Humanities Connections

The Humanities Connections program seeks to expand the role of the humanities in undergraduate education at two- and four-year institutions. Awards will support innovative curricular approaches that foster productive partnerships among humanities faculty and their counterparts in the social and natural sciences and in pre-service or professional programs (such as business, engineering, health sciences, law, computer science, and other technology-driven fields), in order to encourage and develop new integrative learning opportunities for students.

Competitive applications will demonstrate

• that the proposed curricular projects address significant and compelling topics or issues in undergraduate education at the applicant institution(s);
• that these projects develop the intellectual skills and habits of mind cultivated by the humanities; and
• that faculty and students will benefit from meaningful collaborations in teaching and learning across disciplines as a result of the project.

Humanities Connections projects have four core features:

1. integration of the subject matter, perspectives, and pedagogical approaches of two or more disciplines (with a minimum of one in and one outside of the humanities);
2. collaboration between faculty from two or more separate departments or schools at one or more institutions;
3. experiential learning as an intrinsic part of the curricular plan; and
4. long-term institutional support for the proposed curriculum innovation(s).

Humanities Connections grants are funded at two levels: Planning and Implementation.

Planning Grants (up to twelve months) support the interdisciplinary collaboration of faculty from two or more separate departments or schools (a minimum of one in and one outside of the humanities), with the goal of designing a new, coherent curricular program or initiative. The award gives the institution(s) the opportunity to create a firm foundation for implementing the program. Planning goals will include identifying the members of a planning committee and organizing the planning process; defining the rationale, design, and structure that would undergird a comprehensive and institutionally sustainable effort; and establishing potential scenarios for curriculum development. Institutions may draw on current short-term initiatives or curricular programs run by individual departments in this effort. The outcome of a successful planning phase should be a project in, or ready for, the implementation stage.

Implementation grants (up to three years) support the interdisciplinary collaboration of faculty from two or more separate departments or schools (a minimum of one in and one outside of the humanities), with the implementation of a sustainable curricular program or initiative as the outcome. Implementation grant proposals must show unambiguous evidence of preceding planning work and present a defined rationale with clear intellectual and logistical objectives that are supported by institutional commitment. The award gives applicants the opportunity to build on faculty/administrative or institutional partnerships and to develop and refine the project’s intellectual content, design, and scope. For example, the applicant should be able to demonstrate potential commitments of any partners or collaborators; outline preferred approaches to curriculum building/consolidation; and explain outreach strategies that will be employed to attract students to the new educational opportunity.