Interested in the Digital Humanities? Apply to be a HASTAC Scholar – Deadline Sept. 1
by Derek Bruff, CFT Director
If you’re a graduate student in the humanities interested in exploring the intersections of teaching, scholarship, and technology, please consider applying to be a HASTAC Scholar for 2014-15. The deadline for applications is September 1st.
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.
The CFT has sponsored two doctoral students as HASTAC Scholars, history student Zoe LeBlanc in 2012-2013 and German student Vivian Finch in 2013-2014. Both found the experience valuable as they explored ways to integrate technology in their teaching and research. By connecting with the digital humanities community through the HASTAC website, Twitter, and the HASTAC annual conference, Zoe and Vivian are far savvier about the digital humanities than most graduate students — and many faculty! You can get a sense of their experiences by reading their HASTAC blog posts (Zoe, Vivian) or following them on Twitter (Zoe, Vivian).
We’re sponsoring a HASTAC Scholar again this year, and we’re not alone — see the list of sponsoring centers in the call for applications below. 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 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
A variety of programs invite applications from Vanderbilt University graduate students who would like to be 2014-2015 HASTAC Scholars. Descriptions of the programs follow later in this document. 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 seven 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 2015. These scholars will serve as Vanderbilt’s digital ambassadors to HASTAC.
HASTAC scholars are not required to have prior experience with the digital projects, but they should have a strong interest in exploring ways that digital technology intersects with education and/or scholarship in the humanities, arts, and sciences. HASTAC Scholars work together with mentors from sponsoring centers to choose activities that build upon their individual abilities and interests as they pursue exciting projects within the sponsoring center. 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.
2013-2014 HASTAC Scholars were: Brad Daugherty, Vivian Finch, Danielle Picard, Amy Tan, and Steven Wenz. These Scholars represented a range of disciplines and were at various stages of their graduate student careers.
Applications are welcome from Vanderbilt graduate students in any humanities or social science discipline.
TO APPLY TO BE A VANDERBILT HASTAC SCHOLAR
DEADLINE: NOON ON MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2014
Eligibility
Applicants must be enrolled in a Vanderbilt University humanities or social science graduate program in 2014-2015 and in good standing in their graduate programs. Additionally, applicants must be on campus for the 2014-2015 academic year.
Requirements
Vanderbilt HASTAC Scholars will have three primary requirements for the year:
- Actively engage in a blog maintained on the HASTAC website 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 meeting regularly with other HASTAC Scholars and representatives from their sponsoring centers.
Sponsoring Centers
Each HASTAC Scholar will be affiliated with one of the sponsoring centers. Please rank order these sponsoring centers in an addendum to your application. Note that we cannot guarantee top 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. Additionally, the individual will keep track of events of interest to the Digital Humanities community at Vanderbilt. 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 Public Scholarship and Creative Writing), and our international partners in Belfast, Sao Paulo, and Montreal on digital media projects to promote social engagement. Additionally, the HASTAC Scholar will be expected to assist with various Curb Center events throughout the year and contribute to social media. http://www.vanderbilt.edu/curbcenter and curbcreativecampus.org
Humanities Tennessee. Humanities Tennessee’s HASTAC scholar will collaborate with staff on developing a digital archive of recorded oral histories of foreign-born and other Tennesseans. Among other projects, the scholar will assist with the editing of digitized audio files, and the organization of content and creation of taxonomy to aid navigation and accessibility, for use in a publicly accessible and intelligible web-based archive. http://www.humanitiestennessee.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 investigate and report on digital learning materials in the humanities or social sciences, at least twice monthly for the VIDL blog. The HASTAC Scholar will produce and post instructional content (e.g., video) that is modest in length, but conceptually substantive. The HASTAC Scholar will also document the design, production, and evaluation process for the benefit of others (again, as part of their VIDL blogging activities). 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 on Monday, September 1
Submit the following materials by email to Terry Tripp at terry.tripp@vanderbilt.edu by noon on Monday, September 1.
- 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 terry.tripp@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 2014-2015 academic year. I support this application to the HASTAC Scholar program.”
For more information or questions contact Terry Tripp at 343-6060 or terry.tripp@vanderbilt.edu.
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