Overview:
The public humanities strive to reach broad audiences and diverse communities to enhance cultural and civic life through inclusivity, accessibility, interdisciplinarity, and collaboration. The Center for the Humanities and the Public Sphere’s first Graduate Public Humanities Institute is a month-long series of virtual workshops and events introducing the methods, formats, and opportunities of the publicly engaged humanities. From writing op-eds, to curating exhibitions, to producing podcasts, workshops and talks will emphasize the public humanities as active practice and evolving process. Graduate students will explore publicly engaged research, teaching, writing, preservation, and programming to learn about a range of career pathways from professionals who are currently applying their advanced humanities degrees across various fields.
Graduate students who attend at least four sessions of the Graduate Public Humanities Institute may apply to receive a Certificate of Participation at the conclusion of the Institute. Certificate participants will gain an understanding of what constitutes the public humanities and public scholarship, and how such skills and values can advance their future research, teaching, civic engagement, and career prospects.
To apply for a Certificate of Participation, please complete the following form, and be sure to sign-in with your UF email address.
All events will be held virtually on Zoom. Panels and talks are free and open to an audience beyond UF graduate students. UF graduate students in the humanities and social sciences will be given priority to attend the public-facing writing and podcasting workshops with limited registration.
For questions about the Graduate Public Humanities Institute, please contact Dr. Kristen Galvin, Assistant Director for Graduate Engagement at the Center for the Humanities and the Public Sphere, kgalvin@ufl.edu.
The 2021 Graduate Public Humanities Institute has been generously cosponsored by the Hyatt and Cici Brown Professor of Florida Archaeology (Kenneth E. Sassaman), the Rothman Family Chair in the Humanities (Jack Davis), the UF Chief Diversity Officer, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and the Graduate School.
This program is part of Envision Humanities: A Graduate Student Toolkit for the 21st Century.
Program Schedule February 24–March 25, 2021
Wednesday, February 24, 4-5pm
National Humanities Center Winter Virtual Residencies: Ph.D. Student Share Out
Panelists
Brianna Anderson (Ph.D. Candidate, English) : “Rethinking Participation in the Virtual Classroom”
Timothy Blanton (Ph.D. Candidate, History): “Three Lessons from the National Humanities Center’s Graduate Student Winter Residency”
Min Ji Kang (Ph.D. Candidate, English): “Reaching Through the Screen: Humanizing Online Interactions”
Cristovão Nwachukwu (Ph.D. Candidate, English): “From the Margins to the Center: Bringing Art, Activism, and Communal Practices into the Classroom”
Laken Brooks (Ph.D. Candidate, English): “That’s All, Folk(lore): Using Podcasts to Blend Storytelling with Research”
The National Humanities Center (NHC) hosts one-week themed residencies and institutes that focus on practical teaching, research, and professionalization skills. With the support from the Center for the Humanities and the Public Sphere, Ph.D. students in UF’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences attended the NHC Virtual Winter 2020 Workshops. In this panel, the fellows will share their experiences at the two programs: How to Create Meaningful Online Learning Communities and Podcasting the Humanities: Creating Digital Stories for the Public. Fellows will speak about their experiences attending the virtual workshops, leaving ample time for questions and discussion.
Virtual Event– Preregister here to receive Zoom URL.
Saturday, February 27, 9:30-11am
Going Public! Engaging Broader Publics through Writing and Social Media
Workshop leader
Dr. David M. Perry (History Advisor, University of Minnesota and freelance journalist)
How does working in public fit into academic life in the year 2021? This active learning workshop (bring your ideas!) will engage this timely topic across platforms and professional issues.
Central questions to be addressed include:
- How do we connect formal scholarly writing with publicly-facing work?
- How do you get magazines and newspapers to publish your ideas?
- Can social media help advance your career formally or informally, and what are the risks, obstacles, advantages, and opportunities of doing so?
- How do you deal with trolls and how can you teach your academic institutions to help?How might you use Twitter, Instagram, Tik-Tok, Facebook, blogging platforms, and op-ed writing to support your professional, scholarly, and pedagogical goals?
Virtual Workshop (limited to 20 graduate students)– Preregister here by February 19 to receive a Zoom link.
Wednesday, March 10, 4-5pm
New Directions in Digital Humanities and Educational Technologies
Speakers
Dr. Emily Pugh and Dr. Anne-Marie Womack
Moderator
Perry Collins, MLIS, MA
Digital technologies open up exciting opportunities for new modes of teaching and research in the humanities and humanistic social sciences. This session hosts a conversation exploring the public humanities in the digital sphere with Dr. Emily Pugh (Digital Humanities Specialist, The Getty Research Institute) and Dr. Anne-Marie Womack (Professor of Practice and Director of Writing, Tulane University; creator of AccessibleSyllabus.com). Panelists will address topics such as how digital technologies are utilized to reach and teach broader audiences, expand archival collections, and enrich research initiatives. The conversation will be moderated by Perry Collins, MLIS, MA; Copyright & Open Educational Resources Librarian, University of Florida.
Virtual Event– Preregister here to receive Zoom URL.
Thursday, March 18, 4-5pm
Exploring Public History and Florida Preservation with UF Alumni
Panelists
Diana González-Tennant, MA, RPA (Project Manager & Owner, Digital Heritage Interactive, LLC, FL)
Dr. Leslie Kemp Poole (Assistant Professor, Environmental Studies Department, Rollins College, FL)
Dr. Brad Massey (Saunders Foundation Curator of Public History, Tampa Bay History Center, FL)
Dr. Daniel Simone (Curator, NASCAR Hall of Fame, NC)
Moderator
Cynthia Barnett (Environmental Journalist in Residence, UF College of Journalism and Communications)
Join UF alumni with advanced degrees from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences for a lively discussion on how the public and digital humanities intersect with historical, archaeological, environmental, and cultural preservation efforts in Florida and the greater Southeast. Students will have the opportunity to learn about publicly engaged projects, formats, and career paths from practicing professionals across a range of roles and sectors.
Virtual Event– Preregister here to receive Zoom URL.
Saturday, March 20, 11am-2pm
11am-12pm: Podcasting as Public Scholarship Workshop; 1-2pm: Consultation Sessions
Workshop leaders
Dr. Allison Horrocks and Dr. Mary Mahoney
In this workshop, Dr. Allison Horrocks and Dr. Mary Mahoney (American Girls Podcast) will lead participants through the process of creating a podcast as a work of public humanities. Using their own experiences as a guide, they will help participants workshop a concept–t from an initial idea, to production, testing, and publication. No experience required, and no set concept needed. In their presentation, Horrocks and Mahoney will demonstrate how podcasting offers an accessible and meaningful way to connect with the public and share research in the humanities. They will also be available for one-on-one consulting later in the day for graduate students who want to discuss specific ideas, workshop elements of a show already in production, or talk about how to start an idea from scratch for a podcast.
Workshop (limited to 20 graduate students)– Preregister here by March 12.
Consultation session (limited to 4 for workshop attendees only)– Preregister here by March 12.
Thursday, March 25, 4-5pm
Reimagining Humanities Graduate Education: Expansive, Inclusive, Engaged
Keynote Speaker
Katina Rogers (Co-Director, The Futures Initiative, The Graduate Center, City University of New York)
Join Dr. Katina Rogers, author of Putting the Humanities PhD to Work: Thriving In and Beyond the Classroom (Duke University Press, 2020) for a candid conversation on the present and future of humanities graduate training as a valuable public good. Timely topics to be addressed include the role of humanities inquiry in the COVID pandemic, engaged modes of scholarly communication, diversity and inclusivity in higher education, academic labor practices, as well as an opportunity for Q&A for practical career advice.
Virtual Event– Preregister here to receive Zoom URL.