| Person-in-Charge | Elizabeth Gray |
|---|---|
| Program Code | PUBHMN |
| Campus(es) | University Park |
The Graduate Certificate in Public Humanities offers Penn State graduate students interdisciplinary training and experiential learning in the field of public humanities. Broadly defined, the public humanities engage diverse publics in the collaborative work of creating, sharing, and reflecting on humanistic knowledge.
The certificate program provides training in theories and methods in public humanities and community engagement through the creation of digital media projects on topics of social importance. Students will learn digital media production skills including documentary filmmaking, podcasting, and web publishing, and a set of principles and best practices for ethical community engagement and research. In collaboration with university and community partners, the students will develop engaged projects that center community experts and make humanities knowledge accessible and relevant to broad audiences. Throughout the program, students will develop skills in engaged scholarship as well as approaches to practicing and teaching the public humanities within their discipline. The program aims to expand the reach and impact of humanities knowledge in collaboration with communities while preparing students for diverse career paths within and outside the university.
Effective Semester: Fall 2026
Expiration Semester: Fall 2031
Admission Requirements
Applicants apply for admission to the program via the Graduate School application for admission. Requirements listed here are in addition to Graduate Council policies listed under GCAC-300 Admissions Policies. International applicants may be required to satisfy an English proficiency requirement; see GCAC-305 Admission Requirements for International Students for more information.
The Public Humanities Graduate Certificate is open to currently enrolled master’s-level and doctoral students at Penn State’s University Park Campus. Graduate students who are interested in the certificate should first complete an application for the Public Humanities Fellowship Program at the Humanities Institute. All graduate students accepted into the Public Humanities Fellowship are eligible for the Public Humanities Graduate Certificate.
Certificate Requirements
Requirements listed here are in addition to requirements listed in Graduate Council policy GCAC-212 Postbaccalaureate Credit Certificate Programs.
The Public Humanities Graduate Certificate is a 9-credit certificate program comprised of three courses:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| CMLIT 581 | Public Humanities Across the Disciplines | 3 |
| CMLIT 582 | Public Humanities Capstone | 3 |
| Electives | ||
| Select one elective course connected with the public humanities from within the student’s home departmental field. | 3 | |
| Total Credits | 9 | |
CMLIT 581 Public Humanities (3 credits)
This course is the required introductory course for the Public Humanities Fellowship in The Humanities Institute and The Graduate Certificate in Public Humanities. The course introduces students to central theories, methods, and practices in public humanities with a focus on creating publicly engaged digital media projects. Students will develop an understanding of theoretical frameworks for conceptualizing public humanities as well as how public humanities work can address present-day problems and foster shared knowledge production between universities and communities. The course offers hands-on training in three forms of digital media production: documentary film, podcasting, and web publishing. Students will apply humanities knowledge and research through experiential learning in community engagement, documentary storytelling, oral history, and project development. In addition to readings and case studies, students learn from practitioners and community experts across a range of humanities disciplines. Through respectful engagement with diverse ideas, perspectives, and experiences, students will develop publicly engaged projects in collaboration with community partners that reflect the importance of humanities knowledge to civic life.
CMLIT 582 Public Humanities Capstone (3 credits)
This course is the required capstone course for the Public Humanities Fellowship in The Humanities Institute and The Graduate Certificate in Public Humanities. The centerpiece of the course is the development of a public-facing humanities project on a topic of social importance. Students will apply skills in collaborative, engaged humanities research and digital media production gained during the prerequisite course, Public Humanities Across the Disciplines. Along the way, students will implement practices for ethical community engagement that uplift community experts, represent people with integrity, and engage public audiences in a sustained, substantive manner. Through readings, discussions, on-the-ground public engagement, and digital media production, students will develop projects that demonstrate how the public humanities can bring people together to reflect and act on present-day social problems.
Elective Course (3 credits)
In addition to the prescribed course sequence, students will take one elective course connected with the public humanities from within the student’s home departmental field. In some cases, departments will have a discipline-specific course in public humanities (ie: CMLIT583 Public Humanities in Comparative Literature). Departments can also designate appropriate courses from their offerings that provide discipline-specific training or study of the public humanities (ie: community engagement, oral history, public writing, cultural studies, memory studies, curation and preservation). The elective course should be chosen in consultation with the student’s DGS and the Public Humanities Program Coordinator.
Learning Outcomes
- Students will demonstrate an understanding of central theories and methods in the interdisciplinary field of public humanities and within their discipline.
- Students will develop a publicly engaged humanities project that reaches wide audiences and encourages dialogue and reflection on topics of social importance.
- Students will learn and apply digital media production skills in documentary film, podcasting, and web publishing in public-facing project development.
- Students will understand and apply best practices in ethical and collaborative community engagement in relationships with public partners and audiences.