Career Diversity Workshop Call for Applications

Application Deadline

Overview

Deadline for Students: November 1, 2022

Deadline for Nominating Directors: December 6, 2022

Amount of award: $4,000

Dates: July 17 - 28, 2023  

Eligibility: Doctoral students in the humanities at US universities. HWW especially encourages students from backgrounds historically underrepresented in higher education to apply.

How to submit:Students contact their humanities center director, graduate school dean, or equivalent to be nominated; directors must submit their nomination to InfoReady; each university can nominate one student. If you need help finding your humanities center or equivalent, please contact HWW-info@illinois.edu. 

FAQs: View a list of frequently asked questions 
 

At A Glance

Humanities Without Walls (HWW) seeks applications from doctoral students pursuing degrees in the humanities and humanistic social sciences for the HWW Predoctoral Career Diversity Summer Workshop, to be held from July 17, 2023 to July 28, 2023, in Minneapolis, MN. Students must be in residence in Minneapolis for the duration of the workshop and are expected to attend all workshop activities. Lodging and some meals will be provided; fellowship awards are intended to cover transportation costs to/from and around Minneapolis, meals, and other expenses.

Hosted in 2023 by the University of Minnesota, College of Liberal Arts, the HWW Predoctoral Career Diversity Summer Workshop is an intensive, student-centered career exploration program of values discernment and practical preparation for jobs in a variety of sectors, both beyond and within the academy. HWW's cohort-based approach emphasizes student agency while giving attendees space to reflect on their professional journey. Workshop sessions intentionally lay foundations for the fellows as they do the real-time work of discerning personal career values, building community within their cohort, making professional contacts, and researching potential career paths. Participants will learn how to leverage their skills and humanities training towards careers in the private sector, the nonprofit world, arts administration, public media and many other fields.

The very concept of “humanities without walls” commits us to the work of social justice in the context of career diversity programming, and we work to create sessions which help us grapple with the long history of inequities based on race, indigeneity, gender, and class. Participants are typically invested in the pressing social justice issues of our time and are seeking ways to bring humanistic values, insights, and skills to their work lives, whether in the public, nonprofit, or private sector. Previous HWW Summer Workshop Fellows have come from a variety of humanistic disciplines, with experience in community building, museum curation, filmmaking, radio programming, social media, project management, research, writing, and teaching.

Application Guidelines

Required Application Materials

Students must submit their applications to their home universities' humanities center director, graduate school dean, or equivalent by November 1, 2022. Students should not submit their applications to InfoReady. Each university designates their own office and process for nomination.

Applications need to include:

  • A narrative (1,000 words maximum; 12pt; single spaced) addressing the following questions. Since your application will be evaluated based on your responses to these questions, please be sure to answer ALL questions.• A narrative (1,000 words maximum; 12pt; single spaced) addressing the following questions. Since your application will be evaluated based on your responses to these questions, please be sure to answer ALL questions.
    • What are your career interests or your intended career trajectory? How have your background and experiences impacted your choices?
    • How will this workshop help you achieve your goals? What knowledge and skills are you hoping to learn?
    • What will you bring to the workshop community? What relevant experiences (personal and professional) will help you to contribute to the workshop cohort?
    • How will you share what you learn at the workshop with colleagues, your department, campus, and beyond? What impact will it have on your community, field, or discipline?
    • How do you plan to incorporate a social justice lens into your daily work in your future career?
    • What opportunities (if any) have you had at your campus (or beyond) to explore diverse career opportunities?
  • A resume or CV (two pages maximum) that includes relevant professional experiences (including e.g., volunteering, part-time employment, etc.).
     
  • Two confidential letters of recommendation. One letter should be from a faculty member who is familiar with you and your work. The other letter can be from a community partner, colleague, or staff member who is familiar with you and your work. Letters should be submitted confidentially and separately to the application contact at your home university by November 1, 2022.

Nomination Procedures

Students must be nominated by their home institutions, and only one nomination may be submitted from each university. Humanities center directors, graduate school deans, or equivalents should submit their nomination by 11:59pm CST, December 6, 2022, to InfoReady. Announcement of awards will be made by February 1, 2023.

Eligibility

HWW especially encourages students from backgrounds historically underrepresented in higher education to apply.

  • All applicants must be enrolled full-time in a doctoral program in a humanities or humanistic social science discipline at a university within the United States. Applicants may be at any stage of their doctoral work, but they cannot have received the doctoral degree at the time of the workshop.
  • International students are eligible to apply but must confirm their registration and eligibility status at their home universities. HWW is not responsible for issuing visa paperwork or advising on taxation policies. Applicants are encouraged to work with their humanities center director for additional information.

Contact

All questions should be directed to HWW-info@illinois.edu.