Conflict Transformation Global Courses Funding Guidelines

In an increasingly interconnected world, students must build literacy in international systems and cross-cultural understanding to develop necessary skills for transforming conflict across intellectual, cultural, and geographical borders.

The Kathryn Wasserman Davis Collaborative in Conflict Transformation (the CT Collaborative) supports the development of international internships and experiences in conflict transformation. For the next two years (2023-24 and 2024-25), we are piloting an initiative to support up to three “global courses” offered by College and Institute faculty and staff during the January, Spring, or Summer terms each academic year. The goal is to connect global immersion with conflict analysis and transformation skills in our curriculum.

Eligibility

Regular full time faculty at Middlebury can propose a global course as part of their teaching load for the upcoming academic year. Proposals can be submitted by 1-2 faculty (team teaching is encouraged). Exceptions with justification can be proposed. Please note these requirements:

  • Funding requests per course should be $75,000 or less. 
  • The project lead must be a current faculty or staff member at Middlebury College or the Middlebury Institute of International Studies.
  • The project should benefit the broader Middlebury community and host community, rather than an individual.
  • The project should not be intended as a commercial venture.  
  • The project should be connected to a credit-bearing course and explicitly address cross-cultural issues and research ethics. 
  • Course travel should be planned for Winter Term, Spring Break, or Summer Term (no programs will be funded during the fall semester). 
  • Courses should include a minimum of 6 days and a maximum of 4 weeks in country .
  • Courses should include a minimum of 7 students and a maximum of 17 students. We recommend a maximum 1:10 student-faculty ratio unless there is significant local partner support.
  • Middlebury follows the Forum on Education Abroad standards for international faculty-led courses. Faculty should be prepared to adhere to these standards when offering a global course. 

Types of Global Courses

In addition to the content and CT-focus of the course, faculty should consider the experiential learning modality that will best serve the students and course content. Prior global course modalities include, but are not limited to the following:

  1. Understanding a Critical Global Issue: Course includes site visits with stakeholders and professionals working on a specific issue (e.g. Peacebuilding in the Balkans). Students meet with local stakeholders and gain a better understanding of the culture and context surrounding the course content/theme. 
  2. Field Research: Students/faculty complete a research project requested by a local partner or developed by a student based on course content (e.g. field research for the Andean Alliance in Peru). 
  3. Client Project: In addition to covering point 1 above, students may complete a project for a host organization (e.g., CRS in Cambodia, Partners in Health in Rwanda)

Timeline

Phase One

First Friday in April (e.g., April 5, 2024): Faculty interested in building and leading a global course submit the following:
 

  1. Proposal form with initial course idea, including an overall budget (template here). 
  2. Curriculum Committee New Course Form (only if the course will include Middlebury undergrads)

Early June: After review by the deans and curriculum committee, faculty are notified regarding proposal status. Accepted proposals move to Phase Two planning. Proposals moving on to Phase Two are conditionally accepted subject to planning work with global courses staff (Catherine Pierattini and Carolyn Meyer) and submission of a full proposal by July 1. 

Phase Two

July 1: Faculty submit full proposal to Global Course Staff (Catherine Pierattini and Carolyn Meyer) including:

Funds for successful projects will be available after an assessment plan is submitted, and not before August 1, 2024.

Components of the Application

Proposals for funding are submitted using the application link. If prompted to create an account, use your Middlebury credentials to access the form.

In addition to completing the form, you will be asked to attach a PDF that includes the following:

Project Proposal: Your project proposal should contain a rationale for the project, plans for development and execution, the desired impact for students and the host community, and the benchmarks for success.

Conflict Transformation: we anticipate two main avenues through which global courses will engage with the scholarship and practice of conflict transformation.  First, the effectiveness of any action depends on good analysis. Students may use time in field sites to develop an understanding of the drivers of conflict and the actors, interests, resources, and power dynamics involved. Second, global courses may involve work building conflict transformation skills.  This could range from ethnographies for historical narratives to structuring community dialogues to supporting restorative practices or mediation efforts. The CT Collaborative website contains a curated set of resources on conflict transformation and a draft syllabus with resources on CT skills. 

Detailed Budget: Total amount requested must be no more than $75,000.  The budget should include revenue estimates if applicable, as well as costs, estimated or otherwise, for materials, travel, release time, personnel, and any other anticipated expenditure. Your budget line items should be as specific as possible.  Your budget should be one page or less.

  • Develop a plan for student expenses considering financial access. CT will support needs-based assessment. Cost-sharing with other programs is possible. 

Successful Proposals

Should your proposal receive funding, the following reports will be required:  

  • An Assessment Plan will be due before funds are released. 
  • A final summary report based on the evaluation criteria selected in the project proposal will be due one month after the conclusion of the project.
  • Plans for sharing student reflections and photos/videos through and at the end of the course.

Resources to write these reports are available.  If circumstances warrant a change in the scope of work during the project, a formal request should be submitted via email.

Questions?

Staff is available to meet with those proposing initiatives, when requested, to help develop their ideas and determine other individuals to consult with before submitting a formal proposal. Please reach out to Catherine Pierattini (cpierattini@middlebury.edu).

Additional Resources