Cooperative Consortium for Transdisciplinary Social Justice Research 2018 CALL FOR PROPOSALS Background The University of Louisville Cooperative Consortium for Transdisciplinary Social Justice Research (Consortium) has been reasonably assured of continued funding to support the creation or expansion of transdisciplinary social justice research teams, projects, creative activities, and community-engaged scholarship for faculty and students at the University of Louisville. The Consortium was created from the Provost's irfp grant and matching funds from 31 University offices, units, centers, institutes, and departments including the Brandeis School of Law, the College of Arts & Sciences, College of Education & Human Development, Kent School of Social Work, School of Nursing, School of Public Health & Information Sciences, and the School of Medicine. Pledges also came from University offices, units and centers, including the HSC Office of Diversity and Inclusion, the Muhammad Ali Institute for Peace and Justice within the Vice Provost s Office for Diversity and International Affairs, and the Vice President s Office of Community Engagement. Social justice transdisciplinary research stretches past traditional academic multi-disciplinarity or inter-professionalism to foster collaborations across disciplines, colleges, and beyond academia to develop humanistically-infused processes for identifying new solutions to complex, intransigent social problems. See FAQ and http://louisville.edu/socialjustice/what-is for more information on the Consortium s definitions. Funding Opportunity In 2017, the Consortium awarded 15 grants 13 research projects and two special projects, including Housing Justice and Latin@ Immigrant Outreach. The Consortium has also matched 8 undergraduate students with funded research teams, and we have 9 graduate students working with Consortium staff or with faculty on research projects. This year, the Consortium will award cash grants up to $7,500 plus course releases (up to 2 per project per year) for one or two-year projects. Funding Priorities All UofL faculty are encouraged to apply, although priority will be given to proposals that meet the following (see attached Appendices for more detail on each): I. Align with the Consortium's Social Justice Areas of Focus: a. Community Justice i. Housing Justice ii. Criminal Justice Reform iii. Health Equity b. Environmental Justice c. Social Justice in West Louisville d. Emerging Area of Focus II. Integrate a humanities focus in the project s outcomes and/or methods (see #5 in FAQ - https://louisville.edu/socialjustice/grant-research-support/call-for-proposals) 1
III. Reflects the Consortium s commitment to diversity and inclusion, including multiple and diverse perspectives, and supports UofL s statement on diversity (http://louisville.edu/diversity/about-us). Funding Proposal Requirements Proposals should be submitted in 12-point Times New Roman font and must be no longer than 5 pages in length, with no more than 10 pages of additional attachments or appendices, one of which must include a 2-page bibliography. Each proposal must contain: I. Abstract (250 words) Describe your research project and overall aims. II. III. IV. Statement of Social Justice Purpose (Impact Statement) Beyond traditional academic reporting, projects should be explicitly oriented toward creating policy or system change. The nature of social justice work centers on countering structural inequalities and successful projects will do the same (see FAQ #4 - https://louisville.edu/socialjustice/grant-research-support/call-for-proposals). Provide a literature review, theoretical framework, or creative context that frames the intended social justice impact of the project. Description of the Transdisciplinary Research (TDR) Team Note: The TDR team must include the participation of faculty in at least two units/colleges, or in the case of larger units/colleges, at least 3 departments (Multi-unit proposals are preferred). Individual faculty already doing or planning TDR work with non-uofl partners are encouraged to expand their work to build TDR capacity at UofL by involving at least one UofL transdisciplinary partner in their research. Describe your research team: a. Faculty b. Community Partner - including how the partner will be involved throughout all phases of the project c. Graduate Students d. Undergraduate Students e. Please describe how your team includes participants that reflect multiple diverse perspectives V. Study Methodology and Products Tell us more about the work - include here such matters as target population, research questions, data collection and analysis, etc. VI. Proposed Timeline Please include a brief description of how the project will address the Consortium s faculty research outcomes and expectations, including a publication submission and/or a 2
presentation in Year 2 and (if relevant for proposed time frame) Year 3 at a local, regional, national, or international forum. See Appendix for more details. VII. Funds Requested a. Line Item Budget (see Budget Template) b. Budget Justification Budget Restrictions o No travel funding o No funding for faculty outside of the University of Louisville, but they can participate on the research team o Maximum $250 honorarium for community partner o $3500 course release maximum to fund a part time lecturer Requires a commitment letter from the chair of the department or dean of college acknowledging the maximum funding available VIII. IX. Community Partner Involvement Include letters of commitment from all community organizations detailing their role(s) in all phases of the social justice TDR project. Student Involvement Describe (and name if possible) how undergraduate and graduate students will be included in the research project, including, but not limited to: what projects and/or tasks would be assigned, tentative number of hours needed weekly, any specific skills needed, etc. X. Project Sustainability Share plan for seeking additional internal or external support for the proposal, as appropriate. XI. Attachments a. Letter(s) of Commitment i. Dean or chair for each course releases ii. Community partner b. Bibliography (2 pp) c. CV for each faculty researcher (2 pp) Proposals should be submitted electronically by noon on Monday, December 18 to transdisciplinary@louisville.edu. For more information, contact Cassia Herron, Consortium Research Manager at cassia.herron@louisville.edu. 3
Faculty Research Fellowship Outcomes and Expectations 1. Fellows will participate in a network of scholar-activists dedicated to identifying new solutions to intransigent problems of social inequality. 2. Fellows will function as the lead manager of their project and have primary responsibility to build or expand a transdisciplinary research team. 3. Fellows agree to develop the research project in such a way that it will lead to a publication submission and/or a presentation in Year 2 (and a second in Year 3 if applicable) at a local, regional, national, or international forum. This work would be done with the support of CCTSJR faculty and staff, Graduate and Undergraduate Fellows, as well as a broader faculty/student research network. 4. Fellows will provide mid-year and annual reports to document: a. Progress on funded research; b. Progress toward Y2 & Y3 publication and/or presentation requirements; c. An accounting of the use of fellowship support (direct grant or course buy-out time) d. Evidence of community benefits e. Evidence of student benefits f. Identified opportunities for external funding, (as appropriate) g. Plans for sustaining or completing the project. 5. Fellows agree to participate in the creation and support of a social justice research community including, but not limited to: a. Work on/participating in an annual symposium; or b. Lead a discussion on their research project at one of the regularly organized meetings of faculty, students, and community partners engaged in social justice transdisciplinary research (e.g., periodic meetings of researchers and others interested in each topical area); or c. Mentor faculty, students, and community partners engaged in social justice research and community engagement experiences. 4
Consortium Areas of Focus 1) Community Justice a) Criminal Justice Reform Issues related to the school-to-prison pipeline, mass incarceration, youth violence prevention, and organizational justice issues. Projects will build a transdisciplinary team to unite the interdisciplinary work currently underway in several colleges, schools, and programs at the University e.g., Criminal Justice, Brandeis School of Law, Kent School, CEHD, and Public Health. b) Housing Justice Currently, the Consortium is supporting housing research including an annual State of Metropolitan Housing Report, monthly housing work group discussions, an annual forum for Fair Housing Initiatives, work with University arts and digital humanities programs to expand faculty and student-led creative products on fair housing, and hosting a public forum to discuss recent research projects and community work towards fair housing. This substantially enhances and expands the successful community-engaged social justice scholarship project organized and led by the Anne Braden Institute (ABI) and the Center for Environmental Policy and Management (CEPM) in the past few years. c) Health Equity Health equity relates to eliminating the barriers and inequalities that affect someone's or a group of persons' ability to live a life of wellness. Because of the multi-disciplinary nature of this work, a TDR team could contribute greatly in this field of study. 2) Environmental Justice Environmental Justice (EJ) addresses the historical and contemporary uneven distribution of environmental harms and benefits across communities. EJ is a major element of the UofL Sustainability initiative with work underway across several colleges and disciplines, an established base of student interest and links to the work of several faculty who are conducting various studies in West Louisville, especially the Rubbertown area. EJ issues in West Louisville are related to air, soil, and water pollution and quality, access to healthy food, as well as concerns of asbestos and vacant or abandoned properties. It is an area of research that highlights structural inequalities that are of concern in our rapidly changing city. It is anticipated that TDR research projects would require multiple methodological approaches, thus casting a wide net for faculty and student participation. 5
3) Social Justice Issues in West Louisville Unlike the other areas of focus, this concentration is geographic building and expanding upon the longstanding University commitment in the Signature Partner Initiative, which was established in 2007. Nowhere else in Louisville Metro are social injustices so glaring or so concentrated. Interdisciplinary social justice research projects such as those described above relative to Rubbertown are already in motion. A TDR focus could significantly expand the reach of existing projects and create new synergies with the inclusion of a wider range of disciplines and for new faculty to get involved. 4) Emerging Social Justice Issues This topical area is intentionally less defined to leave room for coordinating transdisciplinary research and policy responses to developments that fall outside the foci listed above. These themes might include civil liberties, voting concerns, affirmative action, immigrant rights, and health disparities. The promise of social justice TDR at the University is wide-ranging. Recent Consortium-funded projects within this category include LGBTQ health and Latin@ immigrant outreach. 6