Skip to main content Skip to secondary navigation

Apply to be a Faculty Leader

Main content start

Deadline

Summer Quarter 2024-25 applications were due on February 15, 2024.

Selected faculty will be notified in Spring Quarter 2024-25.

Requirements and Guidelines

Global Seminar proposals are accepted from any current Stanford faculty member who belongs to the Academic Council. Non-tenure track Stanford faculty may be considered occasionally, as may emeriti. Please inquire about your specific circumstances. Please review the application requirements and guidelines below before submitting your application.

Faculty may only submit one Global Seminar proposal per application cycle. Special consideration will be given to proposals that engage countries not served by BOSP's quarter-length programs.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

A complete application consists of the following:

  1. Program proposal (1-3 pages) that covers the following:
    • General academic content and learning objectives 
    • Narrative overview of the program schedule 
    • Significance of the location (country and city) chosen and relevance to the course content
    • Faculty Leader’s academic background related to the course topic 
    • Faculty Leader’s knowledge of and prior experience with the proposed program location 
    • Methods of instruction (e.g. classroom lectures, guest lectures, community engagement) 
    • Proposed host academic institution and/or program provider, if any 
    • Proposed classroom space and housing, if any 
    • Proposed academic site visits/excursions/activities 
    • Academic product, methods of student evaluation and grading criteria (e.g. participation, group projects, presentations, papers)
    • Intended participants and prerequisites, if any 
    • Health, safety and security conditions in the proposed program location (country and city) 
  2. Current curriculum vitae (abbreviated version, 8-page max.) 
  3. Quantitative course evaluation summaries (ratings) from two recent courses

 

APPLICATION GUIDELINES

Please consider the following when completing your program proposal:

Academics

The objective of Global Seminars is to provide students with an intensive in-depth academic experience with a particular Stanford faculty member. The program content should be academically rigorous and unique, relevant to the proposed location and related to the Faculty Leader’s area of academic expertise and interests. At the same time, course content should remain general enough to be accessible to a wide range of Stanford undergraduates.

Course Credit & Grading

Students will be awarded credit as part of the Summer Quarter. The Faculty Leader will determine whether the program will be offered for a letter grade or satisfactory/no credit. The grading structure must be consistent for all students. 

Prerequisites and Pre-Program Course Option

Some previous Faculty Leaders have found it beneficial to offer a pre-program course with minimal units (1-2) in the Spring Quarter to prepare the students academically and culturally for the rigorous demands of the three-week program. Faculty Leaders who intend to offer a pre-program course should indicate this plan in the program proposal. Pre-program courses will be coordinated through the faculty’s home department.

Student Interest and Accessibility

The program should appeal to a variety of undergraduate majors. The program structure and itinerary should consider accessibility factors for students with disabilities.

Location

Please consider the University’s International Travel Policy when crafting your proposal. In particular, please note: “For undergraduate students, Stanford-sponsored or Stanford-organized trips are prohibited to countries or regions and locations within a country where International SOS risk rating (either the medical risk or travel risk) is “High” or “Extreme,” or where there is other reliable information of significant health or safety risks for either the country destination, or for the particular region or location of intended travel within the country destination, or where there is other reliable information of significant health or safety risks. To determine a location’s International SOS medical and travel risk ratings, please visit this page."

Program Site Knowledge

Faculty Leaders should have working knowledge and practical experience in their selected locations. Please highlight and describe this experience in detail as appropriate.

Logistical and Financial Feasibility

The program must be financially and logistically feasible and there must be no significant security and health risks associated with the program location and/or nature of activities. The program should present the highest quality educational experience in the most fiscally conservative manner. All program excursions, site visits and activities should be academically relevant and rigorous; Global Seminars are not travel tours. 

Program Length and Dates

A typical Global Seminar is approximately 3 weeks in length. Independent project work days may be incorporated into the program but independent student travel is not permitted while the program is in session.

Student accommodation is arranged from the evening of the arrival date until the night prior to the departure date. The earliest arrival date is after Spring Quarter commencement. The latest possible departure date is a week prior to the first day of instruction of the Autumn Quarter. The preferred timeframes for programs are late June to mid-July and late August to mid-September so that the program will not disrupt students’ employment or internship opportunities over the summer. 

Accompanying Family Members

Faculty Leaders are discouraged from bringing family members because their primary responsibility is to be available for all program activities, including emergency situations or serious incidents for the duration of the program. However, assuming that those responsibilities can be met and the Faculty Leader plans to bring a family member or guest, there will be no reimbursement for travel expenses incurred on behalf of any persons not teaching or enrolled in the program. If additional or a larger lodging becomes necessary to accommodate family members, the faculty member will be required to pay the difference and may need to coordinate the accommodation on their own. Minor children accompanying Faculty Leader must be adequately supervised at all times by someone other than the Faculty Leader. Accompanying family members or other persons not enrolled in the program should not participate in any program activities including orientations, class and guest lectures, etc. They are permitted to join cultural events and group meals if such participation is allowed by the on-site provider. Some providers have policies forbidding the participation of guests on excursions for liability concerns.

Please be aware that pets cannot be accommodated under any circumstances; no requests to accommodate pets will be considered by BOSP.

Please contact BOSP Program Manager, Dave Malacki, if you have any questions regarding the Global Seminars proposal process.