The 10 have been named Faculty Research Fellows and Graduate Student Fellows, respectively, of the university's Illinois Program for Research in the Humanities. Faculty fellows are released from one semester of teaching to pursue their research. All fellows are given office space and limited research support. Faculty fellows are asked to teach a course in their home departments in a subject related to the theme. They are expected to maintain residency on campus during the award year and to participate in the program's annual conference and related activities, including monthly interdisciplinary seminars.
Fellows also present a paper at the annual conference.
IPRH invites speakers of national and international reputation to speak on the year's topic, and it hosts a Distinguished Speaker Series on a topic other than the theme for the year. In addition, IPRH shares its resources with other university units, serving as a major co-sponsor of numerous campus events throughout the year and coordinating its activities with other units whenever possible.