Call for participants: Alternative Culture Beyond Borders

Mon Apr 16 19:36:11 UTC 2007

Dear colleagues,

Please pass this along to anyone whom you feel might have interest in
this program. There are fellowships are available for participants from
Central and South-Eastern Europe, the Baltic States, NIS, Mongolia, and
Turkey.

Thanks, Imre

------------------------
Call for Participants for OSI-HESP Regional Seminar for Excellence in
Teaching

ALTERNATIVE CULTURE BEYOND BORDERS: PAST AND PRESENT OF THE ARTS AND
MEDIA IN THE CONTEXT OF GLOBALIZATION (2007-2010)

Deadline: 15 May 2007

Please see the program description and application information at
http://alternativeculture.org (from 22 March 2007)

OVERVIEW
Alternative Culture Beyond Borders: Past and Present of the Arts and
Media in the Context of Globalization is a three-year (2007-2010)
international research and teaching project which explores the
continued relevance and significance of the concept of *alternative*
culture in the era of globalization-a moment in which many of the
frameworks that have been used to study culture have been placed into
question and new theories are being developed. This exploration of
contemporary alternative culture begins from a comparative,
cross-cultural analysis of the phenomenon and idea of *alternativeness*
from the nineteenth century to the present, with an especial emphasis
on the recent history of Central and Eastern European societies after
World War II and their similarities and difference to Western *Cold
War* culture.

This project connects resource faculty from around the world with
participants from Central, Eastern and Southeast Europe, the former
Soviet Union, and Mongolia. Participants consist of junior faculty with
teaching positions who are dedicated to the advancement of
undergraduate teaching in these regions.

ELIGIBILITY
The project is open to young faculty in institutions of higher
education who intend to pursue comparative, interdisciplinary research
on alternative culture(s), globalization, identities and the arts and
media, with a geographical emphasis on post-communist transition
countries. Fellowships are available for participants from Central and
South-Eastern Europe, the Baltic States, NIS, Mongolia, and Turkey.
Participant fellowships cover transportation, accommodation and meal
costs.

Eligible disciplines include Anthropology, Archival and Museum Studies,
Comparative Literature, Cultural Studies, Gender Studies, History,
History of Art, Media Studies, Philosophy, Political Science,
Psychology, and Sociology.

Participants should: 1) to be ready to take part in the entire
three-year program; 2) be committed to the development of new teaching
practices and research into new theoretical frameworks; and 3) deliver
or plan to deliver courses pertaining to the general themes of the
program.

Participants must be able to demonstrate the English language skills
necessary to take part in the program.

PLANNED ACTIVITIES
The project is organized around intensive 2 week summer sessions which
will be held each August beginning 2007 in St. Petersburg, Russia. The
summer sessions provide faculty and participants with the opportunity
to investigate the major concepts and theories involved in the analysis
of alternative culture, with the aim of expanding and enhancing
scholarly knowledge of this area of research.

In addition to the summer sessions, there will be on-going winter
sessions on pedagogy and research issues. Throughout the year,
participants will also engage in both individual and group research
projects in conjunction with resource faculty, will be given
opportunities to participate in on-going major research projects
organized by resource faculty, and will be given the opportunity to
participate in exchange visits, internships and publishing
opportunities.

APPLICATION PROCESS
To apply for the Alternative Culture Seminar, the applicant should
create an account at www.alternativeculture.org (from 22 March 2007)
through which the following information must be submitted:

application form (on-line);
curriculum vitae with list of publications;
500-word statement of purpose;
sample syllabus for course relevant to the topic, or sample article or
research paper relevant to the topic (10 pages max.)
one letter of recommendation sent directly to
application at alternativeculture.org (please indicate the name and the
country of origin of the applicant in the Subject line)

DEADLINES
Application deadline 15 May 2007
Interviews (where appropriate) to be conducted between 1-15 June 2007
Notification letters to be sent by 15 June 2007

CONTACT
For further information, please contact
coordinator at alternativeculture.org or
Imre Szeman (szeman at mcmaster.ca) and Olga Zaslavskaya (zaslavsk at ceu.hu)

This project has been organized through the Open Society Institute*s
Regional Seminar for Excellence in Teaching (ReSET) program. For
further information on this program, please visit:
http://www.soros.org/initiatives/hesp/news/reset_20060920

PROJECT PARTNERS
St. Petersburg State University (Russia); McMaster University (Canada);
OSA Archivum at CEU (Hungary); International Samizdat [Research]
Association (www.samizdatportal.org)

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