CALL FOR APPLICATIONS
Humanities Without Walls 2023 National Predoctoral Career Diversity Workshop
Deadline: November 1, 2022
Humanities Without Walls (HWW) is a consortium of humanities centers and institutes at 16 major research universities throughout the Midwest and beyond. Based at the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Minnesota, HWW is funded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
In summer 2023, the University of Minnesota’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences will host HWW’s annual summer workshop for doctoral students interested in learning about diverse careers for humanists. Through a series of workshops, talks, and site visits, participants will learn how to imagine possible futures and leverage their skills and humanities training towards careers in the private sector, the nonprofit world, arts administration, public media and many other fields. Minneapolis, Minnesota will serve as the primary location for workshop activities. The location will provide students with the opportunity to experience the vibrant humanities ecosystem that exists in the region.
We invite applications from doctoral students pursuing degrees in the humanities and humanistic social sciences for the two-week summer workshop. This is a limited-submission application. Eligible doctoral students must be nominated for this fellowship by their home institutions, and only one nomination may be made to HWW by each university. To be considered, interested doctoral students must submit their applications to The Humanities Institute by November 1, 2022. Please do not submit your applications directly to HWW.
About the Workshop
The Humanities Without Walls Summer Workshop utilizes a cohort-based approach to assisting humanities PhD students with the development of their careers. Our principles emphasize student agency while giving attendees space to reflect on values. We have learned that centering the needs of each fellow results in empowered PhD professionals ready to tackle the world which awaits them post-degree. Our sessions intentionally layer foundations for the fellows as they do the real-time work of discerning personal career values, building community within the fellowship cohort, and researching potential career paths. The workshop models effective strategies that enable our fellows to prepare for a successful job search today and for the career transitions which will come in the future.
The very concept of “humanities without walls” commits us to the work of racial and social justice in the context of career diversity programming. Therefore, we work to create sessions which help us grapple with the long history of implicit racial, gender, and class bias so often concealed in the guise of “professionalism.” HWW’s commitment to the values of reciprocity and redistribution allows our fellows an opportunity to thread the work of racial justice and social equity into their developing life and career goals and to think about inclusion by design as part of their work in the world, whatever shape that may take.
Launched in 2015 as an initiative of the HWW consortium, the workshop welcomes participants each summer from higher education institutions across the United States. HWW Summer Workshop Fellows work in a variety of academic disciplines. They are scholars and practitioners who come with experience in community building, museum curation, filmmaking, radio programming, social media, project management, research, writing, and teaching. They are typically invested in the pressing social justice issues of our time and are seeking ways to bring humanistic values, insights, and skills to their work lives, whether in the public and private sector.
In the spirit of practice-oriented learning, HWW has partnered with entities such as IDEO, a design and consulting firm, the Joyce Foundation, and the Canadian Museum of History, amongst others, to lead students in real-world problem-solving exercises around important contemporary issues. Recognizing that each fellow’s skillset has been primarily oriented toward an academic track, the workshop includes sessions on values-based career planning, resume and cover letter construction, networking, and social media strategies from experts in career development.
Graduates from the workshop will emerge with a network of contacts in a range of professional realms; a significantly broadened sense of the career possibilities that await humanities PhDs; a cohort of HWW Summer Workshop Fellows (and friends!) from whom they may draw support and advice; and a set of resources aimed at helping them advance into the various realms considered under the broad rubric of “the public humanities.”
Where: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Students are expected to be in residence in Minneapolis for the duration of the workshop, to attend all workshop activities each day and be active participants in the program for its entirety. Students located in the Minneapolis area will stay in their resident housing in the area. Students located outside the Minneapolis area are required to stay in the housing arranged and provided through the University of Minnesota’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Please note: At this time, we are planning for an in-person workshop experience. We are monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic situation. If it becomes necessary for us to shift to a remote format for public health and safety based on CDC and University of Minnesota guidelines, we will communicate this update as soon as possible on our website and to all program applicants.
When: July 17 – July 28, 2022
Students selected as fellows are expected to arrive Monday, July 17 by 4:00 pm (EDT) and depart no sooner than Friday, July 28 after 4:00 pm (EDT).
Eligibility: All applicants must be:
- Enrolled in a doctoral degree program at UC Santa Cruz in a humanities or humanistic social science discipline in the Humanities Divisions, Social Sciences Division, or Arts Division.
- Applicants may be at any stage of their doctoral work, but they cannot have already received the doctoral degree at the time the workshop takes place. Applicants cannot have a graduation date on or before July 1st, 2023.
- International students are eligible to apply, but are responsible for confirming their registration and eligibility status at their home universities; HWW and the University of Minnesota cannot be responsible for facilitating or issuing visa paperwork.
Fellowship Award
Each Fellow will receive a $4,000 award. All Fellows are expected to attend all workshop sessions and be active participants in the program for its entirety. Lodging, ground transportation to and from Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport and some meals are provided through the workshop. The stipend is provided as a participation award and to support meals not otherwise provided, parking if needed, and any other expenses not otherwise provided directly through the workshop.
Application Requirements and Procedures
Interested doctoral students in the humanities should submit their applications to The Humanities Institute by November 1, 2022. Eligible doctoral students must be nominated for this fellowship by their home institutions, and only one nomination may be submitted to HWW from any given university. Please do not submit your applications directly to HWW or the University of Minnesota’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
The application file should contain:
1. A narrative (1,000 words maximum) explaining the applicant’s intended career trajectory and addressing the following questions. Since your application will be evaluated based on your responses to these questions, please be sure to answer ALL questions.
-What are your career interests or your intended career trajectory? How have your background and experiences impacted your choices?
-How will this workshop help you achieve your goals? What knowledge and skills are you hoping to learn?
-What will you bring to the workshop community? What relevant experiences (personal and professional) will help you to contribute to the workshop cohort?
-How will you share what you learn at the workshop with colleague, your department, campus, and beyond? What impact will it have on your community, field, or discipline?
-How do you plan to incorporate a social justice lens into your daily work in your future career?
-What opportunities (if any) have you had at your campus (or beyond) to explore diverse career opportunities?
2. CV (two pages maximum)
3. Two brief letters or emails of support are required. One letter should be from the applicant’s primary adviser/dissertation chair; both should emphasize the applicant’s strengths and fit for this workshop. Letters should be sent to thi@ucsc.edu by November 1, 2022 endorsing the application, with the understanding that a full letter of recommendation will be requested if the student is selected as the campus nominee.
*PLEASE NOTE: You must be logged into your ucsc.edu Google account to use this application form. Questions? Please contact Saskia Nauenberg Dunkell, Research Program Manager, THI; saskia@ucsc.edu