Internships and Fellow-Designed Community Projects

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The Public Humanities Graduate Fellows Program includes internships and fellow-designed community projects, both of which fulfill the practicum requirement. These paid opportunities enable fellows to apply their academic training in community settings and to develop skills in areas such as oral and written communication for broad audiences; project design, management, and assessment; and administration for the public.

*Fellows must complete the two program seminars before beginning their practicum.

Internships are positions established by the IHC with local cultural, governmental, and non-profit organizations. The internship host organizations interview and select applicants for positions and provide mentoring and oversight.

VIEW 2020 INTERNSHIP POSITIONS
VIEW 2019 INTERNSHIP POSITIONS

Internship Timeline:

December 14, 2020: Positions announced
February 2021: Information sessions
March 12, 2021: Applications due
March 29 – April 9, 2021: Interviews with host organizations
April 16, 2021: Placements announced
June 2021 – April 2022: Internships start

Fellow-designed community projects enable graduate students to create projects in collaboration with a community partner that use the student’s academic skills (e.g., research methods, languages, and content expertise) to address a need identified by the organization. Project proposals are evaluated and approved by both the IHC and the partner organization. Oversight will be provided by a mentor at the host organization and a UCSB faculty member or the IHC Director.

If you are interested in applying for a fellow-designed community project, please contact IHC Associate Director Erin Nerstad.

Internship Application Information

Public Humanities Graduate Fellows who have completed both program seminars are eligible to apply. Interns receive a $5,000 stipend for 200 hours of work (generally 20 hours per week for ten weeks or ten hours per week for 20 weeks).

To apply for an internship position, submit a cover letter and resume by Friday, March 12, 2021 using the online application form (available January 2021). The cover letter should address the applicant’s interest in and qualifications for a specific organization and project from the list of open positions. If applying for more than one position, applicants should submit a cover letter and resume for each position and rank their preferences in the application form. Host organizations will review the applications and select candidates for interviewing. If selected, candidates should be prepared to interview with the host organization between March 29 and April 9. Internship offers will be made by April 16, and internships will begin as early as June 14, 2021.

VIEW 2020 INTERNSHIP POSITIONS
VIEW 2019 INTERNSHIP POSITIONS

Fellow-Designed Community Project Application Information

Fellow-Designed Community Project Application Information

Public Humanities Graduate Fellows who have completed both program seminars are eligible to apply. Fellows will receive a $3,000 stipend for 120 hours of work, and limited additional funding is available to defray materials costs. Fellows will receive mentoring from both the community partner and from a UCSB faculty member.

Students interested in applying for project funding should contact IHC Associate Director Erin Nerstad.

A complete application should include:

  • a project abstract (100 words)
  • a project description (five double-spaced pages, see instructions below)
  • curriculum vitae (two pages maximum)
  • a letter of support from the faculty advisor who will serve as the faculty project mentor
  • a work agreement signed by the applicant and a dedicated mentor at the partner organization that addresses the work that has been agreed on, the timeline for the project, and its deliverables (one page maximum)

The project description should:

  • state the objectives, ideas, and methodology of the project, specifying how you understand this work as transforming your own humanities scholarship
  • discuss the project’s significance with reference to its shared, community-centered collaborative production of knowledge and culture
  • explain the nature of the community collaboration. Indicate the contact that you have had with your proposed community partner and how this relationship has been established.
  • state the particular expertise and preparation you bring to the project
  • discuss the form(s) in which the project will be disseminated, at each of its stages, from planning to the achievement of its goal
  • include a timetable and work plan, specifying project activities
  • optional: a preliminary budget for any supplies that your project requires (briefly explain any budget items that are not self-explanatory)

For projects involving human subjects, such as oral histories, please visit http://www.research.ucsb.edu/compliance/human-subjects. Proposals that involve human subjects must participate in human subjects review before the project commences.

Learn more about fellow-designed community projects completed by Fellows Anna Bax and Jasmine Kelekay.