In the final week of March 2020, as the University of Iowa geared up to commence classes and work from home in response to the novel coronavirus, members of the Humanities for the Public Good advisory board offered some informal,…
Blog
Historically Speaking: History PhDs Tell Stories of Working Outside the Academy
University of Iowa Department of History alumni: Dr. Sylvea Hollis, Dr. Eric Zimmer, and Dr. Karen Christianson On February 24th -- with the generous support of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Graduate College, the College of Liberal Arts and…
On networking, collaboration, and empathy: a conversation with the AHA’s career diversity expert Dylan Ruediger
In the first cold months of 2020, Humanities for the Public Good will host two events that focus on networking and career diversity: our "Working Relationships" workshop on February 13th and "Historically Speaking," an alumni event featuring History PhDs on…
Community Partner Spotlight: Hancher Auditorium
In Summer 2019, two graduate students (Mark Rheaume and Michael Davis) completed eight-week internships at Hancher Auditorium, as part of an opportunity to explore how their academic training might translate into a variety of professions and workplaces. Hancher Auditorium's Education Manager, Micah Ariel James, shares a few details about the organization and its efforts to support the local community.
UI PhD Alumni: Where They Are Now
With the season’s first snow hanging in the air, over 30 people gathered from 15 different departments across the University of Iowa at MERGE co-working space in downtown Iowa City to learn about career diversity from humanities PhD alumni. Eight PhD alumni (seven from the University of Iowa), some of whom work beyond the academy and others who occupy a wide range of teaching positions in education, traveled to Iowa City from across the country to share their experiences and insights.
Community Partner Spotlight: Iowa Valley Resource Conservation & Development
In Summer 2019, three graduate students (Paul Schmitt, Marie Culpepper, and Kathleen Shaughnessy) completed eight-week internships at Iowa Valley Resource Conservation & Development (IVRC&D), as part of an opportunity to explore how their academic training might translate into a variety of professions and workplaces. IVRC&D Executive Director Jessica Rilling shares a few details about the organization and its efforts to support and lift up the local community.
Humanities Graduate Education for the World’s Work Symposium: Reflection & Summary
On September 13 - 14th, with support from the Mellon Foundation and the University of Iowa’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the Office of the Vice President for Research, the symposium brought together scholars and higher education advocates from across the nation, including speakers from seven institutions and two national associations representing eight states.
Listening and the Limits of Expertise
For as much as I have sought out stories of individuals’ flood experiences over the past two months, those stories more often than not turn into stories of community and collaborative response. During my time as an Obermann Public Scholar this summer, I have had the opportunity to engage with Vinton, Iowa and its people in a wide array of contexts: door-to-door canvassing in flood-affected neighborhoods, arranged interviews, telephone chats, facilitated group conversations, and flood resilience games. Through it all I’ve realized I have learned but a sliver of the town’s history and workings. I will never be an expert on Vinton and its flooding—not in the ways its residents are through their lived experiences.
Towards New Museum Futures
Throughout the summer, I have had the fantastic opportunity to serve as an Obermann Public Scholar at the African American Museum of Iowa. Through the generous funding of the Andrew Mellon Foundation, and the help of the Obermann Center for Advanced Studies, I was given the space to research the ethics of slavery education and create designs for an underground railroad education program. Through this process, I gained a critical awareness about the fraught dimensions and history of teaching slavery in the United States, alongside having the room to learn how to create ethically sourced curriculum.
The Arts Scene in Iowa City (Part II)
As I mentioned in my previous post, a great deal of my job as community participation researcher for The Englert is to attend arts events around Iowa City. It almost feels like I’m cheating because I go to programming that I would already be interested in attending anyway. But I promise that it's truly invaluable to the research that Hannah and I have been doing.
