Spring 2021 IRG Application Information

The Chapman Center for Rural Studies, a center of excellence in the College of Arts and Sciences, calls for pre-proposals for its second annual  Interdisciplinary Research Grant. The center is seeking RSCAD-based proposals from faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences who represent at least two disciplines to foster interdisciplinary research engaging with rural communities. The deadline for applications is November 19 th , 2020.

Successful faculty teams will receive the following:

• Up to $10,000 in summer stipend.

• Travel support (up to $3,000).

• Up to four paid undergraduate research assistants.

• Research and administrative space.

• Communication and media support.

• Student mentorship, professionalization, and student research space.

• Technical, software, and hardware support.

• Advisory and administrative support.

The purpose of this grant is to encourage faculty to work creatively and collaboratively with scholars outside their specializations to generate new insights into the dynamics of rural life through partnerships with rural Kansas communities or with the potential to improve the quality of life for rural Kansas residents. These insights might relate to rural economies, social structures, health outcomes, education, transportation, politics, community identity and memory, demographics and/or the environment. The proposal should describe how and why their project will use the unique skills and disciplinary knowledge of each faculty participant, as well as how they will include undergraduate research assistants into the work of their project. Chapman Center Interdisciplinary Research Grant grants are limited to one year and ideally will lead to longer, externally funded initiatives.

The Center is nationally recognized for its instruction and publication in the digital humanities. The findings of the Interdisciplinary Research Grant teams are expected to be made available to a wide audience through a peer-reviewed online journal such as the Online Journal for Rural Research and Policy, located in the Chapman Center for Rural Studies.

Finally, the Chapman Center for Rural Studies is an award-winning center for public engagement. Proposals for the Interdisciplinary Research Grant should reflect this commitment with a clearly stated pathway for broader impact among rural communities, with preference given to projects that engage and collaborate with rural stakeholders.

A description of the first grant recipient project, "Sharing Stories and Building Bonds: A Sociological and Linguistic Analysis of a 'New Destination' Community", can be found here.