Grants and Resources

Program Funding

Principal Program Activities

The Center for the Humanities and the Public Sphere sponsors faculty and graduate student research groups and conferences, interdisciplinary seminars for faculty and graduate students on critical topics of the day, visiting lectureships of scholars and writers, and outreach seminars and other activities in the public sphere.

As the flagship university in this state, the University of Florida is a focal point for the intersection of the humanities and issues of current public concern. The formalization of the Center for the Humanities and the Public Sphere is central in assisting the University of Florida in reaching the goals stated by the AAU’s Task Force by

• developing an organizing structure for advancing and promoting (a) disciplinary and interdisciplinary research and outreach in areas of the Humanities,  and (b) collaborative research on the cultures of humankind that cross the traditional academic departmental boundaries;
• enhancing the internationalization of  the campus coupled with outreach to the community in interdisciplinary fields;
• providing an organizing structure for seeking funding from philanthropic foundations for research, exchange programs, and graduate student studies in cross-disciplinary fields of the humanities; and
• providing a focal point for attracting distinguished visitors, speakers, exchange scholars in fields relevant to UF research areas in the humanities and related fields of fine arts and societal studies.

Sponsored Activities & Programs

Building on the important work of individual departments at the University of Florida, the Center for Humanities and the Public Sphere emphasizes collaboration and encounter as the integrative model for its activities. To enable this collaboration the Center sustains the following programs:

• Term Lecturers
  The vitality of the university stems from interaction not only with the students and faculty on campus, but also with the nation and the world. Each year/term nationally and internationally recognized scholars will be brought to campus to deliver several lectures and participate in discussions with the faculty and students on major topics of the day. special emphasis will be give to topics that cross a number of fields and disciplines. The lectures can be presented and archived on the web as well as published.
  
• Research Groups
  Traditionally, graduate student education in the humanities has followed the scientific model of specialization without establishing the countervailing support for group collaboration. The Center will galvanize collaborative research in the humanities by providing support for faculty and graduate student research groups (including conferences and symposia) with grants and fellowships. Research Groups will be able to use the funds to support materials for their joint work, to invite other significant faculty from outside the university to participate in the collaboration, and to provide graduate student support for research and participation in these groups.
• Center Seminar and Lecture Series
  In order to access some of the best and most exciting work taking place within the humanities the Center will support collaborative exchanges between students and faculty by sponsoring an interactive seminar series dedicated to the Center’s themes and by faculty interest.
• Outreach
  The Center takes seriously its civic responsibilities and must underscore how history, language, imagination, ethics, and a sense of place are foundational to our understanding of ourselves and the world. The Center will support faculty fellowships to develop seminars for K-12 teachers in the humanities. The seminars will bring together faculty on campus and in the education system to collaborate on important questions for the humanities that affect their teaching.

Humanities Center - Past Sponsored Activities

Fine Arts and Humanities Scholarship Enhancement Fund

This fund was established by RGP in 1997 to stimulate new or existing creative/research activity in the humanities and fine arts at the University of Florida. Approximately 40 awards are supported annually. The maximum award request is $10,000, with the average award expected to be less. Eligible applicants are UF ranked faculty working on projects in the humanities or fine arts. The humanities awards process is handled by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The fine arts competition is managed by the College of Fine Arts.  Faculty in those areas should contact the appropriate Dean's Office for application information. The deadline for proposals is generally in mid-November annually.

Please consult the excellent list of funding sources and grant agencies for faculty in the Humanities & Social Science, with thanks to our colleague Dr. Margaret Fields.

Dr Robert A. Hatch
Interim Director
Center for the Humanities & the Public Sphere
ufhatch@ufl.edu

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