Topic Description:
In a world shaken by war, climate change, pandemic, inflation, hunger, and rapid forced migration, questions of security take on a new level of urgency. Rather than be overwhelmed by polycrisis, the European Studies Center will spend AY2024 actively grappling with questions of security in European, transatlantic, and global contexts.

As part of this year of European Security, the European Studies Center is pleased to invite applications to participate in a Transdisciplinary Research Seminar in the 2023-2024 academic year. The seminar will provide an opportunity for Pitt faculty at all levels to come together to learn about EU and European security questions, understood broadly. In addition to state and military questions, we will consider security in relation to climate, economy, gender, migration, populism, among others. The goal of the seminar is to incubate a transdisciplinary research community taking up a problem, method/s, or emerging field that cuts across disciplines and develops teaching models on security in European and/or international contexts. The security seminar will be led by ESC Director Randall Halle. It will entail a combination of activities that collectively contribute to the coming together of a sustainable research cluster: common readings, guest speakers, a master class, teleconferences, and sharing work in progress.

Eligibility:
• Participants must bring an interest in security questions understood broadly to the seminar. They can be experts in the area or at the start of a research project and looking to develop expertise in EU security questions. They can aim to develop course syllabi or instructional units.
• The participants commit to participating during the 2023-2024 AY in the intellectual life of the European Studies Center as much as possible.
• Participants commit to participating in the activities of the seminar as fully as possible and will hold open a bimonthly slot for seminar gathering TBD
• To receive the stipend payment, seminar participants must be faculty under contract with the University of Pittsburgh. They may come from any University of Pittsburg school or campus.
• By the time of submission, applicants should be affiliates of the ESC. To be affiliated with the European Studies Center, please send a message with your CV attached to our Associate Director, Pawel Lewicki, pawel.lewicki@pitt.edu.

Resources/Research Support: Five to six seminar participants will each receive a stipend of $2,000 to support their sustained attention to engaging the work and conversation of their colleagues in helping to build a research cluster on European Security. In addition, up to $2,000 in research funds/seed money will be made available for the use of the participants after the seminar to support sustained work. This could be for books, materials, inviting guests, organizing events, seed money for grant applications.

Expectations: Across the year, successful applicants are asked to participate in the intellectual life of the European Studies Center as it stages events in relation to security questions. In November, the ESC will offer a Master Class in European Security to which all the members of the seminar will be invited. In Spring 2024, the participants will then meet eight to ten times.

Application: Short statement of research interests (no more than 300 words), a short bio, and a CV.

Deadline. Applications must be submitted by Friday, 15 September 2023.