URI has won a National Endowment for the Humanities Next Generation PhD planning grant! The grant will help URI explore diverse options in doctoral education in the humanities and help PhDs develop skills for a multitude of careers. URI’s project, titled “Humanities at Large,” aims to develop crossdisciplinary and experiential learning for humanities doctoral students in five key areas: coastal environment, health/medicine, publishing/editing, digital humanities/big data, and cultural organizations. To do so, it draws together faculty, graduate students, and administrators in the College of Arts & Sciences, the Graduate School, the Coastal Institute, the Institute for Integrated Health and Innovation, the Center for the Humanities, the Center for Career and Experiential Education, the Ocean State Review, the Big Data and High Performance Computing Collaborative, as well as the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities. Building on the strengths of those involved and working both on and off campus, the planning committee aims to secure partnerships, internships, new collaborations, and innovative curricular changes that will prepare our doctoral students to expand their career aspirations and to bring the fruits of humanities learning to all aspects of civic life.

Core Committee:

Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Winifred Brownell

Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Patricia Morokoff

Executive Director of the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities, Elizabeth Francis

Associate Dean of the Graduate School, Andrea Rusnock

Graduate School Professional Development Director, Cara Mitnick

Director of the URI Coastal Institute, Judith Swift

Director of the URI Center for the Humanities, Annu Palakunnathu Matthew

Project Director, English Professor Kathleen Davis

English Professor Martha Rojas

Director of the Center for Career and Experiential Education, Kim Stack

Instructor and PhD in English Alumna, Kim Evelyn

Graduate Student Molly Hall

Graduate Student Beth Leonardo

Graduate Student Kara Watts

Click to learn more about the NEH Next Generation PhD.