On September 13 and 14, 2019, Paula Krebs and Jim Grossman—executive directors of the Modern Language Association and American Historical Association, respectively—will join other national leaders of engaged graduate education for a UI-led symposium on public scholarship, experiential learning, and humanities graduate education. University of Iowa PhD students who participated in this summer's Humanities for the Public Good internship program will also share their experience and lead a session. 

“Humanities Graduate Education for the World’s Work” is the second public symposium on career diversity and humanities graduate education offered by the Obermann Center for Advanced Studies as part of the Humanities for the Public Good initiative—an Andrew W. Mellon Foundation–funded program focused on creating practice-based, cross-disciplinary opportunities for humanities graduate students interested in diverse careers.

Teresa Mangum, director of the Obermann Center and of the grant, hopes students and faculty from the UI’s humanities departments will turn out in force: “Our speakers will help us envision the unique graduate degree we’re planning with Mellon’s support. They come from African American Studies, English, History, Latina/o Studies, and more, and their successes offer inspiration to all of our humanities departments as they strive to prepare scholars for any number of careers.”

Topics of panels include: project-based graduate education, diversifying career planning in the humanities, internships for humanities PhDs, humanities education in community colleges, and applied graduate humanities. Presenters have sent "thought pieces" in advance with briefly provide context to their approach to engaged graduate studies. You can read these here. 

The symposium, co-sponsored by the UI Graduate College and the UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences takes place at Hotel Vetro on Friday, September 13, and reconvenes in Gerber Lounge (304 EPB) on Saturday, September 14.  

No registration is required, and most events are free and open to the public. For the full schedule and speaker bios, visit uihumanitiesforthepublicgood.com. 

Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa-sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires an accommodation in order to participate in this program, please contact Erin Hackathorn in advance at 319-335-4034 or erin-hackathorn @uiowa.edu.