Civic Studies Fellows

Civic Studies Fellows are a group of Augsburg faculty and staff and community members who commit to engaging in civic studies and action for the duration of the academic year. The Civic Studies Fellows will work strategically so they can co create with others to positively impact the Augsburg community, our partnerships, and the larger landscape of civic engagement in higher education. They will strategize about Augsburg’s potential to be “Big to the World” by taking leadership in the field.

Being a Civic Studies Fellow involves commitment to the following:

  • Monthly meetings to learn the literature of civic studies, the larger context (for instance, the Obama Foundation to be located in Chicago is using Civic Studies as its focus, with potential to powerfully impact the civic engagement landscape), and strategize how integrate Civic Studies themes into curricular and co-curricular life. Meetings will explore various topics including the history, theory and practices of Civic Studies, and strategy. In these monthly meetings we will discuss some shared readings and learn some organizing strategies.
  • Be part of a work group that comes out of this work to identify an issue having to do with institutional and or cultural change at Augsburg. That work group will meet as a small group to engage around the issue that group members identify.

These amount to two commitments:

  • To become familiar with core texts of Civic Studies and engage in discussions with the other fellows about the readings and their strategic implications.
  • To be part of an action team of fellows that are working on an issue at Augsburg.

Fellows will receive a professional development stipend of $700 for Augsburg Civic Studies Fellows and $1000 for community fellows.

Civic Fellow Requirements

  • Attendance and participation in at least 2 of the civic studies symposium
  • Attendance and participation in monthly dinner meetings
  • Active participation in an action team that works to identify an institutional issue to make change at Augsburg University
  • Students should watch for news of how to be involved in a student-organized Civic Studies initiative

Application

Applicants will answer two essay questions:

  • Why are you interested in being a Civic Studies Fellow?
  • What experiences and knowledge can you contribute to creating a vibrant culture of civic agency (civic empowerment) at Augsburg and in our partnerships with the larger world?

To apply, submit the online Application Form or email your responses to the essay questions above to Harry Boyte at boyte@augsburg.edu. Applications will be reviewed starting Oct. 12.