The American Research Institute of the South Caucasus (ARISC) is offering a faculty exchange program for educators from the U.S. and the South Caucasus. This grant promotes educational and cultural exchange between professors and teachers at higher educational institutions in both the U.S. and the South Caucasus (Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia). The aim of the exchange is to broaden mutual understanding through the exploration of diverse cultural perspectives. Given that education plays a role in developing knowledgeable citizens, the focus of the exchange is on teaching, including professional development, curriculum enrichment, and development of pedagogical practices that engage students in critical thinking. We are interested in candidates at all Higher Educational settings, from Community College to University and from institutions based in large cities as well as in smaller towns and centers.
Two faculty members – one from the U.S. and one from the South Caucasus – will work together and spend time at each other’s institution. The exchanges are designed to build networks between U.S. and South Caucasus scholars, and to convey the knowledge generated by the collaborative project to students. Funding for this fellowship is provided by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) through a grant to the Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC).
Stage One Deadline: Friday, April 12, 2024
Stage Two Deadline: Friday, May 31, 2024
Goals:
Establish and encourage collaboration among scholars, academic departments, and/or educational institutions in the U.S. and the South Caucasus republics of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia
Develop and make public pedagogical resources pertaining to the South Caucasus, including syllabi, lesson plans, classroom exercises, assignment templates, grading rubrics, or any other relevant deliverables
Produce and make public resources useful for academic engagement with and about the South Caucasus, including but not limited to syllabi, recorded lectures and presentations, articles, databases, exhibits, text and audio-visual media, or other deliverables
Create networks of scholars between the U.S. and the South Caucasus
Eligibility:
Citizenship:
Applicants must be citizens of either
Armenia, Azerbaijan, or Georgia, residing in Armenia, Azerbaijan, or Georgia
Status:
Applicants must have a master’s degree or higher; or equivalent professional degree, training, or qualifications.
Language proficiency
Applications must be submitted in English.
Invitational Priority:
For applicants from Armenia, Azerbaijan, or Georgia, instructors at universities outside the capitals are especially encouraged to apply, but all strong proposals will be given full consideration.
For applicants from the U.S., instructors who have an active and/or regular teaching appointment at a community college or a minority serving institution are especially encouraged to apply, but all strong proposals will be given full consideration.
Proposals that are interdisciplinary or creatively merge disciplines are especially encouraged, but all strong proposals will be given full consideration.
When formulating your project, you should consider the points below:
reaching underrepresented and underserved individuals and institutions
Award Amount:
Awards will be made for an amount up to $8,600 for the team’s proposal, to help cover transportation (airfare and ground transportation), lodging, and meals and incidental expenses to support the proposed program. This amount can be split between the two participants however best supports the project.
Possible Models of Collaboration:
Staggered one-to-one exchange visits by two scholars at each other’s institutions; scholars visit each other at different times of the academic year and collaborate on a team-teaching or other project, partly in-person and partly online; or
Short-term visits (one or two weeks), including lectures, workshops, research, and/or teaching engagements by an individual scholar at an institution; or
Long-term visits (multiple weeks up to one semester), including lectures, workshops, research, and/or teaching engagements by an individual scholar at an institution; note that this option might require additional funding and/or logistical support; or
Another model of collaboration resulting in an outcome meeting the goals listed above, such as short-term or long-term one-to-one simultaneous exchange visits by two scholars at each other’s institutions, including lectures, workshops, research, and/or teaching engagements, or any other viable format.
Application Requirements:
There are two stages to the application process.
In Stage One, each applicant will submit their own individual initial project descriptions.
In Stage Two, all eligible applicants will then be given access to initial project descriptions. This will enable U.S. applicants to find potential partners from the South Caucasus and vice versa, with whom they will then develop a collaborative project. Final joint proposals will be submitted in Stage Two.
Stage One
Curriculum vitae
List of relevant courses taught (limit to 5 courses)
Include title of course, brief description, when it was last offered, whether the course is for bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral students. The list should not be comprehensive and should focus on courses relevant to the proposed project.
Applicant’s teaching statement
Discuss how your teaching experience has shaped your teaching philosophy (or approach to teaching). You can also use this space to share how you approach diversity, inclusion, and equity in your teaching. (Between 300 and 500 words.)
Project idea
Provide a brief description of a project (one or two project ideas) that you envision for this program. The description should match the program goals and take into account the suggested models of collaboration. You may also come up with your own model, providing it matches the program’s stated goals.
The brief description should be no more than 500 words in total and can be uploaded into the application form. Files can only be Word documents or .pdf files and cannot exceed 1MB in size.
If you already have in mind an individual or institution with whom you would like to collaborate on a project, please indicate that in the description. If you do have an individual or institution in mind, they will also need to submit an application to the program at this stage.
The initial description is meant for potential partners to consider in preparation for Stage Two.
Stage Two
Application form*
Narrative description of the joint project
Provide a project proposal in collaboration with your partner.
The proposal should meet the program goals and take into account the suggested models of collaboration.
The proposal should include the following components:
A description of the project
Goals
Significance of the exchange project for
Students,
Teaching/pedagogy,
Your department, discipline, university/college and/or country.
Expected outcomes, including any deliverables to be made public, learning outcomes, potential future collaborations, or any other identifiable or measurable outcomes.
Teaching statements of both applicants
Applicants can reuse the statements they submitted at Stage One
Timeframe
Scholars are expected to travel to the South Caucasus or the U.S. for the project; ECA funded programs do not support solely remote projects.
Projects may begin as early as fall 2024, and should be completed by July 2025.
Please be specific about the number of days per week and number of hours during the day that you will spend on this project, as well as the location for this project.
Your work schedule should demonstrate that you have checked academic calendars. Universities/Colleges may not be open year-round, and local scholars may be traveling in the summer. Check on academic schedules ahead of time.
Be aware that it can take up to six months to obtain the necessary visas and plan accordingly. We recommend beginning the process early. ARISC can assist with the visa process.
Applicants with questions about timing and feasibility, or any other issues relating to working in-country, are encouraged to contact ARISC’s staff: Armenia@arisc.org, Azerbaijan@arisc.org, Georgia@arisc.org, or info@arisc.org
Itemized budget and budget narrative (see sample here)
Allowable costs include airfare, ground transportation, lodging, and meals and incidental expenses. Funding from this award cannot be used to cover visa expenses or the purchase of insurance. Refer to the “Additional Requirements, Terms, and Conditions” section of the call for more information about visas.
Budgeted amounts for meals and incidental expenses may not exceed those set by the U.S. Department of State or the U.S. General Services Administration for the location of travel. See this website for travel to the South Caucasus and this website for travel to the U.S.
If the cost of the project exceeds the maximum allowable in this funding opportunity, applicants should explain other sources of funding, as well as how the project can be adjusted if they are only awarded ARISC funds.
Applicants with questions about budgeting for specific in-country costs are encouraged to contact ARISC’s Resident Directors: Armenia@arisc.org, Azerbaijan@arisc.org, Georgia@arisc.org, or info@arisc.org.
Curriculum vitae for all participants.
limit to 2 pages each including most relevant experience and publications
Application materials at Stage Two should be emailed to info@arisc.org, with the subject line, “ARISC Faculty Exchange Fellowship.” Applications will be processed manually. Applicants should expect to receive an email from ARISC indicating receipt approximately 2-3 days after submission. If you do not receive a response, check your spam filter, then contact info@arisc.org.
* The form will be provided to all applicants who are selected for a Stage Two application and will need to be completed and submitted jointly. You will need to use Adobe Reader (free) to complete the form.
Notification:
Notification of fellowship status will be sent to each applicant via email in July 2024. If you would like to receive any updates to this funding call, please email info@arisc.org with your name, contact information, and the subject “Updates to Faculty Exchange Fellowships 2024.”
For the full call for applications including information about the selection process and additional requirements, please visit the ARISC website here: https://arisc.org/arisc-faculty-exchange-fellowship-program/
Questions:
Questions? See our new Frequently Asked Questions page, or email info@arisc.org
Funding for this fellowship is provided by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) through a grant to the Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC).
ARISC does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, physical or mental disability, medical condition, ancestry, marital status, education, age, income, socio-economic status, or status as a covered veteran.
