Dangers and Opportunities of Technology: Perspectives from the Humanities

Overview

The Dangers & Opportunities of Technology: Perspectives from the Humanities program (DOT) supports humanistic research that explores the relationships between technology and society, and the impacts technology has on culture, health, social interactions, government, cultural institutions, the environment, and other aspects of life. NEH encourages you to interpret the term “technology” broadly. It is up to you to define and make a compelling case for the technologies you choose to examine. NEH is particularly interested in projects that examine current social and cultural issues that are significantly shaped by technologies and expand understanding of a particular topic in the humanities. You may involve communities affected by these technologies as collaborators or contributors. Projects must not engage in political advocacy. NEH invites projects at different stages of development that link their research to compelling social issues where technology plays a key role.

Projects may address a wide range of topics, such as: 

• climate change
• racial justice
• social media, disinformation, and the democratic process 
• medical technologies
• wealth inequality data privacy and ethics of algorithms
• cryptocurrencies and nonfungible tokens (NFTs)
• supply chains and infrastructure
• educational technologies
• the streaming economy (e.g., music, television, film) 

Project categories The DOT program includes separate funding categories for projects led by a single researcher and projects led by collaborative teams. In both categories, NEH will issue awards to institutions, not directly to participating scholars. This program will support projects at any research stage. 

1. Projects led by a single researcher: Single project directors with an institutional affiliation will lead projects in this category and will set the research agenda. Other personnel, including students, may carry out some activities. You may request an award of up to $75,000 with a period of performance of up to two years for projects in this category. 
2. Projects led by collaborative teams: Two or more project directors (co-directors), each contributing equally to the research agenda(s), will lead projects in this category. Co-project directors may be independent scholars. Other personnel, including students or staff from community organizations, can also be involved in carrying out some of the work. You may request an award of up to $150,000 with a period of performance of up to two years for projects in this category.

The DOT program can fund activities and final products such as: 

• research time (e.g., course releases)
• research assistance (e.g., student researchers)
• research travel
• community partner participation
• conducting studies or interviews
• convenings
• data collection and analysis
• experiments or prototyping
• development or production of articles, books, web sites, or other forms of intellectual output

• The program support projects led individual researchers (up to $75K) and by collaborative teams (up to $150K).
• Expected notification date:  April 30, 2024
• Project start date: June 1, 2024
• Period of performance: Up to 24 months
• Estimated Number and Type of Awards: Approximately 9-12 awards