Application Information and Instructions
Landmarks of American History and Culture Workshops are offered by the National Endowment for the Humanities to provide community college faculty with the opportunity to engage in intensive study and discussion of important topics and issues in American history and culture, while providing them with direct experiences in the interpretation of significant historical sites and the use of archival and other primary historical evidence. Prior to completing an application, please review the Directors' Letter and consider carefully what is expected in terms of residence and attendance, reading and writing requirements, and participation in the work of the project.
Landmarks Workshops will allow 25 teachers at a time to collaborate with core faculty and other specialists. The Workshops are designed to present the best available scholarship on a specific landmark or related cluster of landmarks, while enabling participants to gain a sense of the importance of historical places, to make connections between the Workshop content and what they teach, and to develop materials for their classrooms and, if applicable, for their research interests.
Eligibility
These projects are designed for faculty members at American community colleges. Adjunct and part-time lecturers as well as full-time faculty are eligible to apply. An applicant need not have an advanced degree in order to qualify. Candidates for degrees are only eligible to apply if they are employed by an institution other than the one at which they are degree candidates and if their participation is intended to enhance their teaching of American undergraduates. Degree candidates cannot use their participation in an NEH Landmarks projects to meet a degree requirement, including work on masters’ theses or doctoral dissertations. Applicants must be United States citizens, residents of U.S. jurisdictions, or foreign nationals who have been residing in the United States or its territories for at least the three years immediately preceding the application deadline. Foreign nationals teaching outside the U.S. are not eligible to apply. Applicants must complete the NEH application cover sheet and provide all of the information requested below to be considered eligible. Individuals may not apply to study with a director of a Landmarks project who is a current colleague or a family member.
Applicants must complete the NEH application cover sheet and provide all of the information requested below to be considered eligible. An individual may apply to and participate in no more than two Landmarks projects. Past or present participation in the NEH Summer Seminars and Institutes programs does not affect an individual’s eligibility to participate in Landmarks programs.
Selection Criteria
A selection committee will read and evaluate all properly completed applications. The committee will consist of the project director and two other scholars in the field; at least one will be a community college faculty member or administrator. Special consideration is given to the likelihood that an applicant will benefit professionally and personally from the Workshop experience. It is important, therefore, to address each of the following factors in preparing the application essay:
- your professional background and interest in the subject of the Workshop;
- your special perspectives, skills, or experiences that would contribute to the Workshop;
- how the experience would enhance your teaching and/or research.
Stipend, Tenure, and Conditions of Award
Community College faculty selected to participate will receive a stipend of $750. Stipends are intended to help cover ordinary living expenses, books, food, and travel expenses to and from the Workshop location. Travel supplements primarily for those traveling long distances will be available but will be allocated after participants are selected, on a case-by-case basis, at the time of the workshop or shortly thereafter. Stipends will be paid after the workshops have ended.
Workshop participants are required to attend all scheduled meetings and to engage fully in all project activities. Participants who, for any reason, do not complete the full tenure of the project must refund a pro-rata portion of their stipend.
Participants will provide NEH with an assessment of their Workshop experience, especially in terms of its value to their personal and professional development. You will be asked to provide a confidential evaluation at the close of the Workshop.
Application Instructions
This application packet will contain a letter from the project director describing in detail the content of the Workshop, the institutional setting, what is expected of participants, and specific provisions for lodging and subsistence (see the Directors’ Letter on this website). All application materials should be sent to the project director at the address listed below. Sending application materials and reference letters to the Endowment will result in delay. Please indicate on the application cover sheet your first and second choices of Workshop dates.
NB: Participants may be interested in knowing that another Landmarks of American History and Culture Workshop for Community College teachers takes pace during the same weeks as Encountering John Adams. It is Concord, Massachusetts: A Center of Transcendentalism and Social Action in the 19th Century, July 12-18, and July 19-25, 2009 (two separate workshops). For information, please contact David A. Berry, berry@essex.edu.
Checklist for Application Materials
The following items constitute a completed application:
- three copies of the completed application cover sheet,
- three copies of your résumé,
- three copies of an application essay (one or two double-spaced pages) as outlined below, and
- three copies of one letter of recommendation.
The Application Cover Sheet
The application cover sheet must be filled out on line at this address: http://www.neh.gov/online/education/participants/ Please fill it out on-line as directed by the prompts. When you are finished, print it. At that point you will be asked if you want to apply to another workshop. If you do, follow the prompts and select another workshop and then print the cover sheet for that workshop as well. This step is essential, but it is not the same thing as applying for the workshop. You must still mail the printed cover sheet and all other materials to the Project Director.
Résumé
Please include a current c.v. or résumé.
The Application Essay
The application essay should be 1-2 double-spaced pages. The essay should address your professional background and interest in the subject of the Workshop; your special perspectives, skills, or experiences that would contribute to the Workshop; and how the experience would enhance your teaching and/or research.
Reference Letter
Applicants should provide a letter of recommendation from their department chair/division head or another professional reference. It is helpful for referees to read the Project Director’s description of the project, as well as the application essay. Please make three copies of the letter of recommendation and include them with your application materials.
Submission of Applications and Notification Procedure
Completed applications should be submitted to the project director and should be postmarked no later than March 16, 2009. Please collate and staple your application materials (three copies) in the following order: cover sheet, essay, resume, and letter of recommendation. All materials should be sent to the following address:
DENNIS HALE
DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE
BOSTON COLLEGE
140 COMMONWEALTH AVENUE
CHESTNUT HILL, MA 02467
Successful applicants will be notified of their selection by April 15, 2009, and they will have until April 22, 2009 to accept or decline the offer. Applicants who will not be home during the notification period should provide an address and phone number where they can be reached. No information concerning the status of an application will be available prior to the official notification period.
Equal Opportunity Statement
Endowment programs do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or age. For further information, write to NEH Equal Opportunity Officer, 1100 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20506. TDD: 202/6068282 (this is a special telephone device for the Deaf).
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