Humanities Research Support Activities AY 2022-23
Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash
The following is a selection of research support events tailored to humanities and creative arts faculty. [You can also view or download a printable flyer!]
Archived trainings and presentations are made available through the Office of Research web site, where you will also find a full calendar of Office of Research Awareness sessions and additional event information.
FALL 2022
A&S New Humanities Faculty Cohort Fall Meeting with Alan Middleton (A&S ADR)
September 30, 2022, 10-11:30 am
This session serves as an introduction to research support for new humanities faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences. Faculty will be encouraged to discuss challenges and opportunities they're facing amidst the ongoing pandemic, share feedback on ideas for research support in the humanities, and, most importantly, help the A&S Research support team to better understand immediate and future research-related needs.
Office of Research Awareness: Placing your Book in the Rapidly Changing Academic Publishing Landscape with Dylan Mohr (Open Scholarship Librarian)
October 19, 2022, 10-11:30 am
What is open access? What is hybrid open access?--green, gold, or diamond open access? What is an “author processing charge,” and why am I being asked to pay to have my work published? How will people find my book if it’s made open access?
…Should I do it?
In this session, Open Scholarship Librarian and former assistant editor of Cultural Critique, Dylan Mohr* will discuss how open access is driving the changing academic publishing landscape in the humanities. You will learn how open access has changed publisher and library funding/acquisition models and how the changes affect how your work is disseminated and discovered. Together we will work through the benefits and drawbacks of making your monograph open access, and you will leave equipped with questions to bring to publishers to help you best decide if open access is right for your work.
Open to all faculty and graduate students. *Read more about Dylan's new appointment!
Central New York Humanities Corridor December Writing Kick-off with Laura Portwood-Stacer
Session 1: Land a Publisher for Your Scholarly Book
December 16, 2022, 12:00 - 1:30 pm
This workshop will introduce scholars to the book publishing process and answer key questions that both new and experienced authors should be asking, such as how to find the right press for your current project, how to connect with editors, when is the ideal timing to submit a proposal, how to navigate multiple submission, and more. Scholars at every career stage are welcome.
Session 2: Write an Outstanding Book Proposal
December 16, 1:45 - 3:15 pm
This workshop will acquaint prospective authors with the key components of the scholarly book proposal, highlight common mistakes that first-time (and experienced!) authors make, and offer concrete tips on how to make your proposal stand out in the sea of submissions at your dream publisher. Even if you have written successful book proposals before, you will learn new information to take your future projects to the next level.
Both sessions are appropriate for first-time and experienced authors and open to all Central New York Humanities Corridor faculty and graduate students.
SPRING 2023
Book Proposal Writing Circle
Regular Cohort Meetings Anticipated, Spring 2023
Following the two-session book proposal workshop with Laura Portwood-Stacer in December, faculty of all ranks are invited share book proposals-in-progress with a group of peers to receive and provide feedback. All participants will be encouraged to identify a press and share the press’s “instructions for authors” (or similar guide) in advance of their feedback session; however, discussion may also include finding the best fit for your project and creating strategies for reaching out to editors.
NEH Proposal Writing Circle
Regular Cohort Meetings Anticipated, February - April 2023
Faculty of all academic ranks are invited to sign up for the Spring 2023 NEH Writing Circle.
The writing circle is primarily designed to support faculty planning to submit proposals for this year’s Fellowship or Summer Stipend programs, though faculty interested in any NEH funding program or comparable fellowship programs are invited to participate. Early career faculty are especially encouraged to attend. We anticipate that through workshop, discussion, and revision, participants in the spring writing circle will strengthen their proposals and increase their competitiveness for NEH Fellowships. Additional goals of the group include: helping you to hone your writing, present your projects to a broader audience, write sharper book proposals, and win fellowships beyond the NEH. You will also have the opportunity to make connections with, and get professional advice from, colleagues outside of your department.
The group will meet via Zoom, usually for 60 min–90 min per session to workshop 1-2 proposals. There will be a brief planning meeting in early February and regular meetings that will run through early April. Writing circle members will be asked to (1) attend all meetings, (2) share a full project proposal with the group at least once, and (3) provide feedback on colleagues’ drafts, including serving as lead discussant at least once.
Self Care for Researchers: Create a 5-Year Plan
January 20, 2022, 11:45 am - 1:45 pm
Overwhelmed by the thought of what’s next? Unsure of how to tackle your next major project for tenure or promotion? Swamped with personal and professional responsibilities and can’t sift through the muck? In this workshop, School of Architecture and Visual and Performing Arts faculty will create space to breath, prioritize, and create achievable goals. Working backwards from the next “big thing,” faculty will break down larger projects into manageable chunks, take stock of personal and professional responsibilities, and map out short-term, medium-term, and long-term intentions.
A&S New Humanities Faculty Cohort Spring Meeting with Alan Middleton (A&S ADR)
February 10, 2023, 10 - 11:30 am
Provides new humanities faculty in A&S the opportunity to convene as a group and reflect on their academic year so far, including the biggest barriers to succeeding as researchers, connecting with colleagues, writing external funding proposals, and preparing book proposals.
Academic Press Publishing Workshop: Meet the Editors
Anticipated, March 2023
As part of the academic publishing series, each spring editors from university presses are invited to campus to share their perspectives on what makes an outstanding book proposal. Following a public talk open to all faculty and graduate students, faculty will have the opportunity to meet in small groups or 1-on-1 with the editors, depending on the press’s preference. For archived talks and resources from our academic publishing series, please see the following sessions on the Office of Research Presentations and Trainings Page: “Publishing Your Humanities Book: Know your Audience, Reach Your Readers” (Stanford University Press, February 19, 2021); “Turning Your Dissertation Into a Book (And Finding a Publisher!): Where to Begin” and “Demystifying the Book Publication Process” (Syracuse University Press, May 26, 2021), and the Spring 2022 Session, “Scholarly Book Publishing Today: A Conversation with University of California Press Editors” (University of California Press, April 22, 2022).
National Center for Faculty Diversity and Development (NCFDD) Workshop: Every Summer Needs a Plan
Anticipated May 2023, hosted by the Central New York Humanities Corridor
Participants in this planning webinar will identify personal and professional goals, create a strategic plan to accomplish them, and identify the types of community, support, and accountability they need to have a balanced and productive summer. The National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity offers on-demand access to mentoring tools and support academics need to be successful in the Academy. Syracuse University faculty members may access webinars and trainings through the NCFDD website through the University’s institutional membership.
Open to all Central New York Humanities Corridor faculty and graduate students.
SUMMER 2023
Summer Writing Circle: Give and Get Feedback Sessions
Regular Cohort Meetings Anticipated, Summer 2023
Do you struggle with summer writing? Are you looking for a low-stakes way to be held accountable? Are you interested in receiving feedback on a work-in-progress from a group of your peers?
Sign up for the Summer 2023 Give and Get Feedback Sessions to address these challenges and receive support to set goals, meet deadlines, and receive feedback from your humanities peers. Faculty of all ranks are invited to set and share a reasonable, achievable goal to reach a full draft of a piece of writing to workshop with peers in a feedback session, TBD depending on number of participants and preference for group meeting format. A piece of writing could be (but is not limited to) a chapter or manuscript excerpt, journal article, grant proposal, book proposal of no more than 20 – 25 pgs (or shorter). Participants share works-in-progress with a group of peers in advance of receiving feedback and pledge to attend the majority of meetings.