Applied Humanities Boot Camp – Application Instructions

OVERVIEW

The Applied Humanities Boot Camp is a great opportunity for all graduate students in the humanities, arts, and social sciences to think about the skills they are acquiring through their graduate training and the ways in which they can apply those skills in a range of exciting careers.

The annual Boot Camp provides intensive training, practical advice, and professional networking opportunities to twenty graduate students. The goal is to encourage participants to imagine a range of career options, as broadly as possible, and equip them for entry into those job markets. Many graduate students assume that their formal education prepares them only to become academics; in fact, they are ready and qualified for many different and fulfilling career paths. We invite you to come and explore a few of these paths!

"This program helps you to understand how to identify and translate the skills you are learning right now. And it's helpful to think of yourself this way whether you want to be in academia or not. It teaches you how to "sell" yourself as a worthy and active contributor to society and the community... Interactive and intensive. Uplifting and empowering!" (2021 Boot Camp Participant)

"The Applied Humanities" can mean many things, including writing as an academic for non-academics, taking on administrative roles at universities alongside or instead of regular faculty duties, and working outside academia in a range of professions, including in the Public Humanities. Broadly speaking, the Public Humanities engage diverse audiences and communities in reflecting on our heritages, traditions, and histories, and highlight the relevance of the humanities to our contemporary world. Careers in the Public Humanities are widely available and usually involve working for federal, state, nonprofit, and community-based organizations.  The private sector also offers many opportunities for humanities graduates to apply their skills in a variety of environments.

"This program made me rethink the value of my graduate education in the humanities. It showed me that I am preparing myself for a lifetime of exciting and diverse career opportunities, which I had not thought about or considered before this week. The program also demystified the professionalization techniques that previously intimidated me from thinking about work outside of academia."  (2021 Boot Camp Participant)

The Hall Center's Applied Humanities Boot Camp spans an entire week with a series of sessions addressing a broad range of topics, including: translating the humanities for new audiences; panels featuring non-academics with humanities degrees; workshops on how to identify and articulate the skills students have developed in their graduate programs;; mock interviews. This professional development opportunity is open to students considering both academic and non-academic careers. The Boot Camp can accommodate individuals with a range of experience in the applied humanities, from none to extensive.

"I'd say to other grads that this program allows you to broaden your horizons, to reflect on your own skills and professional potential, and gives you new ideas for different career-tracks. It is a beneficial program that early grads need to take." (2021 Boot Camp Participant)

The next Applied Humanities Boot Camp will take place on May 19-23, 2025, meeting each day between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Each participant receives a $500 stipend upon completion of the program.

DEADLINE: Monday, March 10, 2025 at 11:59PM

ELIGIBILITY

Eligible applicants will:

1. Be KU graduate students in a humanities, arts, or social sciences discipline; and

2. Demonstrate an interest in thinking broadly about the skills acquired during graduate school, and the ways in which they might be applied, both inside and outside academia.

REQUIREMENTS

Participants in the Applied Humanities Boot Camp are required to:

1. Commit to attend all scheduled sessions during the week of May 19-23, 2025; and

2. Commit to complete all assignments.

Participants who do not complete the foregoing will not receive the $500 stipend or a portion thereof.

APPLICATION PROCESS

All application materials must be submitted through the Hall Center Competitions Portal.  Paper submissions will not be accepted.  For an application to be verified as complete, and thus forwarded for committee review, applicants must:

1. Create an account or log in to an existing account.

2. Select the Apply Now button next to this competition. 

3. Complete the Applicant Information form in the Portal.

NOTE: The demographic questions in the application form are optional. We would appreciate your responses as they allow us to chart demographic data and better comprehend the communities we reach and serve through this competition and award program. This information will not be used for determining awards. 

4. Upload the following materials as 2 separate PDF files:

a. A resume, CV, or biographical sketch of not more than two pages;

b. A cover letter of not more than two pages that includes information on the applicant's degree program and research interests, explains the applicant's interest in attending the boot camp, details prior qualifying work experiences such as internships and jobs, and identifies possible career paths the applicant is considering.

AWARD CRITERIA

Applications will be reviewed based on the following criteria:

1. Overall quality of the written application components

2. Applicant's interest in pursuing an applied humanities career or incorporating applied humanities knowledge in an academic career

3. Applicant's enthusiasm for the structure and components of the Applied Humanities Bootcamp

QUESTIONS

Applicants should direct questions about the Applied Humanities Boot Camp to Hall Center Assistant Director Andrew Hodgson (ahodgson@ku.edu).