The Center for the Humanities and the Public Sphere offers Public Humanities Internships that provide Ph.D. students with a substantive experiential learning opportunity for developing public humanities methods and skillsets. Interns work closely with a site supervisor on a specific project that reinforces the external partner’s mission. Throughout the course of the internship, Ph.D. students expand their professional skills and network while gaining meaningful humanistic work experiences beyond a traditional classroom setting. These competitively selected internship placements connect to the student’s academic and/or professional advancement interests and catalyze future public-facing projects.
The Public Humanities Internships are structured and paid as .50 FTE Graduate Research Assistantships with tuition waivers included for Summer A. Graduate students intern 20 hours per week on-site and/or virtually.
Summer 2026
View application and full internship descriptions
Brief Project Descriptions
Peacebuilding, Grant Writing, and Public Humanities Intern – River Phoenix Center for Peacebuilding
The River Phoenix Center for Peacebuilding (RPCP) is a mission-driven nonprofit organization working toward the prevention of conflict and violence, as well as intervention and healing. RPCP’s mission is to enrich the lives of individuals, families, and communities by providing and promoting best practices and principles of peacebuilding and global sustainability. The River Phoenix Center for Peacebuilding addresses conflict and violence through a continuum of prevention, intervention, and restorative strategies involving both youth and adult populations, including those healing from the lasting impacts of trauma. RPCP is dedicated to creating essential societal change by supporting individuals and groups as they take action through programs, services, and training.
This internship is designed for a PhD student in English or a closely related humanities field, particularly an ABD or advanced-stage doctoral student, whose scholarly interests intersect with narrative theory, rhetoric, trauma studies, ethics, community-engaged scholarship, or public humanities.
The intern will contribute advanced research and writing expertise to RPCP’s grant writing and program development efforts, while also assisting with the research and development of a book-length or other major scholarly project grounded in RPCP’s peacebuilding philosophy, programs, and community-based work. The position emphasizes reciprocal benefit: strengthening RPCP’s organizational capacity while supporting the intern’s academic and professional trajectory.
The Lynx Watch, Inc. Intern – The Lynx, Hybrid
The Lynx Watch, Inc. is the nonprofit branch of The Lynx, a general interest bookstore in Gainesville, FL, dedicated to highlighting banned & challenged books as well as uplifting the voices of BIPOC and LGBTQ+ authors. The Lynx Watch, Inc., the store’s affiliated 501(c)(3) nonprofit, works to distribute banned and challenged books widely and equitably across the state of Florida, and to bring literary events to Floridians
The Lynx Watch, Inc. Intern will assist in the development of the nonprofit organization, with a focus on developing 2026 Gainesville Reads programming and long-term nonprofit planning. Gainesville Reads is our annual month-long reading festival that fosters accessible conversations about literacy and community issues. The programming series culminates in a large, free author event about the selected book. The Lynx Watch, Inc. intern will assist in seeking grant funding, sourcing sponsorships and in-kind donations, marketing the program series, and other related tasks to coordinate Gainesville Reads events. Other nonprofit development tasks will include grant research, writing, and tracking; community outreach and organization of contacts; research and assistance in nonprofit growth; and assistance with nonprofit book donation projects.
Theatre Program Intern – The Hippodrome
The Hippodrome was founded in 1973 by six artists with the goal of presenting the best in challenging, contemporary theatre. The Hippodrome Theatre is committed to artistic excellence in North Florida. Our mission is to collaborate with artists, create productions, education programs, events, and cinematic programming that reflect and elevate the diverse cultures and perspectives of our region, and to create and maintain ongoing engagement with our community.
This internship offers humanities doctoral students the opportunity to apply advanced literary research, writing, and pedagogical training in a professional theatre setting. The intern will support dramaturgical research, public-facing writing, and educational programming, translating scholarly work for diverse audiences. Designed as a doctoral professionalization placement, the position introduces students to diverse career pathways in dramaturgy, public humanities, arts administration, and cultural programming while building transferable research, communication, and institutional skills.