Graduate Assistantships
Build your credentials and professional portfolio in the public humanities or programming and administration!
Deadline: April 3, 2024 (11:59 pm)
The Kaplan Humanities Institute is accepting applications for two interdisciplinary GRADUATE ASSISTANTSHIPS in the humanities for 2024-2025.
#1 — Interdisciplinary Graduate Assistantship in the Public Humanities
The 2024-2025 Public Humanities Interdisciplinary Graduate Assistant in the Kaplan Humanities Institute will work closely with the Kaplan Public Humanities Postdoctoral Fellow to run the yearlong Public Humanities Graduate Practicum. The GA will also contribute to graduate student career development initiatives, among other duties. The goal of the assistantship is to develop skills and credentials in the public humanities, with training in event management, interpersonal skills, community engagement, group leadership, and professionalization.
Funding
- Stipend for academic year (fall, winter, and spring quarters)
- Tuition scholarship
Expectations
- Expected to dedicate two (2) full workdays a week to this job for the duration of the academic year; the GA is also expected to attend the Wednesday Kaplan Conversations lunch colloquium series
- Based on budget and identified needs, the GA and Kaplan staff will, in the fall, create a plan for work to be carried out over the year. The GA will report to the Kaplan Associate Director
#2 — The Kaplan Humanities Scholars Program Interdisciplinary Graduate Assistantship
In a world dominated by technological fixes, quantitative models, and the rhetoric of "problem-solving," the Kaplan Humanities Scholars Program challenges first-year students to formulate sophisticated questions for which there are no simple or empirical answers. An exciting and intensive two-course program, each of two sections of this course are team-taught by faculty from departments across campus; classes also have generous course enhancement budgets to facilitate experiential learning and exploration outside the classroom.
The 2024-2025 Interdisciplinary Graduate Assistantship with the Kaplan Humanities Scholars Program (KHSP) is a three quarter (fall, winter, and spring) opportunity at the Kaplan Institute for the Humanities designed to build professional capacity in programming and administration. The role will encompass a broad range of duties, from supporting on-campus events and other course enhancement initiatives to collaboration and outreach initiatives with off-campus partners. The goal of the assistantship is to develop skills and credentials in the areas of event management, interpersonal skills, academic operations, group leadership, and experiential learning experiences, among others.
Funding
- Stipend for the full academic year (fall, winter, and spring quarters)
- Tuition scholarship
Expectations
- Expected to be present, onsite, and working for the duration of KHSP Pre-orientation (3 consecutive days prior to Wildcat Welcome) and Wildcat Welcome (5 days prior to the first day of classes). These programs will take place between Sept. 12-Sept. 19, 2024, exact schedule TBD. This fall-heavy schedule will be balanced with a lighter spring agenda.
- Expected to dedicate two (2) full workdays a week to this job for the duration of the academic year
- Expected to attend KHSP off-campus excursions, which generally take place after 5pm or on weekends (these excursions will count towards weekly work hours)
- Expected to make every effort to attend the Wednesday Kaplan lunch colloquium series
- Expected to assist KHSP faculty and leadership in general course preparation, office administration tasks, and other duties as needed
Eligibility
To be eligible for either of these Graduate Assistantships, you must:
- be a PhD student in the humanities or social sciences
- be in good academic standing
- have the approval of your program DGS and primary thesis advisor to accept the appointment
- be a TGS student
Important: These position are open to any PhD student in good standing in their 3rd through 7th year during the 2024-2025 school year. Remember that TGS calculates a student's year based on number of quarters they have been in their PhD program, so we encourage you to confirm your clock with your program, especially if you have questions about an MA/PhD program. At the discretion of their home departments/partner schools, students from humanities and social sciences program may "bank" the quarters to be used during their sixth year (see TGS policy on Interdisciplinary Graduate Assistantships).
Application Instructions and Materials
Applications are submitted via a TGS online application portal (see link at bottom of this page). Please review all application instructions prior to clicking through to the portal; you will not be able to save an incomplete application. Note: application documents must be submitted in PDF format.
To apply
Please submit a complete application for the position you are seeking. If you’d like to apply for both GAships, please be sure to submit separate applications in the applicable portal.
Please prepare and upload one single PDF containing the following:
- Cover letter: outlining your relevant experiences and how this opportunity would augment your professional advancement
- Research Statement: abstract of your dissertation topic (1 page); if you do not yet have a dissertation abstract, you may submit a writing sample (up to 10 pages)
- Curriculum Vitae
- Contact information for two professional references, one from off-campus if possible
Application Deadline
April 3, 2024 (11:59pm)
Application Portal Link
https://www.tgs.northwestern.edu/funding/assistantships/interdisciplinary-graduate-assistantships.html