Brandeis University
Department of Politics
Brandeis University |
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Research Circle on Democracy and Cultural Pluralism
With the support of a gift from Jeanette Lerman '69 and Joseph Neubauer, the De- partment has established a Research Circle on Democracy and Cultural Pluralism, focused on understanding the nature of conflicts associated with difference and identifying strategies by which to manage them peacefully, and in a manner that sustains and strengthens democracy. The research circle draws on the par- ticipation of interested faculty and students across many departments. Activities in- clude colloquia in which outside speakers, graduate and undergraduate students, and faculty present their work for discussion; the revision of existing courses and introduction of new ones to provide students with opportunities for structured study of the challenge of difference for democracy; support for student research in courses, through independent study, and in senior honors theses and graduate re- search papers; and support for collabor- ative research and writing projects involving faculty and undergraduate and graduate students. Program StatementHow do democracies manage, or even gain strength from, difference? Understanding the nature of conflicts associated with difference, and finding the means by which to manage them peacefully, and in a manner that sustains and strengthens democracy is one of the great social and political challenges of our time. Conflicts based on race, ethnicity, gender, culture, and social and economic inequality are among the most compelling contemporary issues for students, for political scientists and for other scholars in the social sciences, humanities and the arts. These are issues and conflicts that are likely to become even more important as economic and technological changes, demographic processes, and immigration increase the internal diversity of open, democratic societies. The activities of the research circle are intended to encourage undergraduates to undertake the challenges of advanced classroom learning and senior honors research, faculty to provide students with curricular offerings and supervised research opportunities, and faculty and students to collaborate on original research projects focused on democracy and cultural pluralism. Call for Proposals to Fund Senior Honors ResearchThe Research Circle on Democracy and Cultural Pluralism invites proposals from Senior Honors Students in the Social Sciences and Humanities, and their advisors, for Circle funding to support research for the senior honors thesis. Theses must address a question related to the broad topic of "democracy and cultural pluralism." The Research Circle may provide up to $500 of funding for travel (to special library collections, to conduct interviews, etc), acquisition of research materials (specialized monographs, microfilm/fiche, photocopying of documents, etc), or other reasonable expenses connected with the conduct of research for the thesis. The Circle may fund up to eight honors projects. Proposals for funding must include a.) a clear title and the research question addressed by the thesis, b.) two paragraphs explaining the goals of the project, and the specific research activities for which funding is sought; and, c.) a budget and timetable indicating how and when the funds will be spent. The proposal must be signed by the thesis advisor, who must also provide a separate confidential letter of recommendation in support of the application. Both documents are to be sent directly to: Professor Steven L. Burg The DEADLINE for submission of proposals is November 13. The Research Circle is supported by a grant from Joseph Neubauer and Jeanette Lerman-Neubauer '69 |
