WMU faculty invited to submit South Asia Grant proposals

Contact: Korey Force

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—Western Michigan University faculty members across disciplines are encouraged to apply for a fully funded curriculum training in India as well as a $2,500 honorarium to develop course material with a South Asia focus.

The awards are part of the Southwest Michigan Education Initiative on the East Indian Ocean being funded by a U.S. Department of Education grant.

They will allow four faculty recipients to travel to India Dec. 8-22 and receive curriculum training on South Asia in order to develop future course materials. The deadline to apply is May 31. To apply, visit wmich.edu/global/uisfl.

About the awards

Dr. Nathan L.M. Tabor, a visiting assistant professor in the departments of History and Comparative Religion, serves as the East Indian Ocean initiative's manager as well as a facilitator of curriculum development and will lead the trips to India.

"There are many courses at WMU that deal with themes relevant to the academic study of South Asia—world history, multiple languages and literatures, expanding global markets, comparative politics—just to name a few arenas that come up across disciplines," Tabor says.

"The Southwest Michigan Education Initiative on the East Indian Ocean's focus on faculty development will strengthen these themes and more by giving professors the space and time to deepen knowledge through study and travel."

Course development will widely encompass the topics of travel and trade governance, postcolonialism, capitalist expansion, religion and sovereignty, and Hindu and Sufi textual practices.

About Applying

Successful applicants will be required to attend three mandatory meetings during fall 2017 at a mutually agreeable time, read two assigned texts, and obtain permission from their chair and college dean to be absent for finals week.

To apply, faculty members must complete a Southwest Michigan Education Initiative on the East Indian Ocean application form and submit a two-page letter of interest detailing present and developing courses and how they could benefit from a greater understanding of the academic study of South Asia. Applicants should be sure to detail their goals, background and research interests.

For more information about the East Indian Ocean initiative, visit wmich.edu/global/uisfl or contact Tabor at nathan.tabor@wmich.edu.

For more WMU news, arts and events, visit wmich.edu/news.