SNF Agora Institute invites scholars, experts to apply for Visiting Fellows Program

The SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University has opened a call for applications for its academic year 2021-2022 Visiting Fellows program. The Visiting Fellows program invites diverse scholars and experts from academia, civil society, government, industry, media, the performing arts, and elsewhere to engage in activities related to the institute's core mission of strengthening global democracy through powerful civic engagement and informed, inclusive dialogue.

The SNF Agora Visiting Fellows collaborate with SNF Agora's permanent faculty, researchers, and students on a range of projects, including (but not limited to) conducting research; teaching courses; writing case studies for civic leaders; convening communities of practice; organizing conferences and other events; and giving guest lectures for the Johns Hopkins community and local publics. Through the Visiting Fellows program, SNF Agora Institute is able to incorporate a broader range of people and perspectives into its work.

Past Visiting Fellows include Ashley Berner, deputy director of the Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy and associate professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Education; Scott Shane, Pulitzer Prize-winning former reporter in The New York Times' Washington bureau; Dana Wolfe, television, radio, and podcast producer; and Daniel Ziblatt, professor of the Science of Government at Harvard University.

During her time as a fellow, Berner co-created the Social Studies Knowledge Map, a suite of civic education tools for K-12 school systems. She also served as a guest speaker for several events on democratic preparation in American schools.

"My work in education policy includes translating research on the cultivation of democratic capacities into resources for use in the country's K-12 school systems," says Berner. "The Fellowship at SNF Agora allowed me to be in conversation with scholars and practitioners across the country, whose approaches to civic formation sharpened my own and generated new partnerships that have already begun to bear fruit. It was a rare and welcome opportunity."

The application period is open until Feb. 28. Those interested are encouraged to learn more and to apply through the SNF Agora Institute website.