OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT FOR
UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION

RUTGERS – NEW BRUNSWICK
INTERCULTURAL FELLOWS PROGRAM
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

DEADLINE: NOVEMBER 22, 2002

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click here for a printable pdf application

PURPOSE

Through a generous grant from the Bildner Family Foundation, the Rutgers – New Brunswick Intercultural Fellows Program will provide support for faculty members to revise content and/or pedagogy of existing courses or curricula to address issues of intercultural interaction. Faculty members are encouraged to apply to this program, which will support curriculum development work aimed at incorporating examination of intercultural issues in a range of disciplinary contexts. These issues may include:

1) an examination of the interaction among cultural groups;
2) comparative exploration of cultures, with cultures explored in larger contexts;
3) an examination of power relations among groups, including the issues of privilege, subordination, discrimination, disenfranchisement, and the sources of inequality;
4) an examination of the enriching aspects of cultural diversity and interaction;
5) an examination of current problems related to intercultural interaction and potential solutions;
6) an examination of issues related to cultural diversity in the United States;
7) an examination of the tension created by global interdependencies and diverse world cultures.

Another goal of this project is to connect the various Rutgers – New Brunswick courses and programs that address intercultural issues in such a way that this work becomes unified and therefore central to the undergraduate experience. With this goal in mind, applicants should be cognizant of the fact that English 101, “Expository Writing” provides virtually all Rutgers – New Brunswick students with their first exposure to intercultural issues. Therefore, priority will be given to proposals that link course revisions to build on intercultural content in English 101. Professor Kurt Spellmeyer, Writing Program Director, describes English 101 as follows:

For most undergraduates at Rutgers, English 101, “Expository Writing,” is the foundation of their intellectual development. Readings from the course have been drawn from a wide variety of disciplines – anthropology, biology, engineering, management theory, philosophy, political science, religion, and sociology. At the same time, the course readings also address the most urgent issues of the new century: biotechnology, the “clash of civilizations,” the cultural and economic consequences of globalization, the struggle for universal human rights, the information revolution, the destruction of the environment, and the future of religious belief.

For many reasons, intercultural understanding has become a major theme of English 101. A substantial body of research suggests that the learning difficulties of college students often result from their inability to bridge the gaps between their home cultures and the various “cultures” of the university. These same gaps strongly influence the performance of many students in the process of writing about college-level texts that can seem impossible to understand at first or that contradict their long-held beliefs.

Rather than attempt to address cultural difference in the spirit of directly imparting proper values and beliefs, English 101 is designed to give students many different ways of understanding diversity, ways intended to serve as the starting points for reflection, debate and further reading. A sequence of writing assignments might require a class to read Lani Guinier on the dangers of majority rule, Martha Nussbaum on the contradictions of cultural relativism, and Lila Abu Lugod on women in Bedouin society. By engaging with cultural differences in their real complexity, Rutgers students can become more sophisticated readers of the world as well of the many texts they will read during their years as undergraduates.

FUNDING PARAMETERS

Intercultural Fellows will receive $4000 which can be used for a variety of purposes including summer salary, travel, and supplies. Fellows will also be invited to participate in workshops and consulting sessions with nationally known experts who will provide expertise and assistance in intercultural curriculum development. In addition Fellows will be provided with assistance in evaluating the effects of their course revisions.

ASSISTANCE

Applicants are encouraged to discuss proposal ideas with Susan Forman, Vice President for Undergraduate Education, (732-932-1644, sgforman@rci.rutgers.edu). Advice will be provided concerning how to link course revisions to English 101 content.

APPLICATION

The application form is linked. Applications should not exceed four pages and should include: a) a brief description of the current course or curriculum to be revised;
b) student enrollment; c) frequency of course/curriculum offering; d) goals of revision in terms of student learning; e) outline of proposed changes in content and/or teaching methods; f) preliminary evaluation plan; g) biographical sketch.

PROPOSAL REVIEW

Proposals will undergo a peer review process. Reviewers will consider the following factors; a) relevance to the objectives of this program; b) clarity of project plan;
c) soundness of proposed changes; d) potential for impact on students; e) innovativeness of proposed changes. Priority will be given to proposals that link course revisions to build on intercultural content in English 101 and address large enrollment courses.