REEES Course Development and Language Module Development Grants Program
REEES offers faculty small grants on a rolling basis 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/Eurasia, Russia and the former USSR.
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Course Development Grant awards can be used to create a new course or add significant coverage of the REEES world region to an existing course. REEES 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 REEES region, and those that include a focus on Central Eurasia. 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 or trailers for existing non-language area studies courses. Such modules will require students to use materials in a language of the REEES region to enhance their study of the politics, cultures, economies and societies of Central/Eastern Europe/Eurasia, 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 and Scope of Awards
REEES faculty from all A&S departments and professional schools are eligible to apply. 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 REEES, 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 REEES’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 REEES:
- 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 REEES.
- 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.
APPLICATION DEADLINE: Rolling