Opportunities for Faculty & Scholars

The African Studies Initiative (ASI), through a Title VI grant in African Studies from the U.S. Department of Education, is able to provide the following curriculum development grants to University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, faculty and instructional staff. Graduate and undergraduate students are not eligible.

Themes:

1. Advancing Health Equity: A Historical and Socio-Cultural Perspective

          a. Redesign of Community-Based Public Health Course in the Academic                     Health Center

2. Refugees, Migrants & Human Rights

          a.  Graduate Seminar: Migration & Movement in West Africa

          b. Development of May-Term Abroad: The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade

3. Mass Violence, Repression & Resistance

          a. New UG Course: Ethnic Conflict in the Horn of Africa

          b. Herero & Nama Genocide: Reckoning of Colonial Crimes: Collaborative Seminar with Bayreuth University

           c. Practicum: Religion and Nation in Africa: Roots of Conflict, Routes to Resolution.

These grants are intended for projects that enhance the University’s undergraduate and graduate curriculum in African Studies; such projects also may involve the building of sustainable educational partnerships with institutions abroad in the African Studies arena. 

While the ASI recognizes that new courses developed with ASI funds initially may be offered as topics courses, it expects that such courses will be proposed to the appropriate college or school for approval as standing courses, to be offered regularly and in the long term. Grants may fund salary augmentation for faculty and instructional staff during the 2024-25 Academic Year to compensate instructors for the time necessary to develop a new course or to redesign an existing one; the hiring of graduate or undergraduate research assistants to support materials collection or other tasks directly related to course development or redesign; the hiring of contractors (e.g., videographers, sound engineers, consultants, etc.) whose work bears directly on the curricular project; and/or materials collection for syllabus development and/or instructional purposes. 

Program Priorities

Priority will be given to projects that fall within the following categories:

        - The development of new African Studies courses or the redesign of existing courses with new African Studies content, including the collection of materials to update courses with new African Studies content;

       - Projects that integrate foreign languages (especially less commonly taught African languages) into the African Studies curriculum, including the development and/or collection of curricular resources that will allow students to use foreign language skills in African Studies courses.

      -Proposals for courses with significant African Studies content from all colleges and schools of the University, in all disciplines, and on all topics are invited. Where applicable, the ASI also encourages projects that forge sustainable educational collaborations with institutions abroad in the African Studies arena.

The African Studies Initiative (ASI), through a Title VI grant in African Studies from the U.S. Department of Education, is able to provide the following language project grants to University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, faculty and instructional staff. Graduate and undergraduate students are not eligible.

1. Micro Internships for African Language Learners

2. Content-Based Instruction Redesign Advanced LCTL courses: Portuguese & Somali

3.  Summer Intensive LCTL Courses: Somali, Swahili, Portuguese

4.  Assessment/Placement Proficiency Test Development for Somali

5. . LCTL Resources: Materials Development for Advanced Courses and LPEs:Somali, Swahili, Portuguese, Egyptian Arabic

Program Priorities

Priority will be given to projects that fall within the following categories:

- Projects that integrate foreign languages (especially less commonly taught African languages) into the African Studies curriculum, including the development and/or collection of curricular resources that will allow students to use foreign language skills in African Studies courses;

- The development of new African Studies courses or the redesign of existing courses with new African Studies content, including the collection of materials to update courses with new African Studies content;

- Proposals for courses with significant African Studies content from all colleges and schools of the University, in all disciplines, and on all topics are invited. Where applicable, the ASI also encourages projects that forge sustainable educational collaborations with institutions abroad in the African Studies arena.

The African Studies Initiative (ASI), through a Title VI grant in African Studies from the U.S. Department of Education, is able to provide the following ‘building intellectual strength” project grants to University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, faculty and instructional staff. Graduate and undergraduate students are not eligible.

1. Theme: Advancing Health Equity: A Historical and Socio-Cultural Perspective

            a. Funding for this theme includes:

                    - Workshops

                    - Community-Faculty-Student Dialogues

                    - Collaboration with local immigrant community groups, Public Health                       & Student Groups

This grant, and others, are intended for projects that enhance the University’s undergraduate and graduate curriculum in African Studies; such projects also may involve the building of sustainable educational partnerships with institutions abroad in the African Studies arena. 

While the ASI recognizes that new courses developed with ASI funds initially may be offered as topics courses, it expects that such courses will be proposed to the appropriate college or school for approval as standing courses, to be offered regularly and in the long term. Grants may fund salary augmentation for faculty and instructional staff during the 2024-25 Academic Year to compensate instructors for the time necessary to develop a new course or to redesign an existing one; the hiring of graduate or undergraduate research assistants to support materials collection or other tasks directly related to course development or redesign; the hiring of contractors (e.g., videographers, sound engineers, consultants, etc.) whose work bears directly on the curricular project; and/or materials collection for syllabus development and/or instructional purposes. 

Program Priorities:

Priority will be given to projects that fall within the following categories:

    - African based projects with the greater purpose of institutional building;

    -Proposals for courses with significant African Studies content from all colleges and schools of the University, in all disciplines, and on all topics are invited. Where applicable, the ASI also encourages projects that forge sustainable educational collaborations with institutions abroad in the African Studies arena;

    -The development of new African Studies courses or the redesign of existing courses with new African Studies content, including the collection of materials to update courses with new African Studies content;

    -Projects that integrate foreign languages (especially less commonly taught African languages) into the African Studies curriculum, including the development and/or collection of curricular resources that will allow students to use foreign language skills in African Studies courses.

The African Studies Initiative (ASI), through a Title VI grant in African Studies from the U.S. Department of Education, is able to provide travel support up to $3,000 to University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, faculty and instructional staff.  The Travel Grants are intended for projects that enhance the University’s undergraduate and graduate curriculum in African Studies and for projects that support the building of sustainable educational partnerships with institutions abroad on African Studies.

Program Priorities

Priority will be given to projects that fall within the following categories:

- Projects that integrate foreign languages into the African Studies curriculum, including the collection of curricular resources that will allow students to use their foreign language skills in African Studies courses;

- The development of new African Studies courses or the redesign of existing courses with new African Studies content including the collection of materials to update courses with new African Studies content;

- The development of sustainable educational collaborations with institutions abroad on African Studies.

NOTE:  Title VI travel funding is not primarily intended for conference presentations.  Proposals must specifically address the program priorities above. Recipients must submit the new or revised syllabus and/or a one-page project report that specifies the project outcomes at the end of the award period.