Guidelines for Evaluating Publicly Engaged Humanities Scholarship in Language and Literature Programs
The MLA’s Guidelines for Evaluating Publicly Engaged Humanities Scholarship in Language and Literature Programs seeks to help departments, institutions, and faculty members in languages and literatures value and assess public humanities work. Created by the MLA Ad Hoc Committee on Valuing the Public Humanities, the document articulates core principles for the evaluation of public humanities scholarship, provides guiding questions for evaluators to consider, and offers advice for departments, university committees, administrators, and candidates for evaluation.
In conjunction with the publication of the guidelines, the MLA is fostering member conversations about developing and sustaining projects in the public humanities and using the guidelines to spark dialogue and implement change around how such projects are valued.
Professional Development Webinar Series on Publicly Engaged Scholarship
Watch recordings of the webinar series inspired by the guidelines and moderated by members of the MLA Ad Hoc Committee on Valuing the Public Humanities.
In Developing and Sustaining Projects in the Public Humanities, moderator Herman Beavers (Univ. of Pennsylvania) spoke with Inés Vañó García (Saint Anselm Coll.), Matthew Seybold (Elmira Coll.), and Lauren Tilton (Univ. of Richmond). The discussion covered a range of topics, such as how and why each panelist started their projects, the ethics of community engagement, and how we can use the public humanities to (re)define scholarship.
Advocating for the Public Humanities featured moderator Christian Rubio (Bentley Univ.) in conversation with James Blasingame (Arizona State Univ., Tempe), Ashley Champagne (Brown Univ.), and Jordana Cox (Univ. of Waterloo). The discussion considered the importance of public humanities scholarship to the university and beyond, touching on topics such as the changes public work can bring to university spaces and how such work can challenge the perceived dichotomy between creation and dissemination.
In Podcasting for Humanists, moderator Varsha Panjwani (New York Univ., London) spoke with Rebecca Davis (Univ. of Delaware, Newark), Ana Garriga (Brown Univ.), Carmen Urbita (Brown Univ.), and Anna Williams (Birmingham-Southern Coll.) on various topics, including integrating podcasting with your other scholarly pursuits and reframing your research for listening publics.
The Possibilities of Public Writing featured moderator Christina Lux (Center for the Humanities, Univ. of California, Merced) in conversation with David Higgins (Inver Hills Community Coll., MN), Ignacio Sánchez Prado (Washington Univ. in St. Louis), and Hope Wabuke (Univ. of Nebraska, Lincoln). The discussion covered the influence of public writing on their professional lives and the fostering of connections between public and academic writing communities.
Learn more about MLA Webinars on the Public Humanities.