Call for Applications for an International Workshop

By Soojin Chung March 5th, 2018 in Announcements, Opportunities

Call for Applications for an International Workshop on the History of Christianity in East Asia at the University of Minnesota

The Ricci Institute for Chinese-Western Cultural History at the University of San Francisco in collaboration with the James Ford Bell Library at the University of Minnesota will hold a four-day international workshop in Minneapolis, Minnesota, from October 1 through October 4, 2018. 

Please note that all participants will be expected to arrive by Sunday, September 30 and depart on Friday, October 5, 2018. They are required to attend all workshop-related activities and sessions.

We are inviting post-doctoral level scholars and junior faculty members with their research focus on Christianity in East Asia who are currently preparing a book manuscript for publication to apply. This workshop is part of a four-year project supported by the Henry Luce Foundation in New York City. The project is entitled, “Historical Legacies of Christianity in East Asia: Bridging a New Generation of Scholars and Scholarship” and is administered by the Ricci Institute. For more information about the various initiatives that are part of the project, please visit: www.ricci-institute.org. For information about the workshop at Oxford in 2017, please visit the above website as well as: www.facebook.com/usfricci.

The workshop has three primary components. First, through a series of lectures and seminars by senior scholars at the University of Minnesota and elsewhere, participants will have the opportunity to confer with specialists from around the world with regard to the interpretation of complex primary source materials, including manuscripts and early printed books from different historical periods composed in a variety of East Asian and Western languages (e.g. classical Chinese, classical Japanese, Portuguese, Italian, Spanish, etc...). Another primary focus will be reflecting on research methodologies and historiographies, as they developed and were expressed through different scholarly rhetorical traditions. The training will be further enhanced by discussions with librarians and curators of the James Ford Bell Library and other libraries at the University of Minnesota.

Secondly, participants will have the opportunity to interact with a Senior Acquisitions Editor from Brill Academic Publishers in Leiden and with other scholars with regard to the entire editorial and publication process.

Thirdly, participants will be mentored by invited senior scholars who are well known internationally for their contributions to the study of Christianity in East Asia. These scholars will critique and discuss the participants' draft manuscripts in view of their preparation for publication. This will take place in an open forum together with fellow participants.

Qualifications. Applicants must have completed doctoral studies and dissertation defense in order to be eligible to participate the workshop. Post-doctoral candidates must have completed their doctoral degrees within the past five years and have been involved actively in teaching and/or research (as a post-doctoral fellow, an independent scholar, or a junior faculty member).

Requirements. 
(1) a most recent Curriculum Vitae;
(2) an 8~10 page double-spaced statement in English that summarizes the manuscript the candidate is currently preparing to submit for publication.  The theme of the manuscript should be related to some aspect of the history of Christianity in East Asia, including China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. This statement should include a synopsis of the manuscript, a detailed description of the research methodology employed, plans for additional research and writing to complete the project (if any), and a proposed timeline for the submission of the manuscript to a publisher;
(3) two up-to-date letters of recommendation.

Expenses. The Ricci Institute will cover the following expenses for all successful applicants:

(1) Transportation: return economy airfare from your city/country of residence as well as local public transportation to and from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport to the hotel reserved for the workshop participants (e.g. shared shuttle service or Minneapolis Metro system); Note: car rentals are not covered.
(2) Lodging in Minneapolis from September 30 until the morning of October 5, 2018, including most meals during the workshop (Note: lodging will be pre-arranged by the workshop organizers).

All authorized expenses will be paid as a reimbursement on presentation of official receipts, in compliance with the travel policies of the University of San Francisco and the terms stipulated by the Henry Luce Foundation.

Incidental expenses of a personal nature (e.g. travel insurance, phone/data purchase, etc.) are not reimbursable.

Medical Insurance

Please note that all participants are responsible to arrange their own valid medical insurance for the duration of their stay in the United States.

Visa

If you are required to apply for a visa to enter the United States, please contact the local US Consulate for more information on the documentation you will be expected to provide. To support your visa application, the Ricci Institute will be able to issue successful applicants with an official invitation to participate in the workshop. For more information see:https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas.html

Deadline. All required documents should be in English and submitted via email no later than April 21, 2018 to blkhaajav@dons.usfca.edu with the subject line: “2018 Minneapolis Workshop Application”. Letters from the recommenders must be sent directly to the above email address by the same deadline. The preferred formats for the letter attachments are PDF or MS-WORD.

Application results will be announced by May 15, 2017.

For more information about the Ricci Institute at the University of San Francisco, please visit: http://usf.usfca.edu/ricci or visit our Facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/usfricci