FAQ

The Center for the Study of Social Difference brings together faculty in humanities, law, social sciences, medicine and the arts, as well as artists and practitioners in the New York area and worldwide, to investigate problems of social, economic, and cultural inequality.

The Center’s working groups challenge the disciplinary divides among the humanities, the arts, and the social sciences by asking not only how historical categories of social difference intersect on the level of identity, but also how these categories shape institutions, modes of knowing, acts of representation, and processes of globalization.

The Center creates the conditions for scholars, artists and practitioners to work collaboratively and internationally on problems of common interest and to set intellectual agendas for the future.

For more information about how the constellation of working groups come into being and how they operate, see the FAQ below.

  • The Center usually circulates a call for proposals for new working groups annually early in the spring term.

  • CSSD accepts proposals from all schools of Columbia and Barnard, including but not limited to Arts & Sciences, CUMC, School of the Arts, Columbia Law School, School of Journalism, and GSAPP, with preference given to groups working across schools and/or disciplines.

  • Working groups must include, but are not limited to, Columbia and/or Barnard faculty. Most, but not all, CSSD working groups are led by two or more co-directors. At least one (co-)director must be Columbia or Barnard faculty and proposals must be submitted by one or more faculty members in one of Columbia's schools and/or Barnard.

  • The CSSD will also review working group proposals from graduate students with ABD status who are working in partnership with Columbia and/or Barnard faculty.

  • CSSD seeks projects that align with the mission of “Women Creating Change” or “Imagining Justice” and favors proposals from an interdisciplinary core working group.

  • Working groups usually have 5-8 members, not all of whom need be affiliated with Columbia or Barnard.

  • The Center encourages and facilitates interdisciplinary and international collaborations.

  • Funding is in the amount of $35,000 over two years with the possibility of $15,000 for a third year, contingent on working group interest and the availability of Center funds.

    Center support is seed money to enable working groups to get off the ground; it is the expectation of the Center that all projects will also seek additional funding.

  • Usually members of a working group are identified in the proposal phase of the project. If you would like to inquire about joining a working group you should contact the working directors of that group.