Applications accepted through October 15, 2026
At a time of global and domestic upheaval, when countless dangers threaten the planet and its people, it is urgent to find new ways of thinking, speculating, and writing to spur hope and action.
Art of Writing is launching a new undergraduate seminar series entitled Writing Emergencies. Designed to help students speak to the troubling situations of our time, the seminars address a range of topics that could include forms of economic inequality, systemic discrimination and prejudice, structural oppression, social and political turmoil, environmental crisis, and war.
Taught in the faculty member’s home department, Art of Writing seminars are upper-division courses that focus on writing and rewriting throughout the semester. Innovative writing exercises, coupled with key readings on the course topic, allow students to learn about the important synthesis of critical thinking, research, reading, and writing.
Grant Provision
Art of Writing will provide $5000 grants to assist faculty members in designing and teaching a Writing Emergencies seminar in their home department during academic years 2027-28 and 2028-29. The grants comprise $3000 in research funds and $2000 in curriculum enhancement funds that can be used for course enrichment activities such as field trips and guest speakers.
Eligibility
The program is open to all ladder-rank faculty. Awardees should expect to teach their Writing Emergencies seminar in 2027-28 or 2028-29 as part of their regular course load in their home department.
Application Guidelines
Faculty should submit a cover letter that includes a 250-500 word description of the proposed seminar. Please specify the departmental course number that the course will be assigned.
For proposals that reach the next stage of the selection process, we will request a preliminary syllabus, a sample of assigned writing exercises, and an explanation of how intensive writing and revision will be incorporated throughout the semester. If you would like to include these materials as part of your initial submission, please feel free to do so. Cover letters should be addressed to Prof. Ramona Naddaff, Director, Art of Writing.
Submission
Send the documents as an attachment to janeliaw@berkeley.edu.