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The University of Michigan African Presidential Scholars Program

The University of Michigan

African Presidential Scholars Program

2013-2014

Program Description:

The University of Michigan African Presidential Scholars Program (UMAPS) is designed to enhance collaboration between early career faculty from Ghana, Liberia, Uganda and South Africa and students and faculty at the University of Michigan. It is also designed to support faculty development in Africa and capacity building for African home institutions. The University of Michigan offers support in cultivating the next generation of African scholars by bringing them to the University of Michigan for periods of four to six months, and it seeks to build and strengthen lasting scholarly relationships with those scholars and their institutions. At the University of Michigan, they will have access to library and research materials that can assist them in working on a research project, academic degree, new course, grant proposal, or other relevant activity. While in residency, they will also be paired with a University of Michigan faculty member for collaboration on projects that will help them advance their careers. Eligible scholars may apply to visit Michigan for two months, a semester (four months), or for a half year (six months) beginning in September, 2013.

Research, Mentoring, and African Initiatives at UM:

Faculty representing all disciplines and all subjects are encouraged to apply. Each selected UMAPS scholar will be paired with a University of Michigan faculty member (or faculty research team) with similar interests. Applicants will have a greater chance of success if their scholarly work represents areas of special need and/or capacity building for their home institutions, and represents scholarly areas in which the University of Michigan is particularly able to provide mentorship and collaborative engagement.

Applicants are encouraged to visit the websites of the University of Michigan (http://www.umich.edu/) and the African Studies Center (http://www.umich.edu/asc) for additional information about the University.

The University of Michigan is currently highlighting the following areas:

African Heritage: research in African history, anthropology, literature, religious studies, and allied disciplines in the humanities and humanistic social sciences.

African Social Research Initiative. Quantitative social scientific research on income dynamics, urbanization, gender, governance, demographics, urbanization, public health and environmental change.

STEM-Africa: research in the domains of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

However, our areas of interest and mentorship are broad and we encourage applications from the widest possible arena.

Award:

African Presidential Scholars will be provided with round-trip airfare from their home country to Ann Arbor, Michigan, housing, and a stipend to cover living and research expenses during their residency at the University of Michigan. Scholars would begin their residency in September, 2013.

It is expected that the scholar's home institution will continue to pay the scholar's academic salary during the duration of the fellowship.

Each scholar will be asked to give a seminar with other visiting Ghanaian, Liberian, Ugandan, and South African scholars and U-M faculty and students during his or her tenure.

The scholarship may be combined with other scholarships or funds to support an extended stay.

Eligibility Requirements and Selection Criteria and Process:

The applicant must be a faculty member from universities in Ghana, South Africa, Uganda, or the University of Liberia. Since a primary intent of the program is assistance in capacity building in African academe, strong preference will be given to early career members of the faculty. Mid-career faculty may also apply for consideration.

Early career faculty means faculty who have taught in the higher education system for less than ten years. Applicants may or may not have received their PhD. If they have not received their PhD, the application to UMAPS should detail how a Michigan residency will contribute to that end. If they have PhD in hand, their programme of research in relation to career development should be clearly stated.

All applicants should include a letter of support from Head of Department, Chair, Dean or another person in the university administration recommending the candidate and explaining how this particular scholar will address an outstanding faculty/scholarly need at their university. The letter additionally should confirm the institution's commitment to continue to pay the scholar's academic salary while on leave at Michigan. Review and selection will be made by a multidisciplinary faculty committee at the University of Michigan. Selection will be based on the academic quality of the candidate and of the proposed program of scholarship; the academic fit of the candidate with others selected in the cycle — it is our hope to facilitate scholarly networks — and with the areas of interest described above; and the support of the candidate's home institution. Strong emphasis will be given to candidates from disadvantaged backgrounds. Promotion of gender equity in the current class of scholars and in the African academy will also be given strong consideration. Applicants who already have significant international experience will not be favored for the program.

Guidance on the Project Proposal:

Please ensure your project proposal includes the goals and range of work you hope to complete in the four to six months at UM. The expectation is that many applicants will be continuing or completing research they have already begun. If you intend to begin a new area of research, please explain how much of the topic you would be able to cover and how you would complete the work once back in your home country. Also note the likely outcomes of your work at UM, for instance the completion of a manuscript, submission of articles, etc.

Application and Deadlines:

Applicants must submit:

A completed application form
A curriculum vitae
A scholarly program proposal, not to exceed five double-spaced pages
A letter of support from the department chair or program head, dean, or vice chancellor at the applicant's home institution. This letter should: (1) indicate the institution's commitment to continue to pay the scholar's academic salary while on leave at Michigan. It should also (2) describe the candidate's strengths and merits, and (3) explain how this candidate's Michigan residency contributes to central needs of the university.

Applications should be sent to the following address:

Director, African Studies Center

The University of Michigan

International Institute

1080 S. University Ave, Suite 3603

Ann Arbor, Ml 48109-1106

Tel: 734-615-3027

Fax: 734-936-0996

Alternatively, applications, or queries, can be sent electronically to the following electric mail address:

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APPLICATIONS FOR THE SEPTEMBER, 2013 COHORT WILL BE ACCEPTED BETWEEN AUGUST 15 AND OCTOBER 15, 2012.

Announcement ICH capacity building for African universities UNESCO-CHDA

Strengthening capacities of African Universities in intangible cultural heritage

18-22 June 2012

Mombasa Kenya

RATIONALE

African universities play a critical role in training future decision-makers and professionals in the field of heritage studies and sustainable development. Traditionally the focus of heritage-related studies was tangible cultural heritage, encompassing the protection and promotion of sites, monuments and objects. However, with the adoption of the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (2003) and its rapid ratification by 142 State Parties to date, a new vision of cultural heritage is gaining prominence. Indeed the more recent international legal framework developed over the years by UNESCO is closing an important gap in the field of cultural heritage: it addresses a type of heritage that contributes to the well-being and development of communities and societies, to their livelihoods and their sense of belonging. In other words, the rich array of knowledge systems, practices and rituals that communities wish to keep alive, recreate and pass on to future generations, is at the heart of what has been called, after long and thorough debates at the international level, ‘intangible cultural heritage’.

While in some parts of the world, notably in Asia, intangible cultural heritage is already well integrated in courses for students of heritage studies, there is a great need for strengthening this component in the teaching and curricula of universities in Africa. Operational Directive 107 (k) of the Intangible Heritage Convention states that “[States Parties are encouraged in particular, to implement measures and policies aimed at …] teaching about intangible cultural heritage in universities and fostering the development of interdisciplinary scientific, technical and artistic studies, as well as research methodologies, (l) providing vocational guidance to youth by informing them about the value of intangible cultural heritage for personal and career development, (m) training communities, groups or individuals in the management of small businesses dealing with intangible cultural heritage.[1] University teaching faculty needs to have a profound knowledge of the concepts and mechanisms of safeguarding intangible cultural heritage foreseen in the Intangible Heritage Convention. They need to be aware and understand the different roles of academia, as one of the different stakeholder groups in implementing the Convention at national level, and how safeguarding intangible cultural heritage is critical for the success of national strategies for sustainable development. They in particular need to know how to best train future heritage actors in the field of intangible cultural heritage safeguarding.

I. OBJECTIVES OF THE WORKSHOP

The workshop aims at raising the level of knowledge of African university teaching faculty in the field of intangible cultural heritage safeguarding, enabling them to incorporate the issue in their teaching and provide guidance for their future courses and programs on heritage and sustainable development. More specifically it intends to:

familiarize academics who train future decision-makers, community heritage workers, researchers and heritage professionals in Africa with the concepts and mechanisms of the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage and its implementation process;
discuss the key role of universities in contributing to the implementation of the Convention, notably as trainers of future heritage actors and with reference to the text of the Convention and the Operational Directives;
develop ideas and proposals of how to integrate training on intangible cultural heritage safeguarding for sustainable development in heritage studies, with respect to training approaches;
promote networking of African academics teaching and training in the field of intangible cultural heritage.

II PARTICIPANTS

This training is addressed to teaching faculty of African Universities who:

teach graduate and undergraduate studies to students who wish to become actors within the heritage sector;
focus in their teaching and field research on issues raised within the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, including community involvement in heritage safeguarding and the articulation between intangible cultural heritage and sustainable development;
collaborate with different stakeholder groups, such as government officials, community heritage workers, heritage bearers, communities of practice and other stakeholders.

III WORKSHOP PRESENTERS

The workshop will be co-facilitated by Deirdre Prins-Solani and Harriet Deacon who are both part of the network of 65 facilitators trained by UNESCO to use the dedicated workshop materials on implementing the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.[2]

Ms Deirdre Prins-Solani currently serves as the Director for the Centre for Heritage Development in Africa. She has been instrumental in the development of academic programs in Heritage Management, such as the African Program for Museums and Heritage Studies a collaborative post graduate diploma offered by the Universities of Cape Town, Western Cape and Robben Island Museum and has co-facilitated workshops on implementing the Intangible Heritage Convention for NGOs in Libreville and government officials in Mombasa.

Ms Harriet Deacon is a historian with interests in tangible and intangible heritage management, public policy on heritage, and the intersection between culture and health. Her publications include the Subtle Power of Intangible Heritage (HSRC Press, 2004; available free online). She has been involved in the preparation and delivery of training materials for the implementation of the Intangible Heritage Convention since April 2010 and co-facilitated related training of trainers’ workshops in Havana, Harare and Beijing.

IV APPLICATION PROCESS

Kindly submit a letter of application which outlines your reasons for applying to come to the workshop.
State your current teaching responsibilities, your course topics and teaching methods. Include any relevant course outlines for courses that you teach.
Include profiles of your students stating whether they come from National, Regional, or sub regional catchments, and what sectors/fields they have entered on graduation.

V BURSARIES

Limited bursaries are available. Kindly indicate in the application letter whether a bursary is required

Applications/Enquiries should be sent to:

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Contact Number: +254 707701761

THE WORKSHOP SHALL BE CONDUCTED IN ENGLISH. ENGLISH PROFICIENCY IS A REQUIREMENT

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS:22 MAY 2012

[1] See Operational Directives for the Implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. Adopted by the General Assembly of the States Parties to the Convention at its second ordinary session (Paris, France, 16 to 19 June 2008), amended at its third session (Paris, France, 22 to 24 June 2010)

For more information see: http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/index.php?lg=en&pg=00326