CALL FOR PARTICIPANTS!

Cleveland Humanities Collaborative Summer Seminar

$1,000 Participation Award

 

The Cleveland Humanities Collaborative (CHC) is pleased to announce that the application is now open for the annual, week-long, intensive summer seminar for faculty, staff, independent scholars, community educators, and graduate students.  The dates for this year’s seminar are Monday, July 28, 2025 – Friday, August 1, 2025. All seminar participants will receive a $1,000 stipend upon completion of the program.

Cara Byrne, Ph.D. and Keisha Davenport, M.A. will facilitate this year’s seminar. Cara is a lecturer in the Writing Program at CWRU and specializes in children’s picture books. Keisha is adjunct faculty at TriC and a secondary education ELA teacher. Both of them have participated in several of the prior CHC Seminars.

Seminar Format

This year’s seminar will center on professional development and teaching in community colleges, with a focus on how engaging children’s literature can enhance our scholarship and classrooms. Drawing on Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop’s concept of “windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors,” the seminar will examine representation in children’s literature, particularly analyzing the ways marginalized communities are represented in historic and contemporary picture books. Additional readings addressing childhood, community engagement, social power, and systems of oppression will be explored.

The seminar will meet in-person on the Case Western Reserve University Campus from 10:00am – 3:00pm each day (July 28 – Aug. 1). The CHC will provide lunch, parking, and all required reading materials. The readings will be distributed to participants in advance.

 

Participant Eligibility

The program is designed to enhance community and collaborations among a variety of key roles within Northeast Ohio’s educational institutions. The following roles are eligible to participate:

  • Faculty and staff from any higher-ed institution in Northeast Ohio, with priority given to community college educators.

  • Full-time staff from other educational, arts, and cultural institutions in the region.

  • Advanced graduate students in Northeast Ohio, with priority given to students who have a demonstrated interest in undergraduate teaching and community engagement.

  • Please note: We do not have funding for travel or housing, so all applicants must reside within Northeast Ohio (defined as within 90 miles of CWRU’s campus).

 

Seminar Expectations:

  1. Each participant needs to read the assigned text(s) prior to each seminar meeting week, and be prepared to discuss.

  2. Each participant will agree to adhere to the community standards for engagement.

  3. Seminar participants must attend and participate in all of the seminar meetings to receive their stipend.

 

How to Apply: 

To apply, please complete the 2025 CHC Summer Seminar Application by April 25, 2025.  Space is limited to 12 participants. Selected participants will be notified by May 16, 2025.

 

If you have questions about the seminar, please contact the CHC’s Associate Director, Mr. Jamaal Hill, via email at jamaal.hill@case.edu.