Humanists At Large
Humanists at Large (HAL) exposes PhD students in the humanities, arts, and humanistic social sciences to meaningful, purposeful work beyond academia that capitalizes on humanistic knowledge and skills. The program is part of a national effort to make the diversity of humanities careers visible, viable, and valued. Career opportunities beyond faculty positions are not readily apparent to PhD students in the humanities. Through HAL, Stanford PhD students access resources and participate in activities to advance their career exploration beyond academia.
HAL brings together a selected group of 10-12 Stanford PhD students in the humanities and humanistic social sciences. The program takes place throughout the Winter and Spring quarters each academic year. HAL fellows come together to learn about and explore diverse career paths. Visit this page to learn about the past and current HAL fellows.
Check out a more detailed description of the program and expectations.
The HAL 2024 application is now closed.
Program Goals
Each year the HAL Fellows do four things together:
- Participate in a cohort community of Fellows who are all doctoral students in the humanities and humanistic social sciences. The cohort builds a peer group for learning and support.
- Learn the process of career exploration. Career exploration is an iterative process of learning about yourself —your values, skills, and interests— and learning about possibilities out in the world.
- Practice the strategies of exploring career and applying for jobs. Some of the specific skills we will work on together are conducting informational interviews, writing resumes, creating LinkedIn profiles, and interviewing.
- Engage with the humanities employment ecosystem in the Bay Area. HAL identifies organizations and people who use humanistic thinking, skills, and values in their work. HAL Fellows connect with them through informational interviews and site visits.
HAL Resources
Looking to explore career opportunities beyond academia? Whether or not you are a HAL fellow, we have resources to help you along the way.
- Bay Area Humanists at Large Directory: Find PhD humanists working in the Bay Area who are willing to talk with you about their work and career paths. Search the directory by discipline or current work role.
- Profiles of Humanists at Large: How did other PhD humanists make the transition from being a PhD student to fulfilling careers beyond the academy? How do they use their humanistic thinking, skills, and values in their work? What advice do they have for you? Read these profiles to find out.
- Imagine PhD This free on-line tool is aimed at humanities and social science PhD students. It has three self-assessments and a variety of resources to help you explore 15 job families that are particularly suited to humanists and social scientists.
Disciplinary Societies
Many humanities disciplinary societies embrace career diversity. Check out the abundant resources curated by these societies.
- American Historical Association
- Modern Language Association
- American Council of Learned Societies: Mellon/ACLS Public Fellows Program
About Us
Humanists at Large (HAL) is made possible through the generous support of the Dean of Humanities and Sciences. The program is housed at Stanford Career Education, under the PhDs and Postdocs team. The program is led by Chris Golde and Sal Cipriano. If you have any questions about HAL, please email Chris (golde@stanford.edu) or Sal (ciprians@stanford.edu).