2024-2025
Synergies Symposium
April 24, 2025 (9:00AM-4:00PM)
Keene Flint 0013
This year the Tedder and Rothman Doctoral Fellows took part in the Synergies Research Day to present their research and respond to another fellow’s presentation. We were pleased to hear from Sayantika Chakraborty (English), Mosunmola Ogunmolaji (History), Daniela Núñez de Álvarez Stransky (Spanish and Portuguese Studies), Gerard Spicer (Music), Allison Westerfield (Art History), Karen Libby (English), Lorena Romero Leal (Anthropology), Chris Lause (History), Long Xiao (Political Science), Faith Barringer (Art History), and Dani Sensabaugh (Art History).
Digital Humanities Workshop: Nimble Tents, Open Labs and Other Forms of Doing Good with What You Have
March 27, 2025 (10:00AM-11:30AM)
Keene Flint 0013
How can we create meaningful research and with limited resources? This workshop explored how to build digital humanities programming by embracing the power of adaptability and creative problem-solving. Participants engaged with innovative ideas and connect with others interested in the humanities and digital scholarship.
Minecraft as a Mirror: Reflecting on Human Values in Technology
March 5, 2025 (11:45AM-1:15PM)
Digital Worlds Institute | Polymodal Immersive Classroom Theater
What can the video game, Minecraft, tell us about our assumptions regarding the idea of neutrality in technology? Is technology truly neutral? What hidden values and assumptions shape the digital spaces we engage with every day? This interactive workshop challenged the idea of technological neutrality by turning a critical eye toward Minecraft—not as a game to be played, but as a cultural and material object that reflects human beliefs, biases, and omissions. Rather than focusing on gameplay, visiting scholar Lyneise Williams invites participants to analyze Minecraft as a space created by humans and shaped by human interactions. What does the game include? What does it leave out? Through small group discussions, participants examined themes such as:
- The game’s rules and mechanics
- How people and environments are represented (or not)
- The roles and agency given to players
- The language and terminology used
Each group presented their findings, which led to a collaborative discussion that challenges assumptions about neutrality in technology. By interrogating Minecraft’s design choices, participants explored ways to rethink and intentionally integrate fuller representations of humanity within tech-designed spaces.
Reimagining Research: Getting Started with Experimental Digital Scholarship
February 6, 2025 (10:00AM-12:00PM)
Keene-Flint 0013
In this interactive workshop, Dr. Parham will share her process for navigating and creating digital scholarship, offering invaluable insights for faculty and graduate students who are curious about integrating digital tools into their research.
- Through an engaging presentation and guided discussion, participants will explore:
- What digital tools can offer—and their limitations.
- How digital formats and platforms shape research questions and methodologies.
Practical steps to get started on a digital humanities project.Using a real-world example of a digital project, Dr. Parham will demystify the process of conceptualizing, designing, and implementing experimental digital research. Whether you’re new to digital humanities or looking to expand your expertise, this workshop will provide the tools and inspiration to take your scholarship to the next level.
Grant Writing Workshop Series
October 14 ‒ November 18, 2024 (6-7:30PM)
Keene-Flint 0013
In the 2024 Fall semester, the Center for the Humanities and the Public Sphere offered a Grant Writing Workshop Series to 12 UF graduate students in the humanities and humanistic sciences. Based on Raphael B. Folsom’s book How to Get Grant Money in the Humanities and Social Sciences, the Grant Writing Workshop Series provided graduate students the basics of the grant-writing process, including finding a mentor, conceptualizing the project, and tailoring an application for a specific submission.
Students explored different grant funding bodies, detailed instruction on preparing a proposal (including all sections i.e., budget preparation, facilities, environment, approach, biosketches), and the application and review process. In addition to developing a competitive grant proposal, workshop applicants received a timeline and guidance for requesting recommendation letters. At the end of the program, the students’ proposal was reviewed by an internal panel evaluation.
Cosponsored by the UF Office of Research
From Project to Podcast: Workshop with Gilbert King
October 24, 2024 (5:00-7:30PM)
Pugh Hall 170
We joined the UF History department for a workshop featuring Gilbert King, author and host of the true crime podcast Bone Valley. This interactive event provided insight into how to translate public research into a podcast by guiding participants through the process of adapting academic work for a broader audience.This workshop will offered practical insights into storytelling, production, and audience engagement, empowering students and scholars to share their research in dynamic and accessible formats. This session ultimately provided valuable tools to help bring students research to life in the digital age.
Joint Event with the UF Department of History
Digital Experiential Learning: A Seminar with Steve Davis
October 23, 2024 (4:00-5:00PM)
Keene-flint 0013
In late October we joined Dr. Steve Davis, Associate Professor of History at the University of Kentucky, as he described the work of Bitter Aloe, an AI inflected humanities research group leveraging machine learning methods to organize and interpret South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) archive, which is a comprehensive collection of testimonies, reports, and data documenting the human rights violations that occurred during apartheid. Davis and his team applied three AI models to the extensive testimonies and qualitative data produced by the TRC between 1995 and 2003, uncovering new insights into South Africa’s complex history, particularly in the realm of human rights. Students interested in his project and expertise were invited to learn more about the convergence of digital technologies and humanities research through a seminar where he discussed his experiential learning graduate course, “Graduate Practicum at Shaker Village: Public History and Digital History in Practice.”
Joint Event with the UF Center for African Studies
Alex Gil Fuentes Graduate Reading Group
September 24, 2024 (6:00-7:00PM)
Cypress & Grove Brewing company
On September 26, the Center for the Humanities and the Public Sphere (CHPS) was meant to host Alex Gil Fuentes, PhD (Yale, Department of Spanish and Portuguese). Unfortunately, the talk was delayed due to Hurricane Helene (the original dates are displayed in the image above). Nevertheless, we held a Graduate Student Reading Group to read and discuss a few of Gil’s publications in anticipation of his talk in the spring. We had the pleasure of reading and engaging with “Design for Diversity: The Case of Ed.” and “Only Connect: The Globalization of the Digital Humanities.”By doing so, we deepened our understanding of his work, built community, and enjoyed some food together.
Humanities Happy Hour
September 18, 2024 (5:30-7:00PM)
First Magnitude Brewing Co.
In preparation for Raymond Arsenault’s visit to The Lynx, faculty and graduate students alike read his compelling biography about civil rights activist John Lewis: In Search of the Beloved Community. In these chapters, students explored Lewis’ early life and rise as a leading voice for justice through his activism with the Freedom Riders and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. We learned through our discussion of Lewis’ lifetime work toward one overarching goal: realizing the “beloved community,” an ideal society based in equity and inclusion. Lewis never wavered in this pursuit, and even in death his influence endures, inspiring mobilization and resistance in the fight for social justice.
2023-2024
Grant Writing Workshop Series
October 4 ‒ November 8, 2023 @(6-7:30PM)
Walker Hall 200
This Fall semester, the Center for the Humanities and the Public Sphere is offering a Grant Writing Workshop Series to 15 UF graduate students in the humanities and humanistic sciences. Based on Folsom’s book “How to Get Grant Money in the Humanities and Social Sciences,” the Grant Writing Workshop Series will provide graduate students the basics of the grant-writing process, including finding a mentor, conceptualizing the project, and tailoring an application for a specific submission.
Students will explore different grant funding bodies, detailed instruction on preparing a proposal (including all sections i.e., budget preparation, facilities, environment, approach, biosketches), and the application and review process. In addition to developing a competitive grant proposal, workshop applicants will receive a timeline and guidance for requesting recommendation letters. At the end of the program, students’ proposal will be reviewed by an internal panel evaluation.
You can find the guideline here.
Cosponsored by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
2022-2023
Cookies and Careers – A Professional Development Open House for Graduate Students
April 11 @ 2:30-4 PM
Walker Hall 200
Join the Career Connections Center for drop-in hours at the Center for Humanities and the Public Sphere on Tuesday, April 11th from 2:30pm-4:00pm in Walker Hall 200
Cookies will be provided!
During this drop-in event, meet with Allie Simon, Associate Director for Career Engagement, and David Adams, Assistant Director for Career Pathways. Allie and David will be available to:
- Discuss the Career Connections Center’s programs and services for graduate students
- Answer quick career planning questions
- Provide information on job searching and building professional documents
- Review key university resources to support your professional development
The Graduate Summer Institute
Summer 2023 | May 8-12
Application Deadline: March 31, 2023
The Center for the Humanities and the Public Sphere invites applications by Ph.D. and Master students in the humanities and humanistic sciences at UF for the Graduate Humanities Summer Institute (May 8-12, 2023).
Engaging the theme of “Expanding Horizons through the Humanities,” the Graduate Humanities Summer Institute centers on fostering both academic and professional versatility. The Summer Institute will provide graduate students with opportunities to expand their humanistic toolkits and research outputs as well as to translate their scholarly expertise and research skills for diverse professional contexts, within and beyond the confines of academia.
It will take place from May 8-12, 2023, at the Austin Cary Forest Learning Center, and will feature five days of workshops, lectures, and small-group discussions. During the morning sessions, experts will lead a series of professional development workshops aimed at enhancing graduate student training and experience outside their current research and teaching activities. In the afternoon, graduate students will explore ways to communicate their research within and beyond the university and develop a project proposal to pitch at the end of the week.
Valentine’s Day Open House: Information Session for Graduate Students About the Public Humanities Internships and Graduate Summer Institute
February 14 @ 3-5 PM
Walker Hall 200
Stop by the Center for the Humanities and the Public Sphere in Walker Hall 200 for an info session for graduate students about the Public Humanities Internship Program and the Graduate Summer Institute. Learn from previous interns about their experience and how you can benefit from these programs!
Tweets by UF Humanities Center