This project blended multiple kinds of work to help build the PRF program: telling the story of the PRF program for public audiences, building relationships with local community partners, and researching and designing a “Humanities Futures” course to help humanities students connect the work they do in their majors with their personal and professional goals. While distinct, these three areas all serve the goal of establishing a long-term trajectory for the program as we continue to grow our presence both on campus and in the community.
The team held multiple events across the year to work toward these ends. For instance, in the fall we held a campus reading in collaboration with Street Books, a bike-powered mobile library serving people living outside. In the spring, we designed and hosted a Humanities Alumni Panel to connect UP humanities majors with alumni in a variety of careers.
And after researching more than 20 models from across the country, we developed and piloted the "Humanities Futures" course during the spring semester; you can check out the syllabus here.
We also created a website, Humanities at UP, to offer the UP community (as well as other institutions) a curated set of materials to help students and faculty articulate the connections between study of the humanities and the wider world.
Molly Hiro is Professor of English and a co-founder of the Public Research Fellows program. She teaches courses in American, African American, and multi-ethnic American literature, and she has published on race, feeling, pedagogy, and the engaged humanities in books and in journals such as Novel, Arizona Quarterly, and Arts and Humanities in Higher Education.
Year: Junior
Major/Minor: Psychology & English Double Major
Hometown: Santa Clarita, CA
Why PRF: I am interested in working with PRF because I believe that this program is putting out truly groundbreaking work. With its focus on creating an interdisciplinary community and fostering a strong base for people of all backgrounds to participate in, I am truly honored to be a part of the group that will work on not only highlighting and uplifting all of the research being done on the other projects, but also fostering a program that will only grow stronger into the future.
Year: Senior
Major/minor: English major, Writing and Theater minors
Hometown: Seattle, WA
Why PRF: I am interested in working as a program fellow because it provides me with the opportunity to exercise my skills in and passion for storytelling in a way that will benefit a program and community that I care about deeply. I believe that the humanities are a necessity as our society continues to have meaningful conversations surrounding equity, justice and reparative action, and would be thrilled to have the opportunity to use my skills to promote and further develop a project that provides a platform for those conversations to flourish.
University of Portland
5000 N. Willamette Blvd.,
Portland, Oregon 97203-5798
503.943.8000
