CLGS

CLGS is committed to fostering the latest pioneering research and scholarship in LGBT-related religious issues and to making such scholarship accessible to broader movements for LGBT social justice. The academic resources of the Graduate Theological Union and the University of California, Berkeley, together with the cultural resources of the San Francisco Bay Area make CLGS and Pacific School of Religion an ideal location for scholars working in this field.

Plans are currently underway to develop the CLGS Institute for Scholars, which will bring reputable scholars with a history or promise of high-quality academic work to Berkeley to pursue research in LGBTQ issues and religion with a focus on effecting change in national and international debates on homosexuality, LGBTQ persons, and religion. Due to the fact that many scholars still find it difficult, if not impossible, to secure funding from traditional sources because they work on topics relating to homosexuality and religion, there is an acute need - especially for independent scholars - for financial and academic support for their research and writing projects.

The location of CLGS at Pacific School of Religion and the Graduate Theological Union (GTU) provides a truly unique setting for scholars pursuing this kind of work. The GTU, a consortium of nine theological seminaries and eight centers and affiliates, is the largest and most diverse partnership of seminaries and graduate schools in the United States; its students pursue inter-religious collaboration in teaching, research, ministry, and service. As a union of seminaries and study centers, the GTU has the largest theological faculty in the United States, including renowned experts in all areas of religion and theology. In addition, the GTU includes a Center for Jewish Studies, a Center for Islamic Studies, a project called Partnerships in Asian Religions, Cultures, and Theologies, a program in Women's Studies in Religion. In addition, faculty, students, staff, and visiting scholars are provided with full access to the library and other academic resources at the University of California at Berkeley.

CLGS is currently building an endowment fund for the Institute, which will provide financial resources for a scholar-in-residence at CLGS for particular periods of time, providing a livable stipend, housing, office space, travel expenses, administrative support, library access, and other attendant privileges as visiting scholars at CLGS, PSR and the GTU. Each scholar in the Institute's program will participate in the wider life of PSR and the GTU by teaching one course and offering a public lecture.

For more information on the Institute for Scholars or if you wish to contribute to this important funding opportunity, contact Jay Johnson (jjohnson[at]clgs[dot]org).