About the Program

For ABDs and recent PhDs in the Humanities and related fields in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of South Carolina, the Bridge to Humanities Teaching Fellowship offers bridge support and pedagogical training to teach an interdisciplinary Humanities course, Social Advocacy and Ethical Life (SAEL 200) or its equivalents in the Carolina Core.

Up to six recent PhDs (within 3 years of degree) and ABDs from the College of Arts and Sciences will be selected as fellows through a competitive application process.

SAEL 200 is a values-inflected public speaking and advocacy course that meets the Carolina Core requirements for CMS (Effective, Engaged, and Persuasive Communication: Spoken) and VSR (Values, Ethics, and Social Responsibility). This course also counts towards the Graduation with Leadership Distinction programs in Diversity and Social Advocacy and Professional and Civic Engagement Leadership Experiences. Students in the course critically investigate theories of ethics and principles of spoken advocacy and apply their inquiry in a cumulative series of exercises and performances. Both critical and practical, the work undertaken in the course offers a chance for students to: 1) question the meaning and importance of contemporary calls for civility, engaged citizenship, and deliberation; 2) investigate the roots, power, and limits of ethical discourse and its relevance to social and political decision-making; and 3) develop a working understanding of the principles of social advocacy and the ways in which oral communication constructs, supports, and remakes the grounds of ethical interaction.

 

What Is Expected of Bridge Humanities Teaching Fellows

For PhD holding Fellows: Forsaking other employment, fellows will teach a 4-4 load, i.e., four courses of SAEL 200 or its equivalent per term. 
 
For ABDs: Forsaking other employment, fellows will teach a 2-1 (or 1:2) load, i.e., three courses of SAEL 200 or its equivalent per year.  Students who complete their ABD during the fellowship may transition to the PhD track during their appointment.

Eligibility

For PhD holding Fellows: CAS graduate students who have received their doctorates in the Humanities or who have defended a dissertation with a humanistic focus in the Social Sciences are eligible to apply, if they have graduated from their doctoral program no more than 3 academic years prior to the deadline. 

For ABDs: CAS graduate students who have completed all available funding and are currently on z-status are eligible to apply. 

Current Bridge Fellows may reapply for the following academic year but are limited to no more than two years as fellows. Current fellows are not guaranteed reappointment and will be evaluated along with all other applicants through a competitive selection process. 

Program Requirements

• Doctorate in hand by May 2025 or ABD on z-status who have completed all available funding;
• Completion of GRAD 701 or its equivalent by the end of fall semester of initial appointment as a Bridge Humanities Fellow; 
• For PhDs: 4:4 teaching load as instructor of record for SAEL 200 or its equivalent; For ABD a 2-1 (or 1:2) teaching load as instructor of record for SAEL 200 or its equivalent;
• Mandatory attendance of interdisciplinary pedagogical training on meeting the Carolina Core (VSR and CMS) requirements, offered in August; 
• Student evaluations distributed and collected each term; class observations once per academic year; 
• Mandatory attendance of two additional pedagogical training sessions (one per term) designed to enhance the quality of instruction and help build a cohort of fellows; 
• Refusal of additional employment at the University or state entities during the entire length of the program.

Compensation and Benefits

PhD level Fellows will each receive:

• $45,000 salary with applicable fringe benefits, including access to health insurance if eligible;  
• Cohort program designed to provide support for new professionals, develop best practices for teaching and aid in career success.

ABD level Fellows will each receive:

• $20,000 salary with applicable fringe benefits, including access to health insurance if eligible and coverage of AY tuition (2 credit hours);
• Cohort program designed to provide support for new professionals, develop best practices for teaching and aid in career success.

All fellows must forego any other employment within the University and state system during the entire length of the academic year program.

Application Process

Applications should be submitted by the February 28, 2025 deadline using the online form.  

For questions, please contact Dr. Gina Ercolini at ercolini@mailbox.sc.edu or Dr. Claudia Benitez-Nelson at benitezn@mailbox.sc.edu.