The Taft Professorship in Public Humanities and the Taft Professorship in Social Justice Studies are designed to reward Taft Research Center’s most outstanding faculty in the 15 Taft departments with a dedicated funding line that they can draw on to conduct and share their research and creative projects.
These Professorships are awarded based on past scholarly success and the promise of future scholarly and/or creative distinction. Faculty with a national and international reputation for outstanding scholarly and creative work in public humanities and/or social justice studies – broadly conceived – particularly those drawing on recent and ongoing projects that can be expected to continue into the future, will be most competitive. Taft faculty at all levels are encouraged to apply, including advanced assistant professors, associate professors, and full professors.
These Professorships are awarded for a term of three years, during which time the two faculty members who serve in these positions will be expected to serve on the Taft Director’s Planning Committee and participate in some Taft activities (to be agreed upon with the Taft Director, and depending upon each individual’s areas of expertise). These professors will receive an annual $4,000 personal research fund that they can use for their research, creative projects, and professional development. In addition, their home department will receive $4,000 per year for one course release for the Taft Fellow.
The Taft Professorship in Public Humanities and the Taft Professorship in Social Justice Studies will be selected by a committee that consists of the Taft Research Center Director (committee chair) and at least four additional members with expertise in these interdisciplinary research areas.
Taft Professor of Public Humanities 2020-2023
The Taft Professorship in Public Humanities is designed for faculty who have successfully participated in socially- and/or community-engaged humanistic inquiry; who have experience in public-facing, humanistic scholarship and/or education, and who are prepared to speak in accessible ways to a variety of audiences, both within and outside academia.
Taft Professor of Social Justice Studies 2020-2023
The Taft Professorship in Social Justice Studies is designed for faculty who have successfully participated in socially- and/or community-engaged social science inquiry; who have demonstrated experience in public-facing, social justice scholarship; and who are prepared to speak in accessible ways to a variety of audiences, both within and outside academia.