Engaged & Public Humanities (ENPH)

An introductory, cohort-shaping proseminar that investigates and historicizes major concepts and issues in the program (interdisciplinarity, discipline, public(s), humanities, the relationship between humanities study and humanities practice, etc.) and invites students to explore an “interdiscipline” of interest (e.g., humanities and law, humanities and medicine, humanities and climate change, humanities and aging, humanities and global health) through a research project. The course introduces the public humanities as an emergent discipline unto itself, with a definable object of study and a distinct methodology.

“Culture and Communicating for the Public Sphere: Oral/Print/Digital Media” The course introduces different forms and media of communication not just within academic disciplines, but for a wide variety of audiences (grant writing, journalism, writing from the public sphere, use of video and audio resources for different advocacy objectives, use of communication strategies in different environments). It offers a graduate-level introduction to knowledge production in media platforms in addition to traditional print.

The course introduces the institutional structures (including government, law, medicine, and both non-profit and profit-driven entities) in which public humanities graduates are employed, exploring where the humanities intersect with professional practice and public life, but also where fissures persist between our understanding of the humanities and the arts and their purpose in contributing to the common good. Students might choose which one of these to pursue depending on their goals and focus of study. The course allows students to pursue research into a particular institution, business, or non-humanities discipline and its relationship to the humanities.

This course covers the main areas of what we call Digital Humanities (DH) today: DH as a research tool, DH as a driver of pedagogical innovation, DH as the agent of social change, DH as itself an ontological register for expressive work open to humanities study, and DH as the shorthand for non-print-based, alternative media platforms for the production of knowledge. Students will develop an understanding of the debates that currently drive growth in this field through reading theory as well as analyzing current applications and then develop a digital project of their own related to their larger MAEPH goals.

TBA - Capstone for the ENPH program

Very occasionally, a graduate student is already involved or employed in the engaged and public humanities and a mentored internship will not further their careers or supplement their academic knowledge as intended. In these cases, with the prior approval of the Director before they begin the report, the student may write a public humanities report (PHR) while enrolling in six academic credits. The PHR is a written document that is a blend of research (both academic and non-academic), investigation, and proposing solutions. The PHR should address a question or a problem prevalent in the engaged and public humanities and pose an extensive answer to the question or solution to the problem. The report should be, at a minimum, forty pages long with 1.5 paragraph spacing and 12-point font. Sections of the report should include: an executive summary of 1-2 pages; background; case studies; assessment; recommendations; bibliography. Graphs, charts, photos, and other illustrations may be included – with original source attribution or generated by the student’s research – but these are not required. A graduate student writing a PHR should be prepared to work one-on-one with the Director while drafting the report. It is highly recommended that a student writes a brief proposal outlining the chosen field in the engaged and public humanities and the question or problem the student has chosen to pursue. The student should expect to submit writing for review every three weeks for comments by the Director. The consultation of a public humanities leader outside of the academy is not required, but highly encouraged, particularly for approval of the final draft. In drafting the report, the student should engage in a variety of approaches to collect information: interviews with non-academic experts; collecting data from industry non-profits or non-governmental agencies; surveying public humanities leaders; researching past initiatives, events, or recommendations in the public sphere; and delving into archival or library research in the engaged and public humanities. To that end, the student can expect to be working at least 15-20 hours a week collecting and reading through information, as they write the PHR. Like the mentored internship, the graduate student should think about the PHR as a supplement and lead into the capstone project, which is a separate graduation requirement. The final draft of the PHR should be read for approval by the Director approximately 8-10 weeks after starting research and completed by the end of July of the student’s graduating year. The public humanities report will be published in PDF format on the ENPH program website.

The capstone project is the culmination of a student’s studies in the MA program. The capstone project integrates the student’s humanities scholarship with their internship(s) or field research projects. The capstone project is designed to reach a public audience. It should be developed and completed with the active involvement of a faculty advisor or the program director. The capstone project is also meant to be developed during the mentored internship where an industry advisor can provide feedback on feasibility, logistics, effectiveness, and execution. While there is no prescribed format for the capstone, students should take the opportunity to reimagine what humanities scholarship can be when it is public-facing. Capstone projects include but are not limited to: several episodes of a podcast; a documentary; an oral history archive; a digital or physical exhibition; online articles for publication; project proposals; a white paper + social media campaign; a series of performances or events, etc. The capstone must be completed and approved by the program director and the faculty mentor (if there is one) before graduation.

Tutorial

The mentored internship is meant to ground the student in the reality of daily life in their industry of interest. Students will work with the program director and other faculty mentors to identify their industry of interest and potential organizations, institutions, businesses, or non-profits that supplement their course of study in the master’s program. The student must be pro-active in arranging their internship. Once the internship conditions and scope of work have been agreed upon by the student, the program director, and the internship sponsor, the student will work with the director to design a short reading list (6-10 texts) to supplement their internship experience. Students will keep a weekly journal that they will turn in to the director and/or their faculty capstone advisor at the end of their internship. There is no prescribed format for the journal, but students should make connections between the reading list, their studies, and the professional experience as the internship progresses. As the internship finishes, students will also write a 7-10 double-spaced page report discussing the work they’ve accomplished as part of their internship. The weekly journal and the report, once complete, will be graded on a pass/fail basis for the student to earn academic credit for the internship. Students will on internship will meet in groups with the director for coaching and troubleshooting three times during the internship. If a student is part-time and separating out the six-credit internship into two three-credit internships over two summers, the student should still develop a short reading list (3-7 texts), keep a weekly journal, and be prepared to write a 4-6 double-spaced page report on their experience for each internship experience.

The mentored internship is meant to ground the student in the reality of daily life in their industry of interest. Students will work with the program director and other faculty mentors to identify their industry of interest and potential organizations, institutions, businesses, or non-profits that supplement their course of study in the master’s program. The student must be pro-active in arranging their internship. Once the internship conditions and scope of work have been agreed upon by the student, the program director, and the internship sponsor, the student will work with the director to design a short reading list (6-10 texts) to supplement their internship experience. Students will keep a weekly journal that they will turn in to the director and/or their faculty capstone advisor at the end of their internship. There is no prescribed format for the journal, but students should make connections between the reading list, their studies, and the professional experience as the internship progresses. As the internship finishes, students will also write a 7-10 double-spaced page report discussing the work they’ve accomplished as part of their internship. The weekly journal and the report, once complete, will be graded on a pass/fail basis for the student to earn academic credit for the internship. Students will on internship will meet in groups with the director for coaching and troubleshooting three times during the internship. If a student is part-time and separating out the six-credit internship into two three-credit internships over two summers, the student should still develop a short reading list (3-7 texts), keep a weekly journal, and be prepared to write a 4-6 double-spaced page report on their experience for each internship experience.

Continuous Registration for ENPH

This section is used by master's students who have completed all degree requirements except incomplete course grades, or by master's and doctoral students who have completed all degree requirements, including defense of the doctoral dissertation, but have not yet graduated. Students may register for this course only with permission of the Graduate School. No registration fee is charged. A student enrolled in Continuous Registration – 993-01, will be certified as enrolled less than half-time.

Continuous Registration