The Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC) is currently accepting applications for faculty development seminars to India, Mexico, and Senegal for community college and minority-serving institution (MSI) faculty and administrators. The seminars are fully-funded and allow participants to gain first-hand experience to develop international courses, curriculum, and teaching materials. The deadline has been extended to August 30, 2021 and seminars will take place in 2022.
Deadline for applications: August 30, 2021
Learn more: www.caorc.org/faculty-development-seminars
Apply now: orcfellowships.smapply.org
For questions: fellowships@caorc.org.
In partnership with the American Institute of Indian Studies (AIIS)
This two-week seminar will include extended visits to the Indian cities of Delhi, Jaipur, and Lucknow to understand the varying economic, cultural, social, and environmental pressures confronting emerging cities as more and more Indians migrate to urban areas in search of work and opportunity. As towns grow into cities and as cities morph into megacities, what can be done to ensure that demands for quality economic opportunities and decent standards of living are balanced against increased pressures on the environment, energy resources, and threatened cultural sites and traditions?
In addition to exploring the overlapping and cross-cutting challenges and opportunities created by India’s rapid urban development, participants will gain first-hand experience—through specialist-led site visits and cultural excursions—of India’s fascinating history, culture, languages, religions, and contemporary society that can be harnessed to address urban sustainability. Throughout the program, participants will learn from and have the opportunity to partner with local activists, community leaders, and university faculty engaged in international collaboration and exchanges.
Mexico’s Indigenous Languages and Cultures In partnership with the Americas Research Network (ARENET)
The ethnic and cultural diversity of the contemporary United States has many of its roots in the deep historical traditions of Latin America. The dynamic processes that are multiplying the interconnections between Mexico and the U.S. are due, in large measure, to the resilience of Mexico’s Indigenous peoples. The Indigenous population of Mexico is one of the world’s largest, and Indigenous migrants from diverse linguistic and cultural traditions have come to the U.S. for decades, with their numbers continuing to increase.
This two-week seminar based in Mexico City and Oaxaca will provide concrete exposure to the geographic and cultural diversity of Mexico and its historical ties to the U.S. In Oaxaca, participants will gain first-hand experience of Mexico’s Indigenous communities and the transnational bridges they have fostered with local scholars, artists, and activists. The seminar will also explore the rich collections held in Mexico’s museums, libraries, and archaeological sites, provide opportunities for discussion with local professors and students, and visit pueblos in Oaxaca and surrounding Mexico City. Participants will experience the wide diversity of Mexico’s Indigenous history, society, and culture and its relevance for the future of the United States.
In partnership with the West African Research Center (WARC) / West African Research Association (WARA)
This two-week seminar geared towards faculty at U.S. community colleges and minority-serving institutions will feature lectures, site visits, panel discussions, and film screenings on the history, culture, arts, economy, and political life of Senegal, with a focus on cultural, intellectual, political, and economic connections between West Africa and the various diaspora. The seminar will also place a special emphasis on Senegal’s spiritual diversity and religious tolerance, as well as the region’s growing transnational movements and their impact on society and especially young people.
Funding provided by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs with additional support for seminars provided by university-based National Resource Centers.