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University of Wisconsin–Madison

Sawyer Seminars 2023

Posted February 1, 2023
To:Chairs and Administrators, Departments in the Arts and Humanities and Social Sciences; Associate Deans for Research; College/School Research Administrators
From:Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research & Graduate Education
Date:February 01, 2023
Subject:John E. Sawyer Seminars on the Comparative Study of Cultures 2023

Deadline

Deadline for Internal Review:March 06, 2023

Project Description

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has invited UW-Madison to submit one proposal for the John E. Sawyer Seminars on the Comparative Study of Cultures. The Sawyer Seminars provide support for comparative research on historical and contemporary topics of major scholarly significance by bringing together faculty, foreign visitors, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate students from a variety of fields mainly, but not exclusively, in the arts, humanities, and interpretive social sciences, for intensive study of subjects chosen by the participants.

Mellon Foundation support aims to engage productive scholars in comparative inquiry that would (in ordinary university circumstances) be difficult to pursue, while at the same time avoiding the institutionalization of such work in new centers, departments, or programs. Sawyer Seminars are, in effect, temporary research centers.

The maximum grant award for each Sawyer Seminar is $225,000. Each seminar normally meets for one year, though some have continued for longer periods. To allow for planning, seminars need not be scheduled for the coming academic year. Faculty participants have largely come from the humanities and interpretive social sciences, although some of the most successful and provocative seminars have also drawn on faculty in the arts and in professional schools. Seminar leaders are encouraged to invite participants from nearby institutions, such as community colleges, liberal arts colleges, museums, research institutes, etc. As the Foundation reviews proposals, preference will be given to those that include concrete plans for engaging participants with diverse affiliations.

Sawyer Seminar awards provide support for one postdoctoral fellow to be recruited through a national competition, and for the dissertation research of two graduate students. It is expected that the graduate students will be active participants in the intellectual life of the seminars. The seminars’ contribution to graduate education in the humanities and social sciences will be carefully considered even though they are not intended to be organized as official credit-bearing courses. Seminars are not required to produce a written product, though many do.

Amount per Award: up to $225,000
Duration of Award: generally 1 year but possibly longer
Number of Awards: about 10 awards

INTERNAL REVIEW

The nomination will be chosen through an internal review process using the Mellon Foundation’s criteria, i.e.: the significance of the subject of inquiry, the aptness of plans for seminar meetings, the opportunities they present for comparative study, the rationale for the comparisons, and the scholarly accomplishments of the participants.

The Mellon Foundation is fundamentally interested in the themes of social and racial justice. For the Sawyer Seminars, it is giving priority to applications that manifest 1) a strong focus on issues of race and ethnicity, and related intersectional analyses, or 2) a focus on filling in the gaps left by more traditional narratives about the history and culture of the Americas.

It is permissible for Sawyer Seminars to address topics that are international in scope, provided that such internationalism takes the form of a comparative project that incorporates consideration of contexts in the Americas.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The link below provides additional information on the selection and award process, and a list of previously funded seminars.

Eligibility

UW-Madison is allowed to submit one nomination.

Website

The following link contains additional information on the program and specific application instructions:
https://mellon.org/programs/higher-learning/regranting-programs/sawyer-seminars/

Internal Competition Application Instructions

Applications for Internal Review

To submit a preliminary proposal, attach a single PDF to an email to: grants@research.wisc.edu.

Preliminary proposals are due no later than Monday, March 6, 2023.

The preliminary proposal should include the following components in sequence (up to 12 single-spaced pages, about 6000 words):

  1. A one-paragraph executive summary (description of proposed work).
  2. The rationale for raising the central questions to be addressed and the potential significance of the inquiry to be pursued.
  3. The cases to be studied (e.g., nations, regions, time periods, cultural trends, social tensions) and the rationale for the comparisons the cases afford.
  4. The thematic “threads” that will run through the seminar.
  5. The institution’s resources and suitability for the proposed seminar.

 

The preliminary proposal described above should be supplemented with the following information as an appendix. This appendix does not count towards the 12-page proposal limit.

  • The procedures to be used in selecting graduate and postdoctoral fellows.
  • A well-developed preliminary plan for the seminar that outlines the specific topics to be addressed in each session and provides the names and qualifications of the scholars who would ideally participate.
  • A budget and budget description as informed by the budget guidance below.
  • Short CVs (1–2 pages) for the principal seminar organizers.  If other participants are identified, please limit information about them to a few lines of text, either within the proposal or as part of this appendix.

 

BUDGET

Funding requests should not exceed $225,000 for each seminar. Each seminar’s budget must provide for a postdoctoral fellowship to be awarded for the year the seminar meets, and two graduate student dissertation fellowships to be awarded for the seminar year or the year that follows. The amounts for postdoctoral fellowship awards and dissertation fellowship stipends should follow UW-Madison practices. To acknowledge the sustained intellectual involvement of these graduate students in the seminar, institutions may include tuition support or, for those funded by existing fellowships, supplementary support such as research and travel funds. Travel and living expenses for short stays by visiting scholars and the costs of coordinating the seminar, including those incurred for speakers and their travel, may also be included. Funds may not cover released time for regular faculty participants, rentals of university space, or indirect costs.

Budget periods should align with UW–Madison reporting dates, but the first budget period must begin with November 1, 2023. For this reason, the first period may be longer or shorter than 12 months.

The OVCRGE will work with the nominee to submit the application to the Mellon Foundation.

Sponsor Deadlines

Applications are due to The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation by April 14, 2023.

Questions?

Contact grants@research.wisc.edu.