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Applications are due Wednesday, April 1, 2026, by 5:00 p.m.
Before applying, thoroughly read the position descriptions below.
Paid 8-week summer internships with area nonprofits
The Obermann Center for Advanced Studies invites humanities and humanities adjacent graduate students to apply for a paid summer internship program with Iowa City nonprofit organizations Public Space One, Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County, and the Iowa City Public Library Friends Foundation.
This eight-week summer program gives graduate students the chance to gain hands on professional experience outside the classroom while building skills that translate across many career paths. Interns apply humanities training such as research, writing, critical thinking, and ethical analysis in real world, public facing settings.
The program also offers structured support for career exploration and professional growth. Through cohort meetings and workshops, students develop practical tools for the job market while connecting with peers and mentors.
Program Benefits
- Paid eight-week summer internship in June and July 2026
- Professional experience with a local nonprofit organization
- Cohort meetings and workshops focused on resumes, CVs, cover letters, informational interviews, career exploration, and ethical community engaged work
- Mentorship from nonprofit professionals and Obermann Center staff
- A supportive cohort of fellow humanities graduate students
Interns will take part in a late spring orientation and meet regularly as a cohort throughout the summer to reflect on their experiences, share insights, and build confidence navigating diverse career pathways.
Who Should Apply
This opportunity is open to current humanities and humanities-adjacent graduate students (MFA or PhD) not graduating in Summer or Fall 2026 who are interested in exploring careers beyond the traditional tenure track.
Please note that these are in-person internships; interns will need to be on site during the entire internship period.
Position Descriptions
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P.I.: Lauren Burrell Cox
This grant was awarded to Lauren Burrell Cox, Associate Director of the Obermann Center.
Dr. Cox received her PhD in English from the University of Florida, where she was awarded the University of Florida College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Michael Aschoff Dissertation Fellowship for her hybrid dissertation project “Reactivating the Film Archive.” Before coming to the Obermann Center, she was the Humanities Program Manager at the University of Florida Center for the Humanities and the Public Sphere (UF CHPS), where she managed the UF Synergies Speaker Series and the Humanities Engagement Scholars program. Prior to that, she served as the program coordinator for UF CHPS and the Public Relations Coordinator for the Andrew W. Mellon Intersections program. With Dr. June Ke, and sponsored by the University of Florida Center for the Humanities and the Public Sphere and the University of California Humanities Research Institute, she co-created the podcast series Under Review: Rethinking Humanities Graduate Education. Putting graduate education under review, the podcast examines pressing issues such as the tenure-track jobs crisis, economic outcomes for humanities PhDs, future directions for graduate education, and professional development that takes into account diverse paths and the current realities of the job market. Under Review serves as a resource for helping graduate students in the humanities feel more empowered as they navigate the academy and take the next steps in their careers.
Funding Partner: Humanities Without Walls
This program is funded by a generous grant from Humanities Without Walls, a consortium of humanities centers at sixteen research universities throughout the Midwest and beyond. HWW is based at the Humanities Research Institute at the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign and aims to create new avenues for collaborative and interdisciplinary research, publicly engaged scholarship, and professional opportunities for faculty and graduate students.