We CU and HRI collaborate to launch the University of Illinois Humanities in Action program

New program supports U of I students taking their humanities training out of the classroom and into the community

We CU, in collaboration with the Humanities Research Institute (HRI), is excited to announce the launch of the University of Illinois Humanities in Action program. With generous support from Dr. Dan Shin, a double-major alumnus (Honors Biology, Economics) from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (’91), five students will receive $1000 to participate in the semester-long program.

Humanities in Action aims to address the historical exclusion of minoritized students from community engagement and service learning. With that goal in mind, Olivia Hagedorn, We CU’s student support coordinator, researched and designed a pilot to help participants get the most from their community engagement experience. A doctoral candidate in the Department of History and a 2020-21 HRI Graduate Student Fellow, Hagedorn studies Black women’s community activism in the Midwest and knows how structural barriers limit certain groups’ access to service.

“We know from research that humanities students at Illinois want community service and engagement opportunities. In building this program, we tried to be intentional about identifying and removing some of the obstacles that stand in those students’ way. We want humanities students to apply the critical thinking skills they’ve developed in the classroom to some of the issues facing our community.”

In Fall 2022, the inaugural cohort of Humanities in Action Scholars will collaborate with a community partner to address a vital area of need in the Champaign-Urbana community. Through participation in the We CU Community Engaged Scholars program, students will attend workshops to strengthen their community partnerships and build connections with like-minded peers. They will also learn more about HRI’s undergraduate and graduate opportunities, and they will be part of the invested community of humanists at Illinois. Above all, Humanities in Action Scholars will be able to apply their humanities training across areas of plurality and difference.

Antoinette Burton, HRI Director, said: “We are so happy to be partnering with WeCU to bring this opportunity to undergraduates in the humanities. Through the program, they will have a unique opportunity to experience the impact of their humanities training on work in the world and to learn from valued community partners in Champaign-Urbana.”

The application period for the first cohort of Humanities in Action Scholars is March 3 - April 3, 2022. Preference will be given to students from the BIPOC and LGBTQIA communities, first-generation, low-income, and other nontraditional students, regardless of citizenship status. Learn more about the Humanities in Action program.