About our institute

 

Is this institute for you?

Summer institutes for college and university teachers are offered by the National Endowment for the Humanities to provide college and university faculty members and independent scholars with an opportunity to enrich and revitalize their understanding of significant humanities ideas, texts, and topics.  These study opportunities are especially designed for this program and are not intended to duplicate courses normally offered by graduate programs.  On completion of a seminar or institute, NEH Summer Scholars will receive a certificate indicating their participation. 

 

Prior to completing an application to this or any other institute, please review the project website and consider carefully what is expected in terms of residence and attendance, reading and writing requirements, and general participation in the work of the project.

 

Institutes are for 25 Summer Scholars, providing intensive collaborative study of texts, topics, and ideas central to undergraduate teaching in the humanities under the guidance of faculties distinguished in their fields of scholarship.  Institutes aim to prepare participants to return to their classrooms with a deeper knowledge of current scholarship in key fields of the humanities.

 

Up to three institute spaces are available for current full-time graduate students who intend to pursue careers in higher education.

 

Recent participants are eligible to apply, but selection committees are charged to give first consideration to applicants who have not participated in an NEH-supported seminar, institute or landmarks workshop in the last three years (2013, 2014, 2015).  When choices must be made among equally qualified candidates, several additional factors are considered.  Preference is given to applicants who have not previously participated in an NEH summer seminar, institute, or landmarks workshop, or who significantly contribute to the diversity of the institute.

 

An individual may apply to up to two projects (NEH summer seminars or NEH summer institutes), but may participate in only one. 

 

Funding

Summer Scholars who participate in this three-week seminar will receive a stipend of $2,700 to help cover the costs of travel, lodging and living expenses.

 

The stipend, minus the costs of lodging and meal plans, will be distributed in two installments, one at the beginning and one near the end of the seminar. Please be advised that stipends are taxable income.

 

Seminar and institute participants are required to attend all meetings and to engage fully as professionals in the work of the project.  During the project's tenure, they may not undertake teaching assignments or any other professional activities unrelated to their participation in the project.  Participants who, for any reason, do not complete the full tenure of the project must refund a pro-rata portion of the stipend.

 

These notes are extracted from  NEH's  eligibility and  application  statements, which applicants should consult.