Kahn Projects

Long- and short-term projects are the focus of the Kahn Institute. Kahn projects invite up to 20 Smith and Five College faculty members, as well as Smith students and staff, to explore, discuss and debate as a group topics of broad interest to a multidisciplinary crosscut of scholars. Kahn projects are typically co-organized by two Smith faculty members. Project organizers receive course releases, stipends and other compensation.

Current & Upcoming Projects

Long-Term

Hauntings

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Short-Term

There are no short-term projects at this time. Please consider proposing a topic by contacting the Kahn director to discuss your ideas, even if they are at the preliminary stage.

Contact the Kahn Director

Propose a Kahn Project

Long-term projects are built around broad topics that are investigated in depth throughout an entire academic year. Long-term project fellows meet once a week at the Kahn Institute for two hours of discourse and/or other activities, and always share a meal, provided by the Kahn, either before or following their weekly colloquium. Long-term projects also include public lectures by a range of experts in fields related to the project topics, as well as field trips, film screenings and other activities.

To get started, you will need

  • A co-organizer from a different department (and preferably a different division). Please note, organizers need to have been a fellow in a past long-term project.
  • A topic that will have broad interdisciplinary appeal

Expectations and Timeline

Proposal year
  • Meet with the Kahn director to suggest your project idea as early as possible, even if it’s at a preliminary stage, and to discuss potential co-organizers.
  • Consider hosting a short-term project in order to build interest and recruit as interdisciplinary a group of scholars as possible. This would need to take place during the proposal year because of our recruitment schedule.
  • Draft a project description in consultation with director (and choose day of the week and time, if you are setting them ahead of time)
  • Meet with Kahn staff to set recruitment schedule and discuss expectations
  • Approve visual asset from three choices
Recruitment year (fall)
  • Speak at an informational session for faculty hosted by the Kahn
  • Share recruitment information with colleagues across the Five Colleges in concert with Kahn publicity
  • Meet with the director to choose faculty fellows
  • Attend the first meeting with fellows to discuss day and time (if you haven’t already set it) and potential guest speakers
Recruitment year (spring)
  • Speak at an informational session for students hosted by the Kahn
  • Meet with director and faculty fellows to choose six students to move to interview stage
  • Attend first all fellows meeting in April
  • Choose summer readings
  • Contact potential guest speakers to assess interest and availability in concert with Kahn staff
Project year
  • Host weekly meetings
  • Pursue your own research
  • Host guest speakers. Kahn staff will arrange all logistics and publicity

Short-term projects provide new contexts for Smith and Five College faculty to explore topics of common intellectual concern that bear on their own research and may serve as seeds for future long-term projects. Short-term projects formats are flexible, but typically take place within an abbreviated timeframe. They often include public events, panels or forums, film screenings, workshops, field trips and other activities over the course of two to three days, a weekend, or a series of daylong symposia.

Proposal Steps

  1. Contact the Kahn director to suggest your project idea as early as possible, even if it’s at a preliminary stage, to brainstorm and develop the topic and identify potential co-organizers, participants, and guest lecturers.
  2. Schedule a meeting with the Kahn staff to set the date and time of the project, , and discuss the expectations of the organizers. The recruitment and publicity schedule will be shared at this time.
  3. In consultation with the director, draft a one-page narrative description of your project to articulate the central questions, problems, and themes to be explored and analyzed; generate interest in participation; and indicate disciplines, departments or programs whose faculty may be interested in applying for project fellowships.

Past Projects