Summer Seminars and Institutes for Higher Education Faculty

NEH Summer Seminars and Institutes for Higher Education Faculty provide higher education faculty across the nation the opportunity to broaden and deepen their engagement with the humanities. The one- to four-week professional development programs allow participants (NEH Summer Scholars) to explore recent developments in scholarship, teaching, and/or curriculum through study of a variety of humanities topics.

NEH Summer Seminars and Institutes
• focus on the study and teaching of significant texts and other resources;
• provide models of excellent scholarship and teaching;
• contribute to the intellectual growth of the participants; and
• build lasting communities of intellectual and professional collaboration.

A program may take place at a college, university, learned society, center for advanced study, library or other repository, cultural or professional organization, or school or school system. The host site must provide facilities for collegial interaction and scholarship. The program must be held only in the United States and its territories.

Seminars and Institutes are generally designed for a broad and diverse group of higher education faculty. Individual projects may target a more focused group of participants or extend their reach to include those outside the humanities.

Seminars
A Seminar provides a focused environment in which sixteen participants study a humanities topic under the guidance of one or two established scholars. Seminars have few, if any, visiting faculty. Seminars emphasize close interaction among the participants and director(s) through discussion of common readings and conversations about scholarship and teaching. Substantial time is made available for reflection, work on independent or collaborative projects, and related advising.

Institutes
An Institute allows twenty-five to thirty-six participants to study a humanities topic with a team of experienced scholars. Because this larger format emphasizes the range of perspectives that can be brought to a topic, an institute typically has more and longer meetings per week than a seminar. Project leaders and participants mutually explore connections between scholarship and teaching, and some time is provided for work on individual or collaborative projects.