UCIS     University Center for International Studies
Internal Funding

Russian and East European Studies Faculty Small Grants Program (Bi-Annual)

REES small grants will be awarded through two competitions, open to all REES faculty, full-time and part-time.  The Fall competition will award funds for expenses incurred during the current fiscal year; that is, before July 1.  The Spring competition will award funds for expenses to be incurred during the next fiscal year. Course development grants will be awarded separately, following a separate competition. REES graduate students should apply separately for small grants, and not in the faculty competitions.

Faculty small grants will be awarded in support of professional activity.  The small grants will be for amounts up to $1,500.00 and are intended primarily to supplement other research funds.  The REES small grant cover sheet should accompany an application, and a request for a small grant should also include a clear description of the professional activity to be supported, accompanied by a brief budget that justifies expenditure of the amount requested.

UCIS requires us to require all applicants to gain IRB clearance, or exemption, before awards may be given.  Therefore, an IRB form must be submitted with the application.  The relevant university regulation reads as follows:

“All research involving interventions or interactions with individuals or the collection of identifiable private information concerning living individuals requires prospective Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval. Grantees are responsible for obtaining IRB approval when required, and must provide documentation of IRB approval before a grant can be awarded. For further information, check the IRB web site at www.irb.pitt.edu.”

REES small grants are awarded on the basis of selection committee recommendations. For more information on the selection process and priorities, please contact Eileen O'Malley.

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REES Course Development and Language Module Development Grants Competition

The Center for Russian and East European Studies is pleased to announce an annual competition for faculty small grants for course development or language module development. Proposals are sought to enhance teaching on the cultures, languages, politics, economies and societies of Central/Eastern Europe, Russia and the former USSR.

  • Course Development Grant awards can be used to create a new course or add significant coverage of the REES world region to an existing course. REES encourages the development of courses that are innovative in content or form; that draw on materials from more than one discipline; and that challenge students to think about developments in the region from a broader comparative perspective. Courses that can be taken to fulfill the A&S foreign culture requirement (international/region/comparative/non-Western) are especially welcome, as are those that are designed to introduce freshmen and sophomores to the study of the REES region. New or enhanced courses supported by this grant program should be incorporated into the given academic department’s regular offerings as soon as possible.

  • Language Module Development Grant proposals are sought to develop add-on original language modules for existing non-language area studies courses. Such modules will require students to use materials in a language of the REES region to enhance their study of the politics, cultures, economies and societies of Central/Eastern Europe, Russia and the former USSR, thus increasing their foreign language proficiency related to the subject area of the course. Students who choose to register for the original language module should receive an additional academic credit beyond the standard number of credits given for that course. At his/her discretion, the instructor may also offer students an option to register only for the one-credit language module, without registering for the associated area studies course. In the application, the instructor should specify the level of proficiency in the target language that will be required for students to register for the original language module.

Instructors are encouraged to consider non-traditional modes of delivery for original language modules, such as the posting of reading and writing assignments on a course website.  Although the instructor should plan to be available for individual consultations with students enrolled in the module, original language modules will not necessarily involve formal classroom instruction.  Applications should explain how the instructor will monitor and evaluate the progress of students enrolled in the module.

Eligibility. REES regular faculty from all A&S departments, professional schools, and all University of Pittsburgh branch campuses are eligible to apply. Group and joint faculty proposals are encouraged, as well as those from individuals. Faculty members not previously associated with REES are encouraged to discuss possible courses with REES Director Robert Hayden.

Scope of Awards. Funds may be requested to support a variety of activities. Examples include, but are not limited to:

  • Acquisition of special instructional materials (e.g., databases, monographs, periodicals, films or electronic media).
  • Bibliographic searches.
  • Payments to students for assistance with any aspect of course development. Note, however, that no payment may be given for any student work unless and until that arrangement has been approved by REES, due to the possible complexities involved in paying students.

Grants may not be used for the purchase of equipment, for travel to meetings or conferences, or to support research unrelated to course or language module development. The source of these funds is REES’s Title VI National Resource Center award from the U.S. Department of Education, and all course development spending must comply with Title VI budgetary regulations. Funds awarded for course development grant activities must be spent by July 1 of the year in which the award is made.

Application/Selection Process. Applicants should submit the following materials to REES by the deadline announced for the annual competition:

  • A short (5-page, double-spaced maximum) plan of course or language module development activities.
  • An itemized budget, with a short justification.
  • A current curriculum vitae if the applicant is not previously affiliated with REES.
  • A cover letter indicating the semester(s) in which the grant is to be used and listing other sources of funding being sought by the applicant (if any).
  • A letter of agreement from the chairperson of the applicant’s department if the applicant is to be released from teaching responsibilities during any portion of the course development activities.

Applicants are encouraged to discuss specifics of the above with Assistant Director Gina Peirce prior to submitting the formal application. Each proposal will be reviewed by a faculty committee. For further information, please contact the REES office.

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