Description
The University of Pennsylvania’s South Asia Center (SAC), a National Resource Center funded by the U.S. Department of Education, is pleased to invite faculty from Minority Serving Institutions and Community Colleges to apply for its Course Development Grant. This grant supports the creation of South Asia-focused curricula across any discipline.
As a National Resource Center, SAC is committed to fostering expertise through the addition of significant South Asia course content, providing both financial support and access to valuable resources. Grant recipients will be invited to join the Penn South Asia Center Affiliated Faculty community, gaining access to extensive library and research databases, annual workshops and the broader SAC network.
Applications are now being accepted from faculty members from any MSI or Community College with priority given to those in the Mid-Atlantic.
Module development grant recipients will receive $1,500 and full course development grant recipients will receive $3,000.
Who is eligible to apply?
Applicants must be current MSI or Community College faculty teaching in the United States. Applicants may be from any discipline, including professional schools. Applicants do not need to be U.S. citizens to apply.
What kind of courses and modules will the SAC Development Grant support?
Any new and significant course components relating to a South Asian country (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka) will be considered. For example, a course on International Development Ethics might choose to introduce a set of case studies on microfinance outcomes in Pakistan, a Comparative Literature course may be revamped with significant inclusion of South Asian authors and/or themes.
Recent examples of winning course and module development grants:
- The Bhopal Disaster & Engineering Ethics
- Exploring Global Climate through the lens of South Asia
- Internationalizing Higher Education (40% of course material is focused on South Asia and/or a class project that connects with a partner school in South Asia)
All proposals will be evaluated on the potential impact of the proposed course to expose students to South Asia in a meaningful way.
What other kind of support can the SAC Development Grant provide?
We can support your project in several ways, in addition to funding.
Specific guidance can be provided by Penn South Asia faculty specialists as well as faculty working in various disciplines. Our input and advice may take the following forms:
- Identifying the people and resources at Penn best positioned to contribute to your module or course and helping you to collaborate with them.
- Arranging for guest lecturers on South Asia topics to visit your class.
- Providing access to Penn library resources.
How to Apply
For proposals, please apply here (Application open on January 6th)
What you'll need to apply:
- Project title and 500-or-less word narrative describing the proposed module or full course on South Asia, its intended audience, source materials, and end-products. Please address how the course fits into the overall college or university curriculum.
- A budget for your proposal (How you will utilize the funding to support your course development)
- Timeline for completion
- Most recent CV
Please note, the application will remain open until April 7th, 2025, or when 100 applications have been received.
Winners will be announced by June 2nd, 2025.
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
The University of Pennsylvania values diversity and seeks talented students, faculty and staff with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. The University of Pennsylvania does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, creed, national or ethnic origin, citizenship status, age, disability, veteran status or any other legally protected class status in the administration of its admissions, financial aid, educational or athletic programs, or other University-administered programs or in its employment practices. Questions or complaints regarding this policy should be directed to the Executive Director of the Office of Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Programs, Sansom Place East, 3600 Chestnut Street, Suite 228, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6106; or (215) 898-6993 (Voice) or (215) 898-7803 (TDD).