The Penn State English Grad Futures initiative provides resources, advice, and workshops on the constellation of possibilities for English grads beyond tenure-line positions. The aim of the English Grad Futures initiative more broadly is to serve as a department-wide space for thinking of new ways to have a writing, teaching, and researching life with a PhD. This initiative is designed for students in all years of the grad program, not just those at the job-seeking stage.
The English Grad Futures initiative offers support and resources to Penn State English department graduate students on two complementary fronts:
1. Strategic, Practical, Professional
- Job-seeking resources beyond the tenure-track job search
- Mentorship and advice
- Information hub for PSU opportunities and beyond
- Workshops on skills and professionalization
2. Intellectual, Academic, Pedagogical, Professional
- Identifying and creating possibilities for intellectual/pedagogical work other than traditional tenure-track jobs
- Practice in reframing traditional PhD training (for example, helping to plan a symposium is both a standard academic service AND a translatable job skill in which one works with a budget, supervises logistics, and manages personnel)
- New opportunities in graduate coursework, service, teaching
Please visit the following pages for more information:
Events, Workshops, Seminars, Networking
Our introductory slideshow can be viewed here, and Joe Glinbizzi’s article for the Center for American Literary Studies website is here.
English Grad Futures is advised by Hester Blum (hester [dot] blum [at] psu [dot] edu) with research assistance from Philip Grayson (phg5044 [at] psu [dot] edu) and the support of the Penn State English Department and College of the Liberal Arts.