Description

Purpose of grant:                            For a bridging program toward a re-envisioned Luce/ACLS Program in China Studies. Amount recommended:                A one-year grant of $750,000.
Summary:                               In 2020, the Directors approved a $575,000 grant to ACLS for the Program in China Studies. Alongside support for a ninth year of early career fellowships (see Luce Fellows and Fellowships tab), it funded an advisory group to begin assessment, through survey and discussion, of the program in the context of China studies today and its future prospects. Building on that work, the proposed grant would launch an envisioned three-year bridging effort for a series of convenings and pilot activities to encourage the field in self-reflection and foster dialogue among a diverse range of scholars and persons outside the academy interested in China. The aim is to inaugurate a reconfigured Program in China Studies in the third year.
ACLS would organize a series of brainstorming sessions with academics and non-academics to identify priorities for the field: topics, approaches, partners in the co-creation of knowledge, and audiences. A steering committee constituted through this process would review the work of the 2020-21 advisory group and commission additional research as necessary, monitor pilot fellowship competitions, plan a summer institute and produce recommendations on research and program building.
Two new types of fellowships would be piloted: (1) short-term awards for flexible use over 12 months for research, writing or curriculum development, requiring no leave and providing funds for needs including travel, childcare, books, and access to archives and databases; and (2) longer-term fellowships (maximum eight months, requiring leave) for concentrated research and writing. Both competitions would be open to research-active scholars in China studies at all types of institutions. Both fellowships would emphasize curriculum development and writing accessible to broader publics. Members of a separate fellowship selection committee would mentor the fellows during their fellowships.
A three-day summer institute would bring awardees together with selected past fellows, committee members, mentors, and guests. Its purposes are to build cohorts, develop skills, chart research directions, and stimulate curriculum and program development. Embedded in all activities is the commitment to promoting a healthy balance between teaching and scholarship; expanding study of China across the U.S. academy, from research institutions to teaching-intensive ones; and delivering the fruits of research in accessible language to audiences beyond the academy.
The Asia Program anticipates bringing annual recommendations to the Directors for future years of the program.
Recommendation:                          That the Directors of the Henry Luce Foundation approve a one-year grant of $750,000 to the American Council of Learned Societies to support a bridging program toward a re-envisioned Luce/ACLS Program in China Studies.   www.acls.org