(CLOSED) Innovation & Career Initiatives Intern, Modern Language Association

Fall Semester 2020

Application Deadline: 1 June 2020

About the Modern Language Association

The Modern Language Association, based in New York City, is one of the world’s largest scholarly associations, with more than 25,000 members in nearly 100 countries. The MLA promotes the study and teaching of languages and literatures through its programs, publications, annual convention, and advocacy work. The organization sustains a wide-ranging print and electronic publishing program that includes books, journals, style guides, and an international bibliography. The MLA is a leader in supporting the humanities within and outside academia. Diversity, inclusion, and workplace equity are at the core of our culture, policies, and practices.

As an intern at the MLA, you will work collaboratively on a series of projects related both to the series of annual convenings that the MLA organizes and hosts and to the implementation of a series of strategic initiatives within the organization.

Goals

The goals of this internship include:

  • Developing a deeper understanding of the changing landscape of the humanities in higher education, from the level of larger structural trends to individual courses and interactions with students;
  • Gaining experience in building programs, planning events, conducting outreach campaigns, and collecting and analyzing data;
  • Growing a network of professionals within and beyond the humanities ecosystem through meaningful interactions, both online and in person.
  • Learning first-hand about the office culture, structures, and workflows of a medium-sized nonprofit organization.

Responsibilities

Reporting to the Assistant Director of Programs and Assistant Director of Career Services, the intern’s projects and responsibilities will include:

  • Supporting the coordination and execution of the MLA’s various initiatives in Humanities Innovation, including the Innovation Room at the MLA Convention, the Innovation Showcases at the ADE and ADFL Summer Seminars, and the Humanities Innovation Grant program;
  • Contributing to the creation of resources and events for the MLA’s Career Services offerings, including programming and sessions at the MLA 2021 Convention in Toronto and ad-hoc networking and mentoring events in New York City;
  • Growing the digital presence of these initiatives, both on the MLA’s website and in its outreach campaigns to members;
  • Writing content for the professional development blog hosted on the MLA Job List, and inviting contacts to contribute as well;
  • Shadowing supervisors to gain insight and experience into the roles of the working life of humanities PhDs at a higher-education nonprofit; conducting informational interviews with both MLA staff members and outside contacts.

Qualifications

  • Pursuing a PhD in the humanities or humanistic social sciences;
  • Passion for improving humanities education at the MA, BA, and PhD levels;
  • Demonstrated interest in the value of the humanities beyond the universities, and in the wide range of careers available to humanists;
  • Excellent oral and written communication skills, including the ability to write for different audiences;
  • Effective in meeting deadlines and managing multiple projects at once;
  • Ability to work collaboratively;
  • Enthusiasm for learning new skills and concepts; openness to asking questions and seeking help when needed.

The MLA is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to complying with all federal, state, and local EEO laws. The MLA prohibits discrimination in employment, including discrimination in the form of harassment, against any person, including employees and applicants for employment, on the basis of race or color, religion or creed, alienage or citizenship status, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, marital status, familial status, domestic partnership status, genetic information or predisposing genetic characteristics, military status, domestic violence victim status, criminal history, or any other characteristic protected by law.

According to the public health demands of the moment, this position will be flexible in terms of in-office vs. remote work.

This internship is administered and funded through the PublicsLab at The Graduate Center, CUNY. The PublicsLab will compensate 150 hours of work with a $5000 stipend.

Please apply for this position through GC connect, where it is post #6968. Please contact PublicsLab Director Dr. Stacy Hartman with questions about this position at shartman2@gc.cuny.edu.