Summer 2025 | May 5-9 | 9am-5pm
Creating Captivating Conference Presentations
The Center for the Humanities and the Public Sphere, in collaboration with the William and Grace Dial Center for Speech and Communication Studies, invites graduate students in the humanities and interpretive social sciences at UF to apply for the 2025 Graduate Humanities Summer Institute.
This year’s Institute, “Creating Captivating Conference Presentations,” will focus on strategies for crafting engaging oral presentations, leading roundtable discussions, and handling Q&A sessions with confidence. Participants will gain practical tools to convey their ideas persuasively and with poise.
Held from May 5-9, 2025, at the Austin Cary Forest Learning Center, the five-day program will feature interactive workshops on voice and body language, storytelling techniques, and audience engagement. The Institute will conclude with each participant delivering a 10-minute research presentation, followed by constructive peer feedback. A .pdf version of the application can be found here.
Eligibility
This program is open to Ph.D. and M.A. students in the humanities and humanistic social sciences at the University of Florida
To be eligible, graduate students must demonstrate a focus on humanities scholarship and be in good standing. CHPS uses a definition of the humanities adapted from the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965 as the basis for evaluating the relevance of application statements. Applicants may be at any stage of their graduate program, but they cannot have received the graduate degree at the time of the institute.
Application
Submit parts 1 – 3 as a single PDF to Noah Mullens at noahmullens@ufl.edu, cc-ing Dr. Sara Agnelli (saraclassics@ufl.edu), by April 2, 2025.
1. COVER SHEET with the following information:
• Name
• Department and email address
• Name and email address of department chair
• Name and email address of dissertation advisor (if applicable)
• Name and email address of graduate coordinator
• Year in program
2. STATEMENT OF INTEREST AND QUALIFICATIONS (max. 500 words for A-D) to include the following:
A. Describe the most significant challenge(s) you face when presenting your research in the humanities at conferences, workshops, or similar settings.
B. Discuss your skills and experience as they relate to the content and structure of the Summer Institute.
C. Reflect on how participating in the Summer Institute will support your professional and intellectual goals.
D. Provide a brief statement about your future plans and explain how attending the Summer Institute will help you explore career diversity.
3. CV (max. 2 pages)
Moreover:
4. An email declaring the applicant’s good standing and support of the student’s pursuit of this position by the Graduate Coordinator. This email should be sent to Associate Director, Dr. Sara Agnelli, at saraclassics@ufl.edu by April 9, 2025.
Example declaration of good standing and endorsement:
As the Graduate Coordinator in the (Department name) I confirm that (applicant’s full name) is making good progress as of (date of email). I endorse (applicant’s name) application for the 2025 Graduate Humanities Summer Institute.
(electronic signature), (date)
5. An email declaring support of the student’s pursuit of this position by the student’s Dissertation Advisor. This email should be sent to Associate Director, Dr. Sara Agnelli, at saraclassics@ufl.edu by April 9, 2025.
Example declaration of endorsement:
As the Dissertation Advisor of (applicant’s full name) in the (Department name), I endorse (applicant’s name) application the 2025 Graduate Humanities Summer Institute.
(electronic signature), (date)
Criteria of Evaluation
The Graduate Advisor Committee will evaluate applications based on the following criteria:
a. Insights into the challenge(s) related to communicating humanities research and its value.
b. Student’s skills and experience in relation to the Summer Institute’s content and structure.
c. Articulation of how the Summer Institute will support student’s professional and intellectual goals and aspirations.
d. Student’s insights into how the Summer Institute will contribute to career diversity.
Application Assistance
We invite applicants to write to the Program Coordinator, Noah Mullens at noahmullens@ufl.edu in advance with queries about the program or application process.