Humanities@Work Internships

Putting the Humanities to Work in the Community

Humanities@Work Internships offer advanced undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to apply skills from the humanities, arts, and related disciplines to meet needs in the community through paid summer internships. By applying knowledge and skills learned in the classroom to the interests and needs of metro Detroit nonprofits, cultural organizations, businesses, governmental units, and more, students gain valuable work experience at the same time that they make a positive difference in the lives of metro Detroiters. Putting the humanities to work in the community benefits us all.

Our interns can do the following types of work and more:

Archival research
Archiving primary sources
Archiving digital sources
Audiovisual production
Community outreach
Copy editing
Data analysis
Digital writing
Educational programming
Exhibition design
Fundraising
Grant writing
Graphic design
Historical documentation
Interviewing
Project development
Social media development
Web development

For Organizational Partners: The Humanities Center invites proposals from community organizations in metropolitan Detroit for internships engaging the humanities, arts, and related disciplines. Proposals should not exceed 100 hours of work and can either contribute to a specific project or to ongoing operations. Partners are welcome to pay for or contribute to paying for an internship whenever possible, but applications will not be judged based on ability to contribute to an intern’s pay. To learn about how Humanities@Work can help your organization and for assistance in planning a proposal, please contact Victoria Stewart at VictoriaS@wayne.edu or call at (313) 577-4054.

For Student Applicants: The Humanities@Work program is open to graduate and upper-level undergraduate students enrolled in Wayne State University degree programs in the humanities, arts, and related disciplines. Students must be available to work up to 100 hours in the summer in which they are selected for the program. While some internships may have a remote work component, applicants should be prepared to attend on-campus orientation sessions and work in person within the metro Detroit area. If you have questions, please contact Victoria Stewart at victorias@wayne.edu or (313) 577-4054. The annual application period is announced every spring.

Humanities@Work Internship Program now accepting applications for summer 2025

The Wayne State University Humanities Center is currently accepting applications for its Humanities@Work summer internship program. This program offers advanced undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to apply skills from the humanities, arts, and related disciplines to meet needs in the community through paid summer internships. By applying knowledge and skills learned in the classroom to the interests and needs of metro Detroit nonprofits, cultural organizations, businesses, governmental units, and more, students gain valuable work experience at the same time that they make a positive difference in the lives of metro Detroiters. Putting the humanities to work in the community benefits us all.

Internships pay for 100 hours of work between May and August, including a required orientation session on campus in May and submission of a final report completed in August. Specific work schedules are determined between the intern and the community partner in collaboration with Humanities Center staff. Successful applicants will be paired with a community partner based upon information provided in the application and required CV/resume and written statement of interest (250 words).

Link to application

Applications are due by March 24, 2025.

Eligibility

All graduate and upper-level undergraduate students in the humanities, arts, or related disciplines who meet the following criteria are eligible to submit applications:

They are enrolled in good standing as a full-time student seeking a degree in the humanities, arts, or related disciplines at Wayne State.

They are eligible to work in the United States.

Conditions

Each Humanities@Work intern must agree to:

Work up to 100 hours during the summer in which they are accepted to the program, including attending a mandatory orientation session on campus in May and submitting a final report in August.

Document hours worked and submit time sheets at Wayne State.

Work collaboratively with the assigned community partner to successfully complete the goals of the internship.

Report any unexpected developments affecting the terms of the internship or their ability to complete the work to Humanities Center Assistant Director Victoria Stewart.

Guidelines for Applying

The application for an internship with Humanities@Work includes a completed application form, a 250-word written statement of interest in public humanities work and a CV/resume for the applicant.

The statement of interest should address why you are applying to this program, what experiences you have that can serve community partners, what experiences you hope to gain from this internship, and how this experience may contribute to your educational and career goals.

The CV/resume should highlight attributes demonstrating an aptitude for applied/public humanities work. Such information includes any degrees earned (including majors/minors, etc.), languages spoken, special coursework taken (particularly courses that provide training in practical skills, broadly defined), and work experience (both paid and volunteer) that contribute to a candidate’s abilities and expertise. Highlighting skills, talents, and interests that are useful in applied contexts will help us to pair successful applicants with suitable community partners.

If you have questions as you are working on your application, you are invited to contact Victoria Stewart at victorias@wayne.edu.