"Living History Scholars Initiative 4.0" --  Three years ago, the History Department launched, on a small scale, a new initiative for undergraduate community building called Living History Scholars.  Based on great interest and terrific projects produced by the first three cohorts of Living History Scholars, the Department is announcing Living History Scholars Initiative 4.0 for academic year 2024-25.  Living History Scholars Initiative Proposals are submitted in the Fall Term, and projects are conducted in the Spring Term (see deadlines, below).

Individuals or small teams of undergraduates can submit a Living History Scholars proposal.  To be funded, a proposal (1) needs to be a history-related project that can credibly lead to a learning outcome, that is, a knowledge process or product, before the end of the semester, to be shared with other students and faculty, and where appropriate, the broader community, at the annual "We're Making History" Gala in late April; (2)  the project needs to engage with history in new and creative ways that can include but are not limited to (a) community-engagements, broadly defined, that include students going physically or "virtually" outside the confines of the "WashU Bubble" to engage historically with the St. Louis region, or some other area beyond WashU; (b) engaging in new or unconventional modes of historically-informed presentation and interpretation, including podcasts, film or web video, historical fiction, theater, social media, op-ed/longform journalism, and so on; (c) the creation of a new "archive," map, or database; (d) using your historical imagination to learn about and put in conversation historical contexts and experiences not usually brought together, across time and space; or (e) something else, in the spirit of "Living History," that you conjure up.  These categories and examples are meant to be illustrative rather than exhaustive.

To apply for the Living History Scholars initiative, you'll need to submit (A) a Very Brief (2-3 page) proposal that describes the learning, research, and knowledge process or product that your activity hopes to generate; (B) why you think this contributes to 'Living History" in some of the ways discussed above, or in some other way; (C) what skills and/or background you or your small team have that will ensure that you can conduct this project with little or no faculty supervision (specify any faculty or community input that you'll need); (D) a rough calendar of how you're going to progress through the project over the course of the 14-week Spring Term (i.e. Week III, I'll/we'll do this; Week IV; do that . . . etc. culminating in Week XIV "We're Making History" Gala Presentation of (describe the thing you're hoping to present, share with students and faculty at the end of the term); and ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT, (E) a Budget that itemizes any costs of your project.   Please itemize your Budget in a separate, dedicated paragraph, at the end of your proposal, including a few words justifying each proposed expense.   Project budgets should not exceed $1000.   Let us know if you need any input as you're putting together a budget. 

 -- Project Proposals should be sent to Prof. Iver Bernstein at icbernst@wustl.edu in the form of a Word.doc email attachment by 5:00 p.m. Central on Friday, November 15th, with subject line "Living History Scholars '25 Project Proposal." Living History Scholars projects for spring term '25 will be announced during the week of Monday, December 9th.

-- If you're Considering submitting a Living History Scholars Proposal, let Professor Bernstein know ASAP, by way of prompt reply to this announcement/email--you can just say, "I'm considering submitting a proposal . . ."

--- If you have any questions as you are thinking through or putting together a Living History Scholars proposal, feel free to contact Prof. Bernstein (icbernst@wustl.edu).  Prof. Bernstein is available in the weeks ahead (before the November 15th deadline) to help you think through/draft a proposal.