• Humanities Unbound: Supporting Careers and Scholarship Beyond the Tenure Track

    Author(s):
    Katina Rogers (see profile)
    Date:
    2015
    Group(s):
    Alt-Academics, Connected Academics
    Subject(s):
    Education, Higher, Education
    Item Type:
    Article
    Tag(s):
    altac, the profession, careers, professional development, Academe
    Permanent URL:
    http://dx.doi.org/10.17613/M66C96
    Abstract:
    As humanities scholars increasingly recognize the value of public engagement, and as the proportion of tenure-track faculty positions available continues to decline, many humanities programs are focusing renewed attention on equipping graduate students for careers as scholars both within and beyond academe. To support those efforts, the Scholarly Communication Institute has carried out a study investigating perceptions about career preparation provided by humanities graduate programs. The survey results help to create a more solid foundation on which to base curricular reform and new initiatives by moving the conversation about varied career paths from anecdote to data. The findings make it clear that there are a number of effective interventions that programs can undertake. Many of the skills that people working beyond the tenure track identify as crucial to their positions — things like project management, collaboration, and communication — are also highly beneficial to those working within the professoriate. Structuring courses and projects in a way that emphasizes the acquisition of these skills not only contributes to the successful career paths, but also to the vibrant research, teaching, and service within academe. With new data to work from and clear recommendations as possible guiding principles, graduate programs have a robust set of tools available that can help facilitate curricular assessment and new initiatives. As the importance of assessing the effectiveness of existing structures and potential benefits of reform continues to grow, humanities programs have a strong incentive to demonstrate the ways that graduate programs contribute to the vitality of the university and the broader public sphere. Equipping graduate students with skills and literacies needed for 21st century scholarly work—from technical fluency to an understanding of organizational structures—is critical to ensuring continued rigorous and creative research, scholarship, and teaching.
    Metadata:
    xml
    Published as:
    Journal article     Show details
    Publisher:
    The Alliance of Digital Humanities Organizations
    Pub. Date:
    2015
    Journal:
    Digital Humanities Quarterly
    Volume:
    9
    Issue:
    1
    ISSN:
    1938-4122
    Status:
    Published
    Last Updated:
    6 years ago
    License:
    Attribution
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