Junior Fellow Responsibilities
Please read the following to learn more about eligibility requirements, benefits, and responsibilities of the Nova Forum Junior Fellowship program.
Eligibility
Applicants are eligible if they are (1) currently enrolled as undergraduate or graduate students during the fellowship year in question; and (2) students at the University of Southern California or Pepperdine University. While the program will focus on Catholic Christianity, we welcome the participation of all students regardless of religious affiliation.
Benefits
The chief benefit of participation in the Junior Fellowship program is membership in a community of scholars who wish to explore the Catholic intellectual tradition and consider it as living resource in the contemporary world. This community is composed not only of 15-20 Junior Fellows each year, but also a group of Senior Fellows who are Christian faculty members around Southern California interested to mentor undergraduate and graduate students. Senior Fellows organize the monthly Nova Forum Seminar and invite Junior Fellows to participate. The Seminar is the heart of the program. We hope that this intellectual community will also lead to friendships and mentoring relationships, and will provide students a place to explore their own evolving faith commitments and ask any question they would like along the way.
In addition to having access to the Senior Fellows, Junior Fellows will be introduced to other Visiting Scholars, leading thinkers in their disciplines who will join our monthly Seminars from across the region and around the world. Junior Fellows may receive free books as part of their participation in the Seminar. There may also be optional social and cultural outings over the course of the year specifically for Junior Fellows. Naturally Junior Fellows are welcome to participate in other Nova Forum programming, including our colloquia and lecture series. Past Junior Fellows will be invited to join a network of alumni and alumna of the program and to attend occasional events for that group.
Participating Junior Fellows will each receive a stipend of $1,000 for their participation, paid in two disbursements of $500 upon the successful completion of Fall and Spring terms. Students who miss one or more of the six seminars will have their stipends adjusted on a prorated basis.
Responsibilities
(1) Junior Fellows are required to attend and actively participate in all six meetings of the Nova Forum Seminar. The Seminar meets once per month during the academic year. We meet on Saturday mornings from 9:00am to 12:00pm, with a coffee break, followed by a luncheon and an optional mass with the Senior Fellows. Seminar dates for the 2022-2023 program will be finalized and publicized in early Summer 2022.
(2) Junior Fellows are expected to complete all of the short reading selections assigned prior to each Seminar meeting. These readings are selected by the Senior Fellows or the Visiting Scholar of the month. Readings will be distributed two weeks before each meeting and total 40-50 pages maximum. By completing these readings, Junior Fellows will be able to actively participate in the discussions of the seminar with the Senior Fellows and Visiting Scholars.
(3) Junior Fellows are encouraged to participate in the series “Credo: Exploring the Catholic Faith,” held at the USC Caruso Catholic Center in 2022-2023. The purpose of the Credo series is to introduce students to the foundations of Catholic faith at level appropriate for adults at the university level. This basic knowledge of what Catholics believe about God, human being, society, and the natural world also provides a useful platform for our discussions in the Nova Forum Seminar and equips Junior Fellows to take part more fully. Please contact us if you have any questions about the Credo program and its relation to Nova Forum Junior Fellowship.