Competition for the selection of Virtual Seminars

The virtual seminars of the Postgraduate Network aim to offer academic training in various fields of Social Sciences and Humanities, promoting both Latin American and Caribbean critical thinking and encouraging the development of theoretical and methodological approaches for the study of regional realities from a South-South perspective.

The virtual seminars are part of the academic proposal of the Postgraduate Network based in the Virtual Training Space, a platform with more than 20 years of experience in virtual education.

Within this framework, a call for applications is issued. teachers belonging to Associated Centers, to teams of the Postgraduate Networks CLACSO Working Groups to submit proposals for the delivery of virtual seminars during the 2023 period. 

• Support training proposals on topics relevant to the critical and creative analysis of the problems of Latin America and the Caribbean.

• Strengthening the training of students, public policy officials and civil society leaders through the development of academic exchange and debate processes.

1. will be selected 6 proposals to be taught during the 2023 training cycle. 
   
   
2. The proposals will focus on themes, authors, perspectives and theoretical categories considered relevant to the development of the Social Sciences and Humanities, from a regional and comparative approach.
   
   
3. The teaching team will consist of at least one research professor with a doctoral degree or equivalent qualification and one assistant professor with postgraduate training. Members of the teaching team must demonstrate theoretical and methodological training in the proposed subject, teaching and research experience, and basic proficiency in digital tools.
   
   
4. The proposal may be submitted in either Spanish or Portuguese. The seminars will be conducted in the language of the submission, without translation.
   
   
5. Coordinators of teaching teams that won the previous competition will not be eligible to apply for this call.
   
   
6. Members of the Steering Committee and officials of the CLACSO Executive Secretariat are not eligible to apply for the competition.

1. Seminars must have a minimum of 35 students in order to be taught. 

2. The Postgraduate Network suggests the formation of teaching teams made up of a minimum of two professors and a maximum of four, who can perform different roles: coordination of the teaching team, teacher in charge of content or tutor.

3. The seminars will consist of ten work modules (one per week). The first week is expected to include an activity introducing the teaching team, the students, and the proposed work, while the last week will include an evaluation activity and the closing of the course.

4. The titles of the seminars should be clear and broad, helping to engage the largest number of interested people. The Postgraduate Network may propose changes to the titles, in agreement with the teaching staff. The following are good examples of titles whose programs were approved for delivery in previous editions:

• Public policies and gender justice.
• Collective memories and political struggles. 
• Technopolitics and digital citizenship. 

5. Each module comprises a class, a discussion forum, and a list of required readings. Up to three required texts may be used per module, and students may be encouraged to consult the supplementary bibliographic resources. All texts must be digitized by the teaching team.

6. The class can combine synchronous formats with written text or a video-recorded class. When it is a synchronous session, The class should last 1 hour and a halfIf it is a written text, it must have a minimum extension of between 10 and 15 veneers. When it comes to video, It must be no less than 40 minutes in duration. 

7. Each week, an activity will be held between the students and the teaching team. Teachers and students are expected to interact in the designated spaces. The teaching team will provide comments and feedback on the contributions made by the students. This includes both synchronous and asynchronous activities.

The teaching team:

1. You will need to set aside 4 hours in the two weeks prior to the seminar to familiarize yourself with the platform and to clarify any doubts regarding the seminar methodology.
2. You will assume responsibility for the development of the virtual seminar, which implies allocating and dedicating the necessary time to carry out the tasks involved in developing the training proposal. These tasks are:

• Prepare the virtual classes and make them available to the students on the virtual platform well in advance.

• Ensure access to the required and supplementary readings by uploading them to the virtual learning platform well in advance. The readings must be in the official language of the seminar (Spanish or Portuguese) and, preferably, should not exceed 80 pages per module. No more than two consecutive chapters from a publication may be included unless the copyright holder holds the rights. 

• Correct the final work and provide numerical and qualitative feedback to each student. 

1. The teaching team will continuously evaluate students, taking into account academic criteria (content, discussions, and the final project) and pedagogical criteria (including student participation on the platform and in the forums). To pass, students must read the lectures and participate in the forums; submit the required assignments, reports, or other work by the deadlines set by the teaching team; and submit an individual final project.
   
   
2. The teaching team will establish recovery opportunities for work submitted late or that has been disapproved and will specify the criteria for its approval.
   
   
3. It is suggested that the final integrative work be designed taking into account the following evaluation models:
   
   a) Write an essay that brings into dialogue the topics covered in the seminar with those of each student's research projects. 
   
   b) Select one forum from the course, synthesizing and analyzing the exchanges based on the questions and bibliography covered in the course. Present this analysis in the form of an essay.
   
   c) Prepare a monograph that integrates the concepts or categories discussed in the seminar, specifically.

The Final projects will be individual. and must have a minimum length of 10 and a maximum length of 15 veneers. 

     4. The student will pass with a minimum of 7 points on a scale of 1 to 10. This grade must be accompanied by a qualitative comment.

     5. At the end of the seminar, the seminar coordinator will send CLACSO the numerical grades of all students within a period that may not exceed two months from the end of its teaching.

To participate in this call for applications, you must complete the following documents:

• Registration form with the teaching team's information.

• Proposed program for the virtual seminar.

• A brief presentation of the course in video format, with a minimum duration of one minute and a maximum duration of two minutes.  

The purpose of this video is to introduce interested parties to the seminar topic. The following links contain some reference templates that may help you create your own: 

https://youtu.be/cS1Hv4pQ5QM

https://youtu.be/ZpBmBLTI-78

1. The evaluation of the proposals will be carried out by a jury composed of members of the Steering Committee and the Executive Secretariat of CLACSO.
   
   
2. All proposals will be reviewed for their formal and administrative aspects by the CLACSO Executive Secretariat to verify their compliance with the terms of reference of the call for proposals. This includes ensuring that the endorsing centers are up-to-date with their institutional membership dues. Proposals that meet all requirements will be sent to the jury for evaluation. 
   
   
3. The coordinators or teachers of each of the winning teaching teams will be notified by email and must sign a letter of commitment stipulating the obligations of both parties.
   
   
4. The results will be disseminated through the CLACSO website, social media and electronic mailing lists.

The selected proposals that reach the minimum number of enrolled students will receive support of US$1.500 (one thousand five hundred dollars) to ensure the semi-exclusive dedication of at least one of the professors. 

Payment will be made in two installments. The first installment will be paid one month after the seminar begins (once the Postgraduate Network has received the final academic program, a brief CV of the professors, and the signed letter of commitment). The second installment will be paid once the classes have concluded and the final evaluation of the seminar students has been completed.

Payments will be made by bank transfer. These transfers can only be made to an account where the account holder, or one of the account holders, is a member of the seminar's teaching team. In all cases, it is essential to present an invoice or equivalent document, in accordance with the legislation in force in the professor's country of residence, and the name of the issuer of the invoice must match the name of the bank account holder.