Program for the Advancement of the Discipline

American Sociological Assoc, Bethel Park PA

Investigators

Abstract

SES- 1458469 John W. Curtis American Sociological Association Funding through this award provides ongoing support for the joint American Sociological Association/National Science Foundation (ASA/NSF) Fund for the Advancement of the Discipline (FAD). Since its inception in 1987, FAD has provided small grants to encourage innovative research and support conferences that advance the state of knowledge within the discipline. More than 300 scholars have received funding through the program to date, and this award, together with a renewed funding commitment from the ASA, will continue the program for another three years. Proposals submitted to FAD are reviewed by an advisory committee of established scholars; about one quarter of the submitted applications is funded, with a maximum award of $8,000. Funds have been utilized by recipients to train research assistants, and defray the costs of original data collection, data transcription, and travel to archives. Among recent FAD recipients,those receiving awards between 2009 and 2012?more than half published results from their supported project in a scholarly journal or book and 19 percent reported that their work had been cited in popular media. Spread over all recipients during the same period, every dollar spent on FAD awards generated $1.46 in additional funding from other sources; among the approximate one-third of FAD researchers whose awards led directly to additional research support, the average additional return was $4.76. An important purpose of the FAD program is to encourage successful applications on the part of younger scholars, those employed outside research universities, and researchers who are minorities and women. FAD provides guidance and mentoring to these scholars through a well-developed process, including developmental evaluations by prominent scholars in the discipline and mentoring opportunities. Additional broader impacts of FAD include substantial student training and learning; curriculum modification; building scholarly networks; contributions to sociological infrastructure; and policy impact and media attention. The scholarly, educational, and policy impacts of FAD projects far outweigh the cost of these small awards.