faculty members with a primary appointment in the College of Arts and Letters. Students must be in good standing with The Graduate School.
Allowable Expenses
Applicants may request up to $5,000. Eligible expenses include research and creative arts materials needed to directly support the completion of the project, such as transcription services, travel, archive/library assistance, survey and computer programming support, and human subject payments. Funds cannot be used for applicant salary/stipend, professional development activities, office supplies, publication costs, or computer equipment.
Application Process
Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis beginning September 1. Visit the ISLA website for more information and to apply.
Please direct questions regarding this RFP to Associate Director for Research Development, Josh Tychonievich (tychonievich1@nd.edu).