National Humanities Alliance Highlights Rackham Engaged Humanities Program

The Engaged Pedagogy Initiative (EPI), part of the Rackham Program in Public Scholarship (RPPS), was highlighted as an exemplary public humanities program by the National Humanities Alliance (NHA) in its training report, Approaches to Training in the Public Humanities.

The report collects information and examples from across the country to serve as a guide for higher education institutions who seek to form their own public humanities programs. As defined by the NHA, such programs train undergraduate and graduate students, as well as faculty, to leverage humanities methodologies to address major social and cultural challenges, promote social justice and civic engagement, and build sustainable relationships that bridge university/community divides.

Begun in 2014, the EPI is a partnership between Rackham and the U-M Edward Ginsberg Center for Civic Engagement. A semester-long workshop for graduate students, the program allows participants to work in an interdisciplinary cohort to develop syllabi for community-engaged courses with input and guidance from faculty and teaching staff. Once completed, participants have the opportunity to teach their course during the winter term at the U-M Residential College. EPI participation also counts toward a student’s Graduate Teaching Certificate progress.

The EPI is one of several initiatives offered by RPPS to support the professional development of Rackham students who seek to use their scholarly skills and expertise to impact the public good.

Read the full report from the National Humanities Alliance.

Find more information about EPI and other Rackham public scholarship programs as the Rackham Program for Public Scholarship.