Dialogues on the Experience of War

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As a part of its current initiative, Standing Together: The Humanities and the Experience of War, the National Endowment for the Humanities offers a new grant opportunity: the Dialogues on the Experience of War program. The program supports the study and discussion of important humanities sources about war, in the belief that these sources can help U.S. military veterans and others to think more deeply about the issues raised by war and military service. The humanities sources can be drawn from history, philosophy, literature, and film—and they may and should be supplemented by testimonials from those who have served. The discussions are intended to promote serious exploration of important questions about the nature of duty, heroism, suffering, loyalty, and patriotism. The program awards grants of up to $100,000 that will support 1. the recruitment and training of discussion leaders; and 2. following the training program, the convening of at least two discussion programs. The discussion groups can take place on college and university campuses, in veterans’ centers, at public libraries and museums, and at other community venues. Most of the participants in the discussion groups should be military veterans; others, such as men and women in active service, military families, and interested members of the public, may participate as well. Examples of possible humanities sources to be used in the discussions (in addition to those found in the bulleted list of hypothetical examples below), are available on the program resource page. Discussion programs must focus on 1. the close study of sources drawn from at least two distinct genres (such as fiction and historical writings, or memoirs and artworks, or philosophy and film); and 2. at least two historically distinct conflicts treated in depth: one from the earliest wars through World War I, and a second from the wars after World War I.

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