Public Humanities Professional Development
These seminars examine the skills, practices, and questions that have long been essential to scholarship in the humanities, discuss their expansion into the public sphere, and support new thinking, projects, and research to enrich both higher education and the broader community. Seminar meetings are open to graduate students, staff, and faculty.
Past seminars have included topics ranging from writing for public audiences, producing oral histories, audio storytelling from radio to podcasts, career diversity panels, and more.
Upcoming Public Works Events
Public Works: How to Write About Charged Political Issues
With Michael Rothberg
Friday, Oct. 10, 2025 at 12:00 PM
Public Works: How Ordinary People Can Change the World
Lessons from Creating the ACT UP Oral History Project, with Sarah Schulman
Friday, Nov. 7, 2025 at 12:00 PM
Public Works: What is a “Public Humanities” project?
Best Practices for Proposing, Implementing, and Evaluating a HEX Project
Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025 at 12:00 PM
Public Works: How to Engage Someone with Different Ideas
With Christine Goding-Doty and Virginia Heffernan
Friday, Oct. 24, 2025 at 12:00 PM
Previous Public Works Events
Public Works: Career Diversity Panel
(Held on March 13, 2025)
Public Works: Introduction to Asset Mapping with Wisconsin Humanities
(Held on Oct. 24, 2024)
Public Works: Key Approaches to Pitching Public Humanities Projects with Art History Alumni
(Held on Sept. 19, 2024)
Public Works: Building Your Personal Website with DesignLab
(Held on April 4, 2024)
Writing Cover Letters for Public Humanities Positions (Part 2)
(Held on Dec. 6, 2023)
Writing Cover Letters for Public Humanities Positions
(Held on Nov. 13, 2023)
Regini Rini: Writing for a Public Audience
(Held on Sept. 20, 2022)
Public Works: Translating Research to Narrative Nonfiction with Aaron Robertson
(Held on Feb. 24, 2025)
Public Works: Graduate Student Community Engagement Opportunities Mixer
(Held on Oct. 9, 2024)
Public Works: Public Humanities Career Diversity Panel
(Held on March 12, 2024)
Public Works: On Writing, Vulnerability, and Creative Identity with Jenny Slate
(Held on October 12, 2023)
Troy Reeves: Oral History: What is it? And how do I do it?
(Held on Feb. 28, 2023)
Career Diversity Panel with Public Humanities Professionals
(Held on April 4, 2023)
Public Works: Measuring Intangible Outcomes: Evaluating Humanities Projects
(Held on Feb. 18, 2025)
Public Works: Audio Storytelling from Radio to Podcasts
(Held on Feb. 22, 2024)
Jason Steinhauer: How to Navigate New Media to Share Meaningful Histories
(Held on March 29, 2023)
Public Works: Audio Storytelling from Radio to Podcasts
(Held on March 30, 2023)