American Examples is a collaborative working group for early career scholars who study religion in America, broadly conceived, from a variety of disciplines. That is, it is for scholars from any discipline who study “something someone called religion somewhere someone called America.” The program is generously funded by the Henry Luce Foundation. American Examples engages the study of religion in America across three areas: research, teaching, and digital public scholarship. Drawing on expertise from across the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Alabama, American Examples offers scholars an opportunity to do work that transgresses and exceeds the academic and geographic boundaries of “American religion” or “American religious history.”
American Examples seeks applications for participants in its 2024 program. AE consists of three two-day workshops, each with its own focus: research, digital public scholarship, and teaching. The workshops are hosted at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa and led by mentors drawn from the faculty of the Department of Religious. Travel, lodging, and meals in Tuscaloosa for participants are paid for by American Examples.
The Workshops
Research Workshop February 2-3, 2024: A collaborative discussion of chapter length works in progress that will lead to the publication of an edited anthology of participants’ chapters with the University of Alabama Press.
Teaching April 12-13, 2024: A collaborative and engaging series of discussions and activities that will equip participants with new methods and pedagogy for their courses.
Digital Public Scholarship September 13-14, 2024 (tentative): Hosted in the REL Digital Lab, this hands-on workshop is a sort of “incubator” of new ideas for digital projects that will reach various publics. With examples ranging from podcasting to digital archives to digital exhibits, participants will learn strategies for developing public humanities projects and digital platforms and tools for producing them.
For more information on the workshops see http://americanexamples.ua.edu/about.
Participant Qualifications
American Examples seeks applications for participants from any untenured scholarwho studies so-called “religion in America,” very broadly conceived—“something someone called religion somewhere someone called America.” Applicants must have at least reached ABD status in their Ph.D. program. Ph.D candidates, non-TT instructors, adjuncts, scholars in libraries and alt-ac careers, and independent scholars are especially encouraged to apply. Applicants from communities underrepresented in the academic study of religion are also especially encouraged to apply.
Thus, applicants can range from ABD Ph.D. students to tenure-track Assistant Professors. Likewise, scholars from a variety of disciplines including (but not limited to) religious studies, history, sociology, communications, media studies, anthropology, English, and literature are encouraged to apply. Priority will be given to applicants who have not published a monograph and to those off the tenure track.
Participant Requirements and Publication Plans
Participants in the program are required to have a chapter length research project prepared to pre-circulate to the other workshop participants in early January 2024. These chapters are then revised by participants after the research workshop for publication in American Examples: New Conversations about Religion, Volume Six, part of the American Examples anthology series published by the University of Alabama Press. Participants should also be prepared to do preparatory reading or writing before and after all three workshops.
Application Materials
Applicants should send the following to AE Director Mike Altman via email at michael.altman@ua.edu. Applications are due October 15, 2023.
- 2-page CV
- Abstract of research project (no more than 1 page)
- A cover letter that expresses your interest in American Examples and answers the following questions:
- Why do you want to be a part of American Examples?
- What question, term, concept, or debate does your research investigate that would be of comparative interest to a scholar who doesn’t study “America”?
- What do you bring to the program? What do you hope to get out of it?
- Applicants who are ABD should have their advisor email the AE director a brief note verifying their ABD status.