Experiential learning is a cornerstone of the Humanities for the Public Good PhD as we create a program centered around the applied humanities. Nine internships are available for summer 2022 for UI PhD students in the humanities or humanities-adjacent disciplines. Interns will spend two summer months working with and for a campus or community partner on a specific project or area of focus. In addition to their work on site, interns also attend weekly cohort meetings and complete assignments that provide professionalizing skills and contextualize the internship experiences.
Interested applicants are encouraged to attend our Summer Internship Info Session on February 4, 2022, from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. The info session is virtual, free, and open to all.
Join us at https://uiowa.zoom.us/j/91762226223.
Interns should expect to work 30 hours a week for eight weeks: June 6 through July 29. (Note that the Civil Rights Heritage Center has a different schedule.) This includes approximately three hours each week dedicated to cohort meetings, writing, and other assignments. All work is intended to be completed on-site, although many positions have hybrid options. If you have a health concern and would like us to consider the option of a fully virtual internship, please note that in your application.
Interns receive $5,000 on successful completion of their position. Living allowances are provided for the out-of-town positions, and mileage compensation is available for any positions that entail travel.
The benefits of participating in this program are numerous and include developing new skills, making invaluable workplace connections, reflecting on issues related to future work, becoming part of a cross-disciplinary cohort, and applying scholarly skills to non-academic projects.
The Civil Rights Heritage Center
The CRHC is a unit of the Indiana University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Located at 1040 W. Washington St., South Bend, Indiana, the CRHC focuses on education, culture, and activism.
Internship at a glance:
Participate in the May 16–30 Freedom Summer Tour in order to better understand the experience and to assist in documentation. Archive materials and consider ways to preserve and share the experiences and outcomes of the class/tour.
Open Heartland
Open Heartland is a grassroots, community-based initiative that serves Latino immigrant families living in Johnson County, Iowa, many of whom have escaped violence, extreme poverty, and lack of educational and health resources. Located at 3 E. Benton Street, Open Heartland offers multiple services that include tutoring, a tienda that provides clothing and house goods, a free medical clinic, and more.
Internship at a glance:
Capture the stories of Latino immigrant parents and other adults before they’re forgotten, and celebrate them. Start an oral history project and consider other ways to tell and preserve these stories.
University of Iowa Office of Federal Relations
The UI Office of Federal Relations is located in Washington, DC, and serves as the critical link between the university and the federal government. The office is charged with working across campus to establish the institution’s federal priorities, track and analyze federal legislation, guidance, funding, rules, and regulations that could potentially impact the University of Iowa community, and execute the federal strategy and overall advocacy efforts on behalf of the university.
Internship at a glance:
Learn about lobbying, particularly as it relates to higher education. Join a small UI team, providing policy research and writing support.
Iowa City Area Business Partnership
The Iowa City Area Business Partnership serves as the voice of business for Johnson County, Iowa, uniting businesses and community to maintain a strong economy and quality of life. Its advocacy efforts, networking events, and other member benefits position members, business leaders and the community for success.
Internship at a glance:
Assist with research and writing regarding topics of interest to the office at that time. Depending on funding and political cycles, the intern could be involved in research and writing about affordable childcare, immigration, DEI in the workplace, and BLIPOC business ownership.
Public Space One
PS1 is an artist-led, community-driven contemporary art organization in Iowa City that aims to provide independent and inclusive spaces for making and presenting art through exhibitions, performances, residency programs, education, artist resources, and advocacy. Its major programs include the Center for Afrofuturist Studies, Media Arts Co-op, and Iowa City Press Co-op, alongside year-round artist exhibitions and projects.
Internship at a glance:
Engage with how to recognize, document, and communicate the history of PS1’s current structures (both as a requirement of their historic landmark status and in response to community interest) while opening consideration for other histories linked to these sites, and while shaping spaces that support community building and contemporary art practices.
University of Iowa Office of the State Archaeologist
The UI Office of the State Archaeologist is a 60+ year-old research laboratory, library, and curation facility on the UI campus. OSA’s 22 staff members develop, disseminate, and preserve knowledge of Iowa’s human past through archaeological research, scientific discovery, public stewardship, service, and education.
Internship at a glance:
Lead the design planning process to create a digital interface that will disseminate information about the geological lithic resources of Iowa that were frequently used by Indigenous peoples.
Multicultural Development Center of Iowa
The MDCI is a nonprofit organization with a mission to serve the community by providing access to education and economic support to promote a multicultural society where diversity is recognized as a strength and the underrepresented have the support of a community that encourages knowledge, respect, equality, and inclusivity.
Internship at a glance:
Perform research activities related to social justice in the local community. Support the growing project of the Connect Collective with a focus on the needs of the local BIPOC business and nonprofit network through community engagement, co-hosting focus groups, and researching relevant economic and STEM inclusion items.
University of Iowa Labor Center
The UI Labor Center provides educational programs and research support to Iowa’s working people and their organizations. Since 1951, the Labor Center has acted as a bridge between the University and Iowa’s labor community.
Internship at a glance:
Create a Speaking of Work podcast episode based on material from the Iowa Labor History Oral Project, one of the largest and longest-running, labor-focused oral history projects in the U.S.
University of Iowa Libraries Special Collections & Archives
UI Special Collections & Archives provides access to rare and unique books, manuscripts, and maps that span over 4000 years, and is home to remarkable archives including the University Archives, Iowa Women’s Archives, International Dada Archive, and the Ruth and Marvin Sackner Archive of Concrete and Visual Poetry.
Internship at a glance:
Work with the Community and Student Life Archivist to develop a new project to collect oral histories of students, alumni, faculty, and staff affiliated with either the Afro-American Cultural Center or the Latino Native American Cultural Center at the University of Iowa.
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