Public Humanities Graduate Practicum
The Kaplan Institute’s Public Humanities Graduate Practicum is a year-long, cohort-based workshop series that allows PhD students to develop a public humanities project while receiving training, feedback, and financial support from the Institute. Applications are accepted each fall.
PROGRAM STRUCTURE
The aim of the Practicum is to encourage thoughtful, creative, and ethical humanistic work that extends beyond the boundaries of the academy. The program provides a structured, supportive environment where graduate students can explore the theory and practice of publicly engaged work.
Throughout the academic year, each Fellow will pursue an independent or collaborative public humanities project of their own design as part of a supportive interdisciplinary cohort. Six workshops (two per quarter), distributed across the academic year, will provide a grounding in the theory and practice of publicly engaged humanities. In addition to the workshops, which will be led by scholars and practitioners within and beyond the academy, Fellows will receive individual guidance on their project from the Practicum conveners. Each Fellow will also receive a $600 grant from the Kaplan Institute to support their project, with the potential to apply for additional funds. At the end of the academic year, participants will showcase their work at the Kaplan Institute’s Public Humanities Symposium.
Public Events
Each year, Kaplan also hosts a number of public events in connection with the Practicum. These sessions seek to bring together a broad audience in dialogue around issues of publicly engaged scholarship. Check our Upcoming Events page for further information.
PROJECTS
Practicum Fellows design and pursue a range of projects, including podcasts, public syllabi, short films, walking tours, exhibits, community events, installations, and performances. Descriptions of projects can be found on our Current and Previous Fellows pages.
The Public Humanities Graduate Practicum is sponsored by the Alice Kaplan Institute for the Humanities, the Center for Civic Engagement, and Northwestern Career Advancement