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Designing interdisciplinary Humanities/STEM

TeachDesigning interdisciplinary Humanities/STEM


Teaching and Research programs in African
universities
Application Deadline: 10 September 2017

Number of visits: 1044

Call for proposals


The Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa, CODESRIA, is
pleased to announce a call for proposals for a new intervention on Designing
interdisciplinary Humanities/STEM Teaching and Research programs for African
universities. The intervention is supported by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon to
support innovative programs that combine perspectives from the Humanities in the
teaching of STEM disciplines and vice-versa. The intervention is a response to the
continued segmentation in terms of teaching and research of the Humanities from STEM
disciplines, while in actual sense; both disciplines seek to find solutions to the same
problems, a fact that should call for more synergy and convergence between them. The
initiative carries forward CODESRIAs work in strengthening the institutional bases for
knowledge production in the Humanities in African universities and research centers.
This particular call rhymes with the Councils 2017-2021 Strategic Plan that focuses
on Reaching New Frontiers in Social Research and Knowledge Production for
African Transformation and Development

Established in 1973, CODESRIA is a Pan-African organization dedicated to contributing


to development in Africa by promoting research and research training that privilege
African perspectives. CODESRIA seeks to magnify the voices of African and Diaspora
scholars in the Humanities and Social Sciences on the most important questions in African
life through support for research, training, publication and dissemination, and advocacy.
In so doing, CODESRIA seeks to act as a strategic partner for higher education
institutions and research centers in Africa as well as policy actors and practitioners
engaging with important issues on the continent that can benefit from sound knowledge.

Background
There are emerging debates and assertions that higher education in Africa would serve
the needs of the continent better were it to focus and provide more funding for the STEM
disciplines compared to the Humanities and Social Sciences. Policy makers complain that
problems such as graduate unemployment that the continent faces has been accentuated
by the high student enrolments in the Humanities and Social Sciences while shunning
STEM disciplines. The political leadership in the continent has readily accepted these
assertions and continues to espouse the technologist and economist thinking on higher
education and privileging of the STEM disciplines as more important to Africas growth
and development. The worldwide science-centric tendency has been picked up all over
the continent, resulting in the Humanities and Social Sciences being downplayed, with its
scholarship ignored and its contribution marginalized. Besides, the emerging private
university sector in the continent is focusing on IT, business and health sciences,
promoting these disciplines as what should mark a relevant university curriculum.
Furthermore, the opposition to Humanities and Social Sciences is associated with the
rates of return arguments of the international financial institutions, which has been used
before to argue against investing in higher education in Africa on grounds that the rates
of return of investments in HE were lower than those in basic education. Adherence of
African governments to such arguments set universities on a permanent path to cost
recovery from students. Other studies on graduate employment trends in Africa however,
do seem to suggest that graduate unemployment is exacerbated by lack of soft skills
among graduates; skills that the Humanities are better placed to cultivate. The Humanities
are better placed to contribute to learning skills that promote more inclusive and equitable
growth, embracing a diversity of peoples and cultures, respecting the environment and
more generally contributing to a better understanding of problems society faces today
such as poverty, disease, climate change, and threats to national and global security.

The case for an interdisciplinary STEM/Humanities


Much academic discourse regarding higher education in Africa often paints Humanities
as less relevant and less useful compared to the STEM disciplines in terms of their
contributions to the development of the continent. However, some evidence on the ground
provides a different reality. Studies on employability, for example, show that on average,
70% of employment in Africa is informal-sector based and that just 30% accrues from
R&D related investments. So on one hand, we have STEM and its strong focus on science
and technology; on the other, we have Humanities and its extensive focus on society,
where informal modes of innovation are sustaining the majority of the African people.
Besides, even Western economies that are R&D intensive and can afford a STEM
curriculum, continue to espouse a strong Humanities component to STEM training, hence
STEAM (the A standing for the "Arts," or Humanities). Africas case for an
interdisciplinary STEM/Humanities curriculum is all the more urgent because of the
immense informal sector contribution to development processes.

CODESRIA believes that what Africa needs for its development is not a privileging of
one set of disciplines over the other but a conversation between the two broad areas of
study and their co-development. Given the vast social implications of technology and
innovation including trends associated with genetic technologies and information
technology and the reverse impacts that social factors can have on their embrace, the
engagement of STEM and the Humanities is of critical importance in any project at
remaking Africa and its varied and changing societies. Promoting the institutionalization
of engagement between STEM and the Humanities in African universities will contribute
to bridging the disciplinary divide and provide holistic strategies through which
universities would contribute to the emergence of broad-based skills required for
inclusive development in Africa.

Under this call, CODESRIA intends to support initiatives for the design of
interdisciplinary courses within existing departments, centers, institutes and programs in
the Humanities and STEM. Proposals outlining how the (re) designing process will be
undertaken, the process of integration into institutional research and teaching activities,
including consultative, design and planning workshops and the contracting of experts to
design such programs, including academics from the African diaspora are encouraged.
African Diaspora academics that wish to participate in the initiative are encouraged to
submit joint proposals with faculties/schools or research centers based in African
universities. The proposals should highlight details such as the development of courses;
faculty and student talk series, pedagogy training and research that are directly linked to
teaching.
The funding to be provided for proposed activities will depend on how the needs
identified will be articulated in the proposal and a clear justification for all the identified
activities. However, as a guideline up to USD 50,000 will be provided for innovative
proposals that demonstrate long-term sustainable outcomes.

Proposals for consideration should strictly be sent under the auspices of faculties/schools
or research centers where the programs are housed. Individual submissions will not be
accepted. Proposals should be between 10-15 pages, 1.5 spaced and include the CVs/bios
of key proposers who will be in charge of implementing the activity/s proposed, and
attestation of their institutional affiliation.

Proposals should be sent as electronic mail to:


CODESRIA
Interdisciplinary Humanities/STEM in African universities
BP 3304, Dakar, 18524, Sngal
Tl. (221) 33 825 98 21/22/23
Courriel: humanities.stem@codesria.sn
Website: http://www.codesria.org

ing and Research programs in African universities


Application Deadline: 10 September 2017

Number of visits: 1044

Call for proposals


The Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa, CODESRIA, is pleased to announce a call for proposals for a new intervention on Designing
interdisciplinary Humanities/STEM Teaching and Research programs for African universities. The intervention is supported by a grant from the Andrew W.
Mellon to support innovative programs that combine perspectives from the Humanities in the teaching of STEM disciplines and vice-versa. The intervention is a
response to the continued segmentation in terms of teaching and research of the Humanities from STEM disciplines, while in actual sense; both disciplines seek to
find solutions to the same problems, a fact that should call for more synergy and convergence between them. The initiative carries forward CODESRIAs work in
strengthening the institutional bases for knowledge production in the Humanities in African universities and research centers. This particular call rhymes with the
Councils 2017-2021 Strategic Plan that focuses on Reaching New Frontiers in Social Research and Knowledge Production for African Transformation and
Development

Established in 1973, CODESRIA is a Pan-African organization dedicated to contributing to development in Africa by promoting research and research training that
privilege African perspectives. CODESRIA seeks to magnify the voices of African and Diaspora scholars in the Humanities and Social Sciences on the most
important questions in African life through support for research, training, publication and dissemination, and advocacy. In so doing, CODESRIA seeks to act as a
strategic partner for higher education institutions and research centers in Africa as well as policy actors and practitioners engaging with important issues on the
continent that can benefit from sound knowledge.

Background
There are emerging debates and assertions that higher education in Africa would serve the needs of the continent better were it to focus and provide more funding
for the STEM disciplines compared to the Humanities and Social Sciences. Policy makers complain that problems such as graduate unemployment that the continent
faces has been accentuated by the high student enrolments in the Humanities and Social Sciences while shunning STEM disciplines. The political leadership in the
continent has readily accepted these assertions and continues to espouse the technologist and economist thinking on higher education and privileging of the STEM
disciplines as more important to Africas growth and development. The worldwide science-centric tendency has been picked up all over the continent, resulting in
the Humanities and Social Sciences being downplayed, with its scholarship ignored and its contribution marginalized. Besides, the emerging private university sector
in the continent is focusing on IT, business and health sciences, promoting these disciplines as what should mark a relevant university curriculum. Furthermore,
the opposition to Humanities and Social Sciences is associated with the rates of return arguments of the international financial institutions, which has been used
before to argue against investing in higher education in Africa on grounds that the rates of return of investments in HE were lower than those in basic education.
Adherence of African governments to such arguments set universities on a permanent path to cost recovery from students. Other studies on graduate employment
trends in Africa however, do seem to suggest that graduate unemployment is exacerbated by lack of soft skills among graduates; skills that the Humanities are better
placed to cultivate. The Humanities are better placed to contribute to learning skills that promote more inclusive and equitable growth, embracing a diversity of
peoples and cultures, respecting the environment and more generally contributing to a better understanding of problems society faces today such as poverty, disease,
climate change, and threats to national and global security.

The case for an interdisciplinary STEM/Humanities


Much academic discourse regarding higher education in Africa often paints Humanities as less relevant and less useful compared to the STEM disciplines in terms
of their contributions to the development of the continent. However, some evidence on the ground provides a different reality. Studies on employability, for example,
show that on average, 70% of employment in Africa is informal-sector based and that just 30% accrues from R&D related investments. So on one hand, we have
STEM and its strong focus on science and technology; on the other, we have Humanities and its extensive focus on society, where informal modes of innovation are
sustaining the majority of the African people. Besides, even Western economies that are R&D intensive and can afford a STEM curriculum, continue to espouse a
strong Humanities component to STEM training, hence STEAM (the A standing for the "Arts," or Humanities). Africas case for an interdisciplinary
STEM/Humanities curriculum is all the more urgent because of the immense informal sector contribution to development processes.

CODESRIA believes that what Africa needs for its development is not a privileging of one set of disciplines over the other but a conversation between the two broad
areas of study and their co-development. Given the vast social implications of technology and innovation including trends associated with genetic technologies and
information technology and the reverse impacts that social factors can have on their embrace, the engagement of STEM and the Humanities is of critical importance
in any project at remaking Africa and its varied and changing societies. Promoting the institutionalization of engagement between STEM and the Humanities in
African universities will contribute to bridging the disciplinary divide and provide holistic strategies through which universities would contribute to the emergence
of broad-based skills required for inclusive development in Africa.

Under this call, CODESRIA intends to support initiatives for the design of interdisciplinary courses within existing departments, centers, institutes and programs in
the Humanities and STEM. Proposals outlining how the (re) designing process will be undertaken, the process of integration into institutional research and teaching
activities, including consultative, design and planning workshops and the contracting of experts to design such programs, including academics from the African
diaspora are encouraged. African Diaspora academics that wish to participate in the initiative are encouraged to submit joint proposals with faculties/schools or
research centers based in African universities. The proposals should highlight details such as the development of courses; faculty and student talk series, pedagogy
training and research that are directly linked to teaching.

The funding to be provided for proposed activities will depend on how the needs identified will be articulated in the proposal and a clear justification for all the
identified activities. However, as a guideline up to USD 50,000 will be provided for innovative proposals that demonstrate long-term sustainable outcomes.

Proposals for consideration should strictly be sent under the auspices of faculties/schools or research centers where the programs are housed. Individual submissions
will not be accepted. Proposals should be between 10-15 pages, 1.5 spaced and include the CVs/bios of key proposers who will be in charge of implementing the
activity/s proposed, and attestation of their institutional affiliation.

Proposals should be sent as electronic mail to:


CODESRIA
Interdisciplinary Humanities/STEM in African universities
BP 3304, Dakar, 18524, Sngal
Tl. (221) 33 825 98 21/22/23
Courriel: humanities.stem@codesria.sn
Website: http://www.codesria.org

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