Presidential Fund for Curricular Innovation: Internationalization and Inclusion — Now Accepting Applications

Dear Faculty:

Emerson College is now applications for the 2019 Presidential Fund for Curricular Innovation (PFCI) Internationalization and Inclusion Studio. The Studio will support projects devoted to internationalization of the curriculum, and projects with a focus on infusing diversity and inclusion into the College’s course offerings. Projects devoted to diversity and inclusion will be overseen and mentored by Samantha Ivery, Director of Diversity and Equity. Dr Anthony Pinder will continue to oversee and mentor projects dedicated to internationalization.

Applications must submitted (one per team) using the attached form and must be emailed to orcs@emerson.edu by March 15, 2019.  

Description

Internationalization, diversity, and inclusion are major priorities for Emerson. Emerson’s Strategic Plan defines internationalization as the commitment to “mutually beneficial engagement with the global society in which we participate, and to ensuring that all members of our community are prepared to thrive in that society.” Similarly, Emerson’s dedication to diversity and inclusion is rooted in the belief that “institutional and academic excellence are not possible without full engagement with diversity across all areas of the College.”

An essential component of this work focuses on Emerson’s commitment to internationalizing and diversifying the curriculum of the College, as well as the implementation of inclusive pedagogical approaches in the classroom. The President’s Fund for Curricular Innovation will support faculty participation in a Curriculum Internationalization and Inclusion Studio for 2019. The goals of the Studio are to:

• Encourage collaboration among faculty;
• Build our collective capacity to internationalize the curriculum, diversify the curriculum, and create a more inclusive classrooms;
• Develop specific courses, course modules, pedagogical and/or advising methods that contribute to these aims.

Teams of two to three faculty — led by a full-time faculty member, and composed of tenured, tenure-line, term, and/or part-time faculty — are invited to apply to the Studio for support in the development of actionable projects that will contribute significantly to the internationalization and/or diversification of the Emerson curriculum. Projects might focus on (but need not be limited to):

• Course content and course design (either a full course or course modules)
• Teaching strategies for enhancing the development of students’ global knowledge and intercultural fluency
• Instructional materials and equipment
• Academic advising

Such a curricular reform process must be college-wide in order to best meet the needs of all students in all departments and across schools.  The following are three common approaches to internationalizing the curriculum:

• The Add-on Approach is the earliest used approach to internationalizing and/or diversifying the curriculum, and is characterized by adding international or intercultural content or themes to existing curricula and courses without modifying the original structure or pedagogical approaches.
• The Infusion Approach is an approach more commonly used and infuses the curriculum with content that enriches students’ cross-cultural understanding and knowledge of diverse cultures and communities. The infusion approach focuses on the internationalization/diversity across all disciplines of the curriculum, and exposes students in all programs of study to international, multicultural, non-dominant perspectives.
• The Transformative Approach is considered the most challenging of the approaches to adopt, as it is based upon the tenets of critical pedagogy, “encourages new ways of thinking, [and] incorporates new methodologies, so that different epistemological questions are raised, old assumptions are questioned, subjective data sources are considered, and prior theories either revised or invalidated” (Marchesani & Adams, 1992).

All three approaches have their merits and there is opportunity to view them as progressive levels or steps.  Ultimately, the aim is to offer curriculum that assist students with developing the required critical consciousness, values, awareness, skills, and knowledge of cross-cultural differences to thrive as culturally competent, global citizens.

Stipends

Each team member will receive a stipend of $1,200. Teams selected for the Studio will have the opportunity to apply for further funding for project-related expenses (travel, funds to hire student assistants, materials, etc.).

(NOTE: Stipends are paid as additional compensation and are subject to applicable state and federal payroll taxes. Stipends will be paid in two installments during the summer months).

Accepted teams will participate in a series of workshops during which they will develop their projects, be in dialogue with the other teams, and enhance their capacity to serve as a resource for colleagues interested in internationalizing and/or diversifying the curriculum. Workshops will run:

Workshops
# of Days	Semester	Focus
1 Day	April 2019 (Date TBD)	Action planning
2 Days	May 2019 (Dates TBD)	Address teams’ targeted needs
1 Day	Fall 2019 (Date TBD)	Report on completed project development

The intention of this program is to support projects that will become a vibrant and enduring part of the Emerson curriculum. Admission to the Studio is an important toward that end. All new curriculum will also need to be approved through regular college/departmental processes.

 Eligibility

All Emerson College faculty members — tenured, tenure-track, full-time and part-time — are eligible to apply.

Evaluation Criteria

Project proposals must:

1. Contribute demonstrably to the internationalization and/or diversification of the curriculum and/or of teaching and learning at Emerson College.
2. Be submitted by teams of two to three Emerson College faculty (tenured, tenure-line, term, part-time), and identify a full-time faculty member as team leader.
3. Articulate a clear project, including:
   • A rationale for its development
   • The strategy for internationalizing/diversifying the curriculum (will you introduce new materials? new pedagogical methods? new learning goals?)
   • The work plan and timeline for its development and implementation (i.e., if you are developing or revising a course or course module, specify when you will teach it)
   • Markers of success over time. How will you know that your project has had an impact on the curriculum? On student learning?

Proposals must also include a plan for dissemination of project results within the Emerson community, and beyond if possible.  

Selection Process

Proposals will be reviewed by a committee that includes the co-chair of the Faculty Development and Research Council and members of the ACE Internationalization Lab Subcommittee on Faculty Development. The Committee will recommend teams for admission to the Curriculum Internationalization Studio to the provost and academic deans, who will make the final selections.

Application Timetable
Date	Event
December 14, 2018	Announcement and application period opening
March 15, 2019	Application period ends
April 19, 2019	Applicants notified of results

 

Application Questions

Applicants should be ready to answer the following questions on their applications:

1. Please list the name, rank, and department of the full-time faculty team leader and all faculty members on the team, noting the team leader. All team members must be on the faculty of Emerson College.
2. Please provide brief curriculum vitae — no more than two pages each — for each team member. Must be combined and uploaded as one document.
3. Project title
4. Project summary (250 word maximum).
5. Project description. Please be as specific as possible:
   • The rationale for your project, a statement of how your project will contribute to internationalizing/diversifying the College curriculum and the strategy/strategies you will use to achieve this goal, such as new pedagogical methods, new learning goals, etc. (500 words);
   • The role of each person on your team and the contribution they will make to the project, a work plan and timeline for the project that indicates what each team member will be doing over the life of the project, along with key benchmarks for individual and group progress (600 words);
   • A clear statement of when the project will be implemented. If you are developing or revising a course or course module, specify when you plan to teach it (300 words);
   • Markers of success over time. How will you know that your project has had an impact on the curriculum? On student learning? (250 words)
   • How will you disseminate results of your project to the Emerson community? Beyond the Emerson community? (300 word maximum)

 Contact Information

Questions can be directed to Dr. Anthony Pinder, Assistant Vice President for Internationalization and Global Engagement, or Samantha Ivery, Director of Diversity and Equity.

Sincerely,
Eric Asetta
Executive Director, Office for Research and Creative Scholarship