Emerging Scholars Program

Emerging Scholar Recipients for 2011

  • Jennifer Stevens Aubrey, Missouri
    “Teen Pregnancy and Health Literacy: An Entertainment Education Approach to Examining the Impact of 16 and Pregnant”
  • Jiyoung Cha, North Texas
    “Social Television: Redefinition of Social Interaction among Television Viewers in the 21st Century”
  • Jakob D. Jensen, Purdue
    “The Influence of Ethnic Newspaper Consumption on Cancer Prevention Behaviors: A Test of the Cognitive Mediation Model”
  • Susan Keith, Rutgers
    “Homegrown Media Criticism: The U.S. Journalism Review Movement, 1958-1977”

Emerging Scholar Recipients for 2010

  • Bill Herman of Hunter College & Minjeong Kim of Colorado State University
    “The Internet Defends Itself: The Network Neutrality Debate on the Web”
  • Heather LaMarre of University of Minnesota
    “Citizen Journalism and Social Media in the 2010 Election: A Multi-method Approach to Understanding Emerging Trends and Innovations in Mass Communication Campaigns”
  • Jasmine McNealy of Louisiana State University
    “A Survey of Subpoenas Against Anonymous Internet Speakers and Outcomes”
  • Leigh Moscowitz of the College of Charleston
    “Gay Marriage in the News”

Emerging Scholars 2012 Call for Applications

The AEJMC Emerging Scholars Program will award $2,500 research and teaching grants to up to four research or teaching proposals to encourage innovative and timely projects in journalism and mass communication. AEJMC members will submit proposals for these grants in the fall of 2011, and selections will be announced by early January 2012. AEJMC expects the selection process to be especially competitive.

The AEJMC Emerging Scholars Program is designed to develop and nurture JMC teachers and researchers by fostering an intellectually stimulating environment. This program’s mission is to identify, encourage and recognize some of AEJMC’s most promising emerging scholars by providing funding for research or teaching projects. Each proposal selected for funding will also be matched with a recognized scholar to serve as a mentor throughout the project. The mentor would serve as a resource and sounding board as the work progresses.

Proposals should outline an individual’s own significant research or teaching project. Proposals may also be submitted by a research team, which would share the award amount if selected.

AEJMC will showcase initial results from the projects selected for the 2012 grants at a special session at the AEJMC 2012 Conference in Chicago. In addition to the $2,500 grant, AEJMC will also provide $500 for each selected proposal to assist with travel expenses to the Chicago Conference.

Criteria and the application process are outlined below. Deadline for submitting proposals is 4:59 P.M. Eastern Time on October 1, 2011. All application materials should be emailed as attachments to Jennifer McGill at AEJMCHQ@aol.com (attachments MUST have a document suffix, such as .doc, .docx or .pdf). All material should come in ONE file in the order outlined under the “Application Process” section of this call. Incomplete proposals will NOT be reviewed.

Proposal Criteria:
• The proposed topic should center on Journalism and Mass Communication and related disciplines. Topics in related disciplines should also include a central element within mass communication.
• Applicants must be current AEJMC members. Check your membership status before you submit your proposal. Proposals submitted by non-members, or members whose membership is not current, will be eliminated from the competition.
• Only one proposal per person will be considered. (If you submit as part of a team, that is the only proposal you may submit.)
• The program will not provide support for dissertation research.
• Graduate or undergraduate students are not eligible for this program.
• The program is looking for proposals from junior faculty members teaching full-time who have not yet achieved tenure, who are likely at the assistant professor level. Media professionals who have recently transitioned to full-time work in the academy are also welcome to apply.
• Proposals for teaching projects must include a research component or be research-based. This research component must be specifically explained in the proposal.
• For the proposals selected, a five-page report would be due to AEJMC by July 15, 2012, and would become part of a Chicago conference session. Applicants should submit proposals for projects on which they would be able to make significant progress by that time. Projects must be completed by February 1, 2013, at which time a more formal report will be due.

Application Process:
Applications should contain five sections, which should include the following materials:
I. A cover sheet that lists:
a. Name, address, telephone number and email address
b. A 200-word bio of yourself
c. A 300-word abstract of the project
d. Contact information for the appropriate media person on your campus to be notified if your proposal is selected.
II. A proposal written for a general mass communication scholarly audience, of no more than 1,500 words (excluding endnotes) describing the project. Proposals that exceed the word count will NOT be reviewed. The proposal must include:
scope and purpose of project
how the project will expand knowledge
detailed description of the project, including methods, survey information (if used), etc.
current status and timeline for completion
anticipated outcomes,
a list of potential publication venues for the finished project
III. Include a one-page, detailed budget that fully explains the expenses necessary to complete the project. Maximum grant amount is $2,500. Funds may not be used for equipment, software, PI stipend, or conference travel. If project will cost more than the maximum grant amount, explain where you will get the remaining funds to complete the project.
IV. One letter of support from your immediate supervisor
V. A three-page vita

Selection Process:
• All proposals will undergo peer review by JMC scholars. After a two-stage judging process, all applicants will be notified of the status of their proposals by early January 2012.
• The program will be evaluated by a Steering Committee at various stages in the process.

Questions about the AEJMC Emerging Scholars Program should be directed to Jennifer McGill at AEJMCHQ@aol.com or 803-798-0271.

AEJMC Scholars Program:
Tips for Creating a Strong Proposal

The successful research project should contribute to the body of knowledge, should be designed so that it could be executed successfully, and should be within the abilities of the researcher to complete. To demonstrate that your project has these characteristics, we suggest the following for your proposal.

• Make sure the proposal is well developed and clearly explains your project.
• Explain the importance of the topic and the broad implications that this research can have.
• Follow the specific categories from the call to make it easier for the reviewers evaluate.
• Spell out the anticipated outcomes – What article(s) will be produced? How does this study advance our knowledge in the area?
• Provide a title for the proposal. It helps crystallize the topic in the reviewer’s mind right off the bat.
• Describe methods clearly and succinctly. How will you select your sample? How and why will the sample allow you to address the aims of the project? How will you analyze the sample?
• Make sure the budget provides details. You should break out the categories and list exactly how the funds will be used.
• Explain how this grant will assist in completing the project. If the project requires more funds than available, explain where the rest will come from so the work can be completed.

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