Introduction

The Northeast Asia Council (NEAC) of the Association for Asian Studies, in conjunction with the Japan-US Friendship Commission, supports a variety of grant programs in Japanese studies designed to facilitate the research of individual scholars, to improve the quality of teaching about Japan on both the college and pre-college levels, and to integrate the study of Japan into the major academic disciplines. Pending renewal of this grant, we invite applications according to the following schedule. All applicants must submit their application on a form available from the AAS Secretariat. Please address requests for applications to NEAC Grants, Association for Asian Studies, 1 Lane Hall, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1290. Applications for all programs must arrive (not be postmarked) by November 1 for the fall awards and March 1 for the spring awards.

Research Travel within the USA

Awards of up to $1,500, including a maximum of $100 for daily expenses, are available to American citizens and permanent US residents who are engaged in scholarly research on Japan and wish to use museum, library, or other archival materials located in the USA. A portion of the grant may go toward research materials, assistance, and reasonable subsistence costs. Although these grants are primarily intended to support postdoctoral research In Japan, PhD candidates are also eligible to receive support for doctoral dissertation research at appropriate collections. Grantees must use American carriers for any transportation to be reimbursed under this program.

Short-term Travel to Japan for Professional Purposes

Grants of a maximum of 200,000 yen are available -to cover expenses in Japan while conducting a specific project explicitly related to Japan, which can be accomplished in the period of time requested. These grants are intended for short-term research trips by scholars who are already familiar with Japan and with their topic, but who need time in Japan in order to complete their work. Grantees may not use awards for reimbursement of international transportation under this program, and are expected to seek supplementary funds from other sources. Grants are made only to people with a PhD or comparable professional qualification. PhD candidates are not eligible for this program.

Workshops and Courses to Improve Language Teaching and Pedagogy

Grants may be as large as $5,000, but smaller grants are encouraged. Workshops or courses should be designed to improve language teaching and pedagogy related to the Japanese language at the college or pre-college level. NEAC funds may be used for participant travel and room and board (not to exceed $100 a day), plus materials and administrative costs of organizers. Funds cannot be used for honoraria, or to reimburse any expenditures incurred in currencies other than the US dollar. Applicants should explain the character and rationale of their proposed workshop or course, identify faculty participants and their proposed contributions, indicate how the results of the project will be made available to the profession, and prepare a budget estimate.

Seminars on Teaching About Japan

Grants may be as large as $2,500, but smaller grants are encouraged. Seminars should be designed to improve (non-language) teaching and pedagogy related to some aspect of Japanese studies, at the college or pre-college level. NEAC funds may be used for participant travel and room and board (not to exceed $100 a day), plus materials and administrative costs of organizers. Funds cannot be used for honoraria, or to reimburse any expenditures incurred in currencies, other than the U.S. dollar. Applicants should explain the character and rationale of their proposed seminar, identify faculty participants and their proposed contributions, indicate how the results of the project will be made available to the profession, and prepare a budget estimate.

Instructional Materials

Small grants are available for the purchase in dollars of audiovisual materials to accompany workshops or to be used in ongoing classroom instruction. The grants are intended to assist faculty at institutions which otherwise do not offer funds to obtain audiovisual materials for their Japan related courses, and workshops or consortia through which such resources could have wide distribution and impact. Applicants must specify in which course the materials will be used, the estimated enrollment for the course, and the exact title of the requested materials.

Japan related Speakers and Panels at National Conventions of Major Scholarly Disciplines

The purpose of this program is to encourage scholarly study of Japan by disciplinary specialists such as political scientists, economists, Geographers, musicologists, linguists, historians, anthropologists, linguists, and scientists, by providing financial support to organizers of panels at annual conventions of national scholarly organizations (rather than area studies oriented meetings) to bring Japan experts (of any nationality) and Japanese scholars to participate in those panels. Preference will be given to applications that come from the professional associations where Japanese perspectives have been historically neglected.

Grants for up to $1,500 are available to organizers of national conventions of a scholarly discipline to bring an eminent speaker to address the convention on a Japanese topic. The person may be an academic figure, a public figure, a distinguished performer in the arts, or any person of distinction. The grant may cover domestic and international travel costs, two days board and room, an honorarium ($500 maximum), and organizing costs.

Additional grants for up to $ 1,000 are available to cover travel within North America for up to four participants, the expenses are limited to two nights lodging, and administrative costs.

The maximum funding for any one panel under this program is $2,500. In all cases, the daily expenses of lodging and food to be reimbursed per person will not exceed $100. Administrative costs are limited to $100. Any airfare tickets purchased with funds from these grants must be secured in the United States, from American air carriers. Grants may not be used to reimburse any expenses incurred in currencies other than the U.S. dollar.

Please address requests for applications to:
NEAC Grants
Association for Asian Studies
1 Lane Hall
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1290