Grant Funding

With support from the Title VI program of the U.S. Department of Education, the North Carolina Consortium for Middle East Studies (spearheaded by the UNC Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies and the Duke University Middle East Studies Center) is pleased to offer the grants below.

Deadline: Rolling during AY 2023-2024. All funds must be expended by July 31, 2024.

Applications should be submitted to:

• UNC + statewide applicants: mideast@unc.edu
• Duke applicants: Griffin Orlando (griffin.orlando@duke.edu)
• Durham Tech applicants: Shannon Hahn (hahns@durhamtech.edu)

The Center offers event funding opportunities for UNC units and organizations seeking support for projects that increase awareness of the history and culture of the Middle East and Muslim civilizations.

The North Carolina Consortium for Middle East Studies is pleased to offer a small pool of several thousand dollars to subsidize faculty research travel during academic year 2023-2024 and summer 2024.

Please note: Faculty at UNC, Duke, and other NC institutions MUST adhere to domestic, international, and university travel guidelines, as travel is still restricted by university campuses. For UNC travel policies and exceptions, see here; for Duke “essential travel” policies, see here.

Faculty may also submit applications for “remote” research, including, but not limited to such expenses as the purchase of research materials, virtual conference or seminar attendance/participation, transcription fees, or online language courses (for courses not offered at Duke, UNC, or other NC institutions).

Important: Faculty who are awarded the above grant, and who wish to travel internationally, must work with their respective center/campus on obtaining travel permissions from the U.S. Department of Education at least 45 days before departure (preferably 60 days). Airfare cannot be purchased before approval is granted by the U.S. Department of Education.

Please submit a 1- to 3-page proposal, your CV, and a budget in one PDF document.

A small pool of several thousand dollars is available to develop new courses focused on the Middle East and/or Islam. Special preference will be given to the following proposals:

• Faculty creating graduate-level courses or upgrading an undergraduate level course with graduate content;
• Courses designed to serve student populations that are underrepresented in Middle East studies;
• Courses that connect students across institutions;
• Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) courses;* and
• Courses intended to be taught in North Carolina prisons.**

Other proposal will also be welcomed and considered.

Funds may be used for graduate student research assistance in course planning and preparation, teaching materials, travel expenses, summer salary, or other costs related to the development of the course.

Courses are to be offered at least twice during a period of two years, starting in Fall 2024.

Submit a 1- to 3-page proposal, together with your CV, in one PDF document.

Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) courses have taken on elevated importance since the start of COVID-19. In a time of travel restrictions, the opportunity to be in conversation with faculty and their students at other institutions will be all the more meaningful.

The Middle East or Islam-related COIL course  should entail more than a few guest-lectures.  Rather, students taking the class would have an organized opportunity to meet other students, engage in dialogue, and potentially have a moment to compare their work or collaborate in some way with those they meet through the exchange.

The funding could be spent as a stipend to support a faculty member’s time in course design, pay for learning materials, and/or support a faculty’s participation in workshop or other training.

For COIL proposals, please also submit a budget and current course syllabus to be modified.

UNC faculty may teach in North Carolina prisons through UNC’s Correctional Education Program.

A small pool of several thousand dollars is available to support Duke, UNC, Durham Tech, and other NC institutions’ Middle East language instructors’ participation in pedagogical training programs in order to increase language teaching proficiency on our campuses. The grant will cover both in-person and virtual workshop expenses of up to $1,000 per applicant.

Please send an email with your proposed workshop, dates, location, and budget.