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Call for Proposals 2009

The Curriculum Resource Center (CRC) of the Central European University, sponsored by the Higher Education Support Program of the Open Society Institute, announces a call for proposals to develop new, innovative and relevant university courses.

Download application forms

for Individual projects

for Group projects

DEADLINE

Applications need to arrive to CRC by 30 November 2009 (to the address: CRC - Central European University, 1051 Budapest, Nador u. 9, Hungary or to cdc@ceu.hu

Program description

1. Applicants are invited to develop and teach a one or two semester long course in the discipline areas listed below. The course should be clearly directed towards one of the following levels: introductory, intermediate, advanced, post-graduate.

2. The competition is open to individuals and groups for 10 month grants. During this period, successful applicants should first develop and then implement their proposed course. Grantees are not required to stay in Budapest for their grant period.

3. Course Portfolio (see more on this on our website http://web.ceu.hu/crc/cdc_propl.html)

Aims of the Program

to encourage the introduction of new courses, which are innovative in content, methodology and teaching approach.
to have a measurable impact on the curricula of the host department and its mode of delivery. In this way, the program seeks to further the development and dissemination of new curricula across the target regions.
to provide incentives and means for interdisciplinary and international co-operation amongst academics.
to promote innovative, collaborative projects with priority given to groups of academics from at least two different countries or cities of the region who aim to design a course from an international perspective.
to fund courses that are at least partially based on applicants' original research in their field.

Eligibility

Application is restricted to resident citizens of the non EU member states in Eastern- and Southeastern Europe, the Former Soviet Union and Mongolia who are teaching at a university in any country of this region. Citizens of new EU member states are eligible only if:

they propose courses on Roma related issues.
they participate in group projects with colleagues from non-EU countries (in fact such collaborative proposals are strongly encouraged). In such group projects the group leader must come from the non-EU country.

Previous CRC participants may apply for a CDC grant; Academic Fellowship Program fellows may only receive a CDC grant one academic year after finishing their AFP fellowship. Those who benefit presently from an alternative Soros grant should contact the CRC office to discuss their eligibility.

Requirements for applicants

All applicants should show how they intend to apply new teaching methodology to delivering the course.

Project proposals should demonstrate the following:

potential to contribute to curriculum reform at host departments
innovative character and approach
potential of being incorporated into the university curriculum for longer term
relevance to regional or global issues
scientific quality in the selected field
feasibility

Requirements for grantees

At the end of their grant period, all grantees (groups) are expected to submit a final syllabus for the new course they have developed and taught, together with a final financial report.
All accepted applicants are required to attend two modular workshops: one workshop at the beginning of their grant period, (focusing on issues regarding course design, assessment evaluation and course portfolio), and another before their teaching period (covering matters regarding course implementation and course portfolio). The exact dates will be confirmed and announced later for selected applicants. Before the second workshop grantees are required to send their essay on course design and their revises syllabus.
Production of Course Portfolio

Course Development Competition Grants

Each CDC grantee will receive a monthly stipend for a period of ten months. The amount of the stipend is not negotiable. Group stipends for the teaching period will be calculated from the amount of a full stipend in proportion to the degree of involvement of each participant (involvement should be expressed clearly as a percentage in the course plan). Group leaders will, in addition, receive a small group leader's fee for their extra responsibilities. The proposed budgets will be subject of negotiation.
An allowance for legitimate course development expenses (book purchases, reader production, teaching materials, photocopying, slides, etc.). Grantees are strongly encouraged to produce readers for their courses (collection of articles, papers, chapters, documents, etc. that represent readings and other materials for the course). The grant will not fund the production of printed textbooks or publications. Please note that the CDC grant cannot fund the purchase of any equipment (computers, scanners, printers, etc.).
An allowance for additional, justified travel costs and administrative expenses in the case of group grants.
An allowance for justified travel to a library outside the home city, within the region, for the development of course materials etc. Costs of study or conference participation cannot be covered.
Consultation time with CEU professors with knowledge in the relevant topic areas will be offered.

Selection and Evaluation of Grants

Applications will be evaluated and judged by CEU academics with sufficient knowledge of the higher educational needs of the region.

Following the selection acceptance becomes valid after the signing of a contract between the future grantee and CEU during the first workshop.

Finished course syllabi will be evaluated by CEU professors, and those meeting the standards of the CRC office will be placed on the CDC website.

CDC office will also conduct course/project evaluation trips, visiting a selected number of grantees during the course implementation period.

How to Apply

Applications must be presented in English on CRC Course Development Competition forms (photocopied forms are acceptable).
For individual proposals, the application form must be accompanied with a description of the proposed course (in the form of a draft syllabus), preliminary bibliography of materials to be used in preparation and teaching, a curriculum vitae (also highlighting research activity), a signed statement that the course will be introduced by the applicant and he/she is going to teach it, a letter of recommendation and a letter of endorsement from the host university. The letter of endorsement should include the commitment of the host university to allow the proposed course to be taught, and should clearly indicate the period when the course will be taught.
For group proposals, the application should be submitted by the project leader. In addition to the above it should contain a list of the individuals involved in the project, their CVs, institutional affiliations, contact information and a letter from each individual stating their willingness to be involved in the project. For group projects letters of endorsement must be submitted from all the institutions that will host the course (Please feel free to duplicate the letter of endorsement form if necessary). Please always indicate the name of the group leader in e-mails sent from a different e-mail address.
Application forms can be obtained from local CEU representatives, the Curriculum Resource Center at Central European University or from our website, http://web.ceu.hu/crc/cdc_appl.html .
Applications must arrive by 30 November 2009 (address: CRC - Central European University, 1051 Budapest, Nador u. 9, Hungary or cdc@ceu.hu) - please note that letters of endorsement and recommendation will be accepted by regular mail, fax or directly from the e-mail address of the writer of the letter). In case of group projects all materials should preferably be sent in one pack/e-mail. In order to avoid materials sent separately getting lost, the name of the group leader should clearly appear on them. Applicants will be informed about the results in mid-December. Courses should be taught during the first and/or second semester of the 2010/2011 academic year.

Discipline Areas for the Course Development Competition:

Critical Legal Studies
Environmental Studies
IRES/Political Science
Legal Studies
Media Studies
Roma related issues

Please, see below the short description of the topics.

Critical Legal Studies

Recently, key developments bringing legal and social theory together in dialogue have contributed to the emergence of legal studies as a truly 'interdisciplinary discipline', defining and redefining law through the continual intervention of insights from sociology, anthropology, political science, international relations, history, religious studies, gender studies, cultural studies, as well as critical race studies. These developments mark the emergence of a broader domain of what might simply be referred to as 'critical legal studies'.

We welcome course proposals dealing with categories of identity (gender, ethnicity etc) operate and are produced in case law, legal practice, and legal theory. Frameworks for courses might include, but are not necessarily limited to: Human Rights - Equality, Sameness/Difference, Justice; Law and Culture; Criminology; The Body, Sexuality and Law; Religion and Law

Course should aim for a regional or global bias rather than remaining confined to the study of one national context. They may choose to look at contemporary or historical debates over gender and law, or both.

Environment and Security

Environmental problems are increasingly recognized as threats to human and as well as, in certain instances, national security. Issues such as desertification, soil erosion, climate change, polluted water and polluted air undermine the stability of communities, causing economic and social dislocations and in some cases environmental refugees. In the worst cases, competition over dwindling natural resources can contribute to severe social instability and conflict, exacerbating existing ethnic, religious, or other social tensions. We welcome course proposals in the broad area of environment and security, including proposals that also make the connection with human rights. Courses may be global in scope but also regionally or nationally oriented.

Post-Soviet Russian Politics

18 years after the collapse of the communist regime, the political system in the Russian Federation remains unconsolidated. In 2000, the country moved from the chaotic Yeltsin regime to the apparently more stable Putin era; however, in 2008 the formal transfer of power from Vladimir Putin to Dmitrii Medvedev coincided with a series of external shocks -- economic crisis and war in Georgia -- that once again raise questions about Russia's future trajectory. Recognizing the importance of political developments in Russia for the geo-political stability in the broader European and Eurasian space, as well as the intimate connections between Russian domestic and foreign policy, we welcome proposals for courses on any aspect of post-Soviet Russian politics, foreign and/or domestic.

Business Law – Financial Law (Including Capital Markets and Securities Regulation as well as Secured Transaction/Pledge Law)

We invite proposals for the development of courses related to what is increasingly becoming known as ‘financial law’ including capital market and securities regulation, banking law, secured transactions law (or, personal property security law, or pledge and mortgage law). Inclusion of chapters of this content – with focus on the legal and regulatory aspects – into other courses would be also of interest.

Of particular interest would be the following particular topics: insider trading law, securitization (both mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities), conflicts between leading secured transactions systems, the role of industries in the enforcement of law and the relationship of financial law and economic growth.

New Media, Policy and Civil Society

New media are having a profound impact on the ways in which we communicate, and on the ways in which media is produced and received. Emerging communication technologies facilitate electronic governance and offer mechanisms through which citizens can participate. At the same time, new media in and of itself does not automatically result in better governance and greater participation of civil society. We invite proposals for the development of courses that explore the relationship of new media, public policy, and civil society under three different aspects: The politics and social uses of new media, the enabling environment for electronic governance, and civil society uses of new media for advocacy, collaboration and participation. We welcome proposals in the areas of media and communications, sociology, politics, policy and legal studies; with a specific interest shown in the intersection of these three areas.

Courses on Issues Related to Roma

With the goal to further encourage the integration of issues related to Roma into mainstream academic disciplines we welcome proposals for academic courses in all areas of humanities and social sciences dealing entirely or in a significant part with this topic.

Program Description	Call for Proposals
Application Forms	Syllabi of Previous Grantees
Frequently Asked Questions	CDC Workshops