Course Grants

Our course grants have for goal to expand African Studies content in college courses across the country.

Recognizing the need to develop courses in specific areas and support Africa-related curriculum development nationwide, the African Studies Center at Boston University (BU) is very pleased to announce grant opportunities available to faculty at BU and higher education institutions across the United States, including community colleges, minority-serving institutions, HBCUs, schools of education, as well as Wheelock College of Education & Human Development and other teacher education programs at BU.

During the 2024-25 academic year, we are offering five course enhancement grants in the amount of $2,000 per course for development of new or existing graduate or undergraduate courses to integrate Africa-focused content in U.S. higher education. These programs are funded through the Title VI National Resource Center program of the US Department of Education. Read below for details on each opportunity and instructions for submitting proposals.

For any questions, please contact the African Studies Center Staff at ascinfo@bu.edu with the email subject “Course Grants.”

Course Enhancement Grants
Proposals due Sunday, December 15, 2024

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This grant is available to faculty at BU and higher education institutions across the United States, including community colleges, minority-serving institutions, HBCUs, and schools of education. Please note that preference is given to supporting faculty at institutions with fewer resources for internationalizing curricula, and applications from faculty at other institutions supported by Title VI National Resource Center programs will not be considered.

Number Five $2,000 course enhancement grants.
Purpose In an effort to expand the teaching of Africa across disciplines, these grants support development or revision of graduate or undergraduate courses to include at least 25% Africa content at US higher education institutions.

Preference is given to developing new courses or to increasing Africa coverage in courses that do not already include strong African studies content. Proposals will be evaluated based on:

  1. Significant content addition: the new or revised course must plan to include an increase of at least 25% of Africa-related content. Content may be added in the form of readings, case studies, discussions, and other materials and should contribute to the overall course content in a substantive way (rather than as a token);
  2. Evidence in student learning: assignments (discussion participation, essays, tests, and any evaluated instance of student work) must make student learning about Africa visible.

Examples of possible development might be to add a unit focused on Africa to a specialized course within a particular discipline, to include Africa-focused texts or case studies, to integrate African case studies across many parts of a course, or to develop a new course project focused on Africa. In all instances, the new syllabus must show evidence of student engagement with Africa-focused content in at least one of the formally assessed assignments. We welcome creative approaches!
Deliverables Grantees will submit a syllabus for the new or revised course with African studies content to the BU African Studies Center. Grantees retain ownership of their syllabi, which will not be shared with your written consent. The BU ASC may ask to publicize some of your work to provide examples for future applicants and the education community. Final syllabus and course materials due April 1, 2025.
Payment $1,000 at start of award and $1,000 when final syllabus is submitted, paid directly to the grantee.
Application Materials
  • Submit the following application materials (in PDF format) online here:
    • A cover letter (1 page) that:
      1. describes the proposed or existing course (if making a revision); and
      2. articulates how Africa will be included in course content themes, and/or readings, and/or student activities and student assessments.
    • For course revisions, please include a current syllabus of the course to be revised. (The revised syllabus will be submitted after the award period.)
    • Current CV.
  • One brief reference letter (1-2 paragraphs) from the applicant’s institution (a department chair, dean, or other supervisor) demonstrating institutional support for the proposed course and identifying how the course may fit into the curriculum, submitted directly by the referee to the African Studies Center (ewiehe@bu.edu).

 

Travel Grant for CAORC-WARC Faculty Development Seminar in Senegal
“West Africa and the Diaspora: Continuities and Transformations”

We are pleased to continue our support for participation of faculty at community colleges, minority-serving institutions, and HBCUs in the annual Faculty Development Seminar organized jointly by the Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC) and West African Research Center (WARC): https://www.caorc.org/faculty-development-senegal. Faculty travel funding and participation in the seminars is managed by CAORC. See the link above for current details.