Call for Proposals 2023

2022 – APRIL/Auburn

Summer Colloquium:

“Oppressions and Repair”

1-15 July, New York City

Theme:

For the 2022 APRIL/Auburn Summer Colloquium, we seek applications from scholars, artists, activists, and others who work across disciplines, use differing terminologies, and work on issues of repair after the trauma and harm of multiple oppressions. This might include a focus on restorative justice; the criminal justice system; reparations regarding slavery and native genocide and land theft; repair of the earth in the face of environmental racism; distributive justice around economic inequality and work for equity; and other modes of oppression.

As in previous years, APRIL will co-host the colloquium with Auburn Seminary, in Manhattan’s Upper West Side, with possibilities for fellows to conduct research at Columbia University, Jewish Theological Seminary, and Union Theological Seminary’s libraries. Accepted applicants will receive food stipends and lodging for the duration of the colloquium. We also intend to include some reimbursement for travel to NYC (details forthcoming).

Please read these guidelines carefully, then click the button at the bottom of the page to start your application for the July 2022 APRIL/Auburn summer colloquium.

Applications are due by March 11, 2022 [deadline extended to March 18, 2022].  If you have any questions about the application process, please contact us at:  [email protected]

Please note that we are planning for an in-person, residential colloquium. However, this is subject to change depending on COVID-related public health guidelines. We believe we can meet in person safely, and we will be constantly monitoring the situation in NYC, which has a high vaccination rate. If we need to change our plans, we will of course do so and will stay in contact with all accepted applicants.

Eligibility

The APRIL/Auburn summer colloquium has run for over two decades. It is open to artists, activists, academics, and community leaders who work in critical and creative ways with the year’s theme. Preference is given to those applicants who express clear interest in the topic, based on their recent work, and who offer critical and creative plans for the public circulation of their colloquium research. This may take the form of a scholarly book or article; the development of teaching curricula for secondary or higher education; the creation of a documentary film; curation of a museum exhibition; written essays in public media; and/or supply the basis for informed community activism.

We would especially like to encourage participants to contribute to APRIL’s flagship publication, the journal CrossCurrents, and/or its online magazine “The Commons,” though this is not a requirement of acceptance to the colloquium.

COVID vaccination is required for all participants in the colloquium, with the exception of those who have specific, documented medical conditions that preclude vaccination. The health and safety of our summer scholars and our fellow New Yorkers comes first.

Civil Discourse

APRIL/Auburn summer colloquia are intended to be stimulating places for sharing ideas and inspirations on what can be difficult topics. We will look at significant recent and historical events, examine key texts, and discuss complicated and divisive issues. We ask that each colloquium member participate in establishing a dialogue designed for the benefit of all involved, one that aims to foster a sense of community for people who act in the world for positive change.

To that end, we expect that all colloquium contributors will foster an ethos of openness and respect, upholding the ideal of civil discourse. All colloquium presentations and discussions should be:

    • firmly grounded in thoughtful analysis, including rigorous academic/scientific/peer-reviewed studies
    • conducted without partisan advocacy
    • respectful of divergent views
    • free of ad hominem commentary
    • devoid of bias based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexuality, disability, or other criteria of identity

Our conversations together will touch on politically charged questions about religious life, identity, and the proper steps for moving forward. The facilitators of the colloquium will strive to create an environment for respectful discussion of these issues, and we expect our colloquium fellows to do the same.

Application Timeline and Materials

Applications for the APRIL/Auburn colloquium are due by 11:59 pm EST, on Friday, March 11, 2022 [Deadline extended to Friday, March 18, 2022]. Applicants will be notified of the admission committee’s decisions by Friday, March 30, 2022. If you are admitted, you will have until Friday, April 8, 2022 to accept or decline the offer of admission.

Application materials should be submitted through this Google Form, with the exception of a reference letter which your referee must email to  [email protected] by the application deadline.

The Google form will ask basic information about you and your work, including:

    • a resume or curriculum vitae (not to exceed three pages) detailing your qualifications and professional experience
    • three questions about the past, present, and future of your relevant work, described in more detail below
    • a confiden­tial letter of reference, described in more detail below

Your resume and application can be uploaded through the Google Form. Your reference letter must be emailed by your referee to maintain confidentiality. Applications without all three components will be considered incomplete, and will not be reviewed.

Application Essay

Your application essay should adhere to the guidelines stated on the Google Forms document. In 1-2 paragraphs each, you will be asked to address:

    1. Your past work on the topic, and your interest in continuing to find its significance in your religious, social, educational, and/or political environment.
    2. Any special perspectives, skills, or experiences that would allow you to make a distinctive contribution to the colloquium’s learning community
    3. Evidence that participation in the colloquium will have an impact on your own work, whether in teaching, creative works, activist work, or other. Be specific about how the colloquium will foster your work and the influence it might have on the places in which you work.

Reference Letter

One confidential letter of reference must be emailed by your referee to [email protected] by the March 14 application deadline. It should speak to your qualifications as an educator, activist, artist, and/or scholar.

 

Go to the Google Form here