Each summer the National Endowment for the Humanities supports a variety of study opportunities in the humanities for faculty who teach American undergraduates. Seminars and institutes are national, residential, and rigorous. Designed to strengthen the quality of humanities teaching and scholarship, they are led by some of the nation's outstanding scholars and take place at major colleges and universities and archival facilities across the United States and abroad.

Topics considered among the 20 seminars and institutes offered in the summer of 2004 include the “Just War” tradition, opera, Aramaic studies, the Seven Deadly Sins, Islamic history and culture, popular cartography, and major figures such as Aristotle, Calvin, Shakespeare, and Dickens. For a complete list of both seminars and institutes, go to the NEH Web site, or phone (202/606-8463), or e-mail (sem-inst@neh.gov).

The listings contain seminar and institute titles and the means to contact each director. Prospective applicants can request information from as many seminar and institute directors as they wish but may apply to only two NEH summer offerings. In response to a request for information, seminar and institute directors will send a letter describing the content, logistics, expectations, and conditions of that project. Each letter will be accompanied by application instructions as well as information about the program's costs.

Participants receive from the National Endowment for the Humanities a stipend based on the length of the seminar or institute. Stipends are $2,800 for four weeks, $3,250 for five weeks, and $3,700 for six weeks and are intended to help cover travel costs and living expenses, as well as books and miscellaneous expenses.

Requests for information and completed applications should NOT be directed to the National Endowment for the Humanities; they should be addressed to the individual projects as found in the listings. The application deadline is March 1.