HASTAC Scholars, an Opportunity for Graduate Students in the Digital Humanities (New Deadline: July 29th)
by Derek Bruff, CFT Director
Last month here on the blog, we shared a call for applications from graduate students to be HASTAC Scholars. HASTAC (pronounced “haystack”) is the Humanities, Arts, Science, and Technology Advanced Collaboratory, a global network of academics exploring ways that technology can enhance teaching, research, and scholarship. HASTAC Scholars is a professional development program for graduate students, in which students engage in online and in-person conversations about technology’s role in their scholarly work. It’s a fantastic networking opportunity, particularly for humanities graduate students interested in technology, and the deadline to apply to be a 2013-14 Vanderbilt HASTAC Scholar has just been extended to July 29th.
Last year the CFT sponsored history doctoral student Zoe LeBlanc as a HASTAC Scholar. She found the experience incredibly valuable as she explored ways to integrate technology in her teaching and research. By connecting with the digital humanities community through the HASTAC website, Twitter, and the HASTAC annual conference, Zoe is far savvier about the digital humanities than most graduate students–and many faculty! You can get a sense of some of what she’s learned by reading her HASTAC blog posts or following her on Twitter.
We’re sponsoring a HASTAC Scholar again this year, and we’re not alone. The Center for Second Language Studies (CSLS); the Curb Center for Art, Enterprise, and Public Policy; the Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities; and the brand-new Vanderbilt Institute for Digital Learning (VIDL) are all sponsoring Scholars next year. Each scholar will receive a $500 award as well as funding to attend the annual HASTAC conference in 2014. If you’re a graduate student in the humanities (or social sciences–we’re flexible) with an interest in technology, take a look at the call for applications below. And if you have a particular interest in educational technologies, consider identifying the CFT or VIDL as your preferred sponsoring center. Again, it’s a great professional development opportunity. If you have any questions about the program, please contact me.
UNIQUE OPPORTUNITIES FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS IN DIGITAL HUMANITIES
Vanderbilt University’s Center for Teaching, Center for Second Language Studies, Curb Center for Art, Enterprise and Public Policy, Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities, and the Vanderbilt Institute for Digital Learning invite applications from graduate students who would like to be 2013-2014 HASTAC Scholars. HASTAC (Humanities, Arts, Science, and Technology Advanced Collaboratory) is a global network of individuals and institutions that come together to share, collaborate, and learn through online forums, blogs, conferences, social media, and other channels of communication. Up to five graduate students will be appointed as HASTAC scholars. The appointment includes a $500 award as well as funding to attend the annual HASTAC conference in 2014. These scholars will serve as Vanderbilt’s digital ambassadors to HASTAC.
The HASTAC Scholars program is designed for graduate students who are engaged with innovative projects and research at the intersection of digital media and learning, 21st-century education, the digital humanities, and technology in the arts, humanities and sciences. HASTAC Scholars blog about digital activities on their home campus, host forums, organize events, and discuss new ideas, projects, experiments, and technologies that reconceive teaching, learning, research, writing, and structuring knowledge. For more information, see the HASTAC Scholars website.
Previous VU HASTAC Scholars include: Cory Duclos (Center for Second Language Studies, 2011-2012), Annette Joseph-Gabriel (Center for Second Language Studies, 2012 -2013), Zoe LeBlanc (Center for Teaching, 2012-2013), Miriam Martin (Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities, 2012-2013),and Don Rodriguez (Curb Center for Art, Enterprise and Public Policy 2012-2013).
Applications are welcome from Vanderbilt students in any humanities or social science discipline.
TO APPLY TO BE A VANDERBILT HASTAC SCHOLAR
DEADLINE: NOON MONDAY JULY 29, 2013
Eligibility
Applicants must be enrolled in a Vanderbilt University humanities or social science graduate program in 2013/2014 and in good standing in their graduate programs. Additionally, applicants must be on campus for the 2013-2014 academic year.
Requirements
Vanderbilt HASTAC Scholars will have four primary requirements for the year:
- Actively engage in a blog maintained on the HASTAC web site in which the Scholar reports on relevant activities at Vanderbilt University.
- Contribute to HASTAC Scholar Discussion Forums, either by hosting or commenting. These very lively discussions are part of the backbone of the HASTAC Scholars program.
- Build community and conversation by commenting, tweeting, covering conferences, helping organize local meet-ups, and meet regularly with other HASTAC Scholars and representatives from their sponsoring centers.
Sponsoring Centers
Each HASTAC Scholar will be affiliated with one of the five sponsoring centers. Please indicate your first choice among these five sponsoring centers in your application. Note that we cannot guarantee first choices, but we will consider your preference when matching HASTAC Scholars to centers.
*Center for Second Language Studies. The HASTAC Scholar affiliated with CSLS will show a keen interest in exploring teaching, learning, and research in second languages and cultures through the use of technology. This individual will collaborate with CSLS graduate student affiliates, interact with faculty, and participate in CSLS working groups. In addition, the HASTAC Scholar will be involved in CSLS events, in particular our Friday afternoon professional development seminars. http://www.vanderbilt.edu/csls/
* Center for Teaching. The Center for Teaching’s HASTAC Scholar should have an interest in the use of technology in humanities teaching. The Scholar will participate in, and perhaps contribute to, CFT workshops and conversations on this topic during the year. The Scholar will also have the opportunity to share observations and reflections on educational technology in the humanities on the CFT blog. http://cft.vanderbilt.edu/
* Curb Center for Art, Enterprise, and Public Policy. The Curb Center’s HASTAC Scholar will collaborate with the faculty, the other graduate student fellows (in Cultural Policy and Creative Writing), and our international partners in Belfast, Sao Paulo, and Montreal on multimedia projects that use the digital arts to promote social engagement. Additionally, the HASTAC scholar will be expected to assist with various Curb Center events throughout the year and contribute to our Tumblr blog and Twitter feed. www.vanderbilt.edu/curbcenter and curbcreativecampus.org
* Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities. The Warren Center’s HASTAC Scholar will be a dynamic participant in the life of this interdisciplinary research center and will be encouraged to participate in a variety of Warren Center activities. The HASTAC scholar will help to maintain the Warren Center’s digital profile in an assortment of ways including working with a unique digital archive recently completed by the Warren Center. Additionally, the Warren Center HASTAC scholar will assist with various Warren Center events throughout the year. http://www.vanderbilt.edu/rpw_center/
* Vanderbilt Institute for Digital Learning. VIDL’s HASTAC Scholar will participate in the formation of a new institute, collaborating with faculty, staff, and other students. The scholar will investigate digital learning materials in the humanities or social sciences, with a focus that will emerge during the year (e.g., education in ancient world history using the MOOC format). The HASTAC Scholar will produce and post instructional content (e.g., video) that is relatively modest in length, but conceptually substantive. The HASTAC Scholar will also document the design, production, and evaluation process for the benefit of others. http://vanderbilt.edu/digital-learning/.
Selection Criteria
- Evidence that the applicant understands and shares HASTAC’s core values.
- Evidence that the applicant’s ongoing academic and professional goals will benefit from participation in HASTAC.
- Evidence of benefits to Vanderbilt and/or local community from the proposed participation.
- A commitment to meet regularly with the other HASTAC Scholars and their sponsoring centers.
Application Process
Deadline: Noon, Monday July 29
Submit the following materials by email to Hillery Pate at hillery.l.pate@vanderbilt.edu by noon on Monday, July 29.
- A letter of interest (no more than two pages) indicating how participation in HASTAC would benefit the applicant and how the applicant could contribute to Digital Humanities at Vanderbilt.
- A curriculum vitae
- An email from your academic advisor addressed to hillery.l.pate@vanderbilt.edu stating the following: “I affirm that [APPLICANT’S NAME] is in good standing in [NAME OF GRADUATE PROGRAM] and will be on campus for the 2013-2014 academic year. I support this application to the HASTAC Scholar program.”
For more information or questions contact Hillery Pate at 343-6060 or hillery.l.pate@vanderbilt.edu.
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