Details: Events with an asterisk are part of a year-long Career Pathways Seminar Series. Loyola history department professional development events are supported by the AHA’s Career Diversity Implementation Grant. All current history graduate and undergraduate students, graduate alumni, faculty, and staff are welcome to attend.
*Any resources shared during these meetings will be posted here and available to all Loyolans.*
Spring 2019
June 19 & 20; July 8 & 9; July 24 & 25; August 5 & 6; August 14 & 15: Group Work Sessions, locations vary
Open to all history graduate students– MA and PhD– who want a quiet space to work on whatever (studying for exams, dissertation writing, public history projects, publications, anything else). There will be 5 sessions total, and each will last 2 days. You can sign up for however many you want. You don’t have to go to both days in any given session either, though we do ask that you try to stay for all or most of any day or days you sign up for. Each day will start at 9 AM and end at 5 PM.
April 29 (M) & May 2 (TR), 8 AM to 5 PM, CC 528: Group Work Sessions
Work on final papers and projects, dissertations, or end-of-semester grading with other graduate students at these finals week work sessions. Come for the entire day or drop in and out as needed. Coffee and pastries provided.
April 23, Tuesday, 10 AM, CC 200 West: The Dissertation Process, with Dr. Mooney-Melvin
This discussion is for history PhD students in all phases of dissertating, including PhD students working on their proposals and all current PhD candidates. We’ll talk about graduate school and department deadlines, working with your committee, realistic timelines, and more.
April 9, Tuesday, 4 PM, Cuneo Hall 312: Where Historians Teach: Talking about Teaching Careers in Secondary Ed, Higher Ed, and Public History
Interested in a career teaching in secondary or higher education? Or education positions in public history settings? Join this semi-moderated conversation between undergrad and graduate students interested in teaching and historians who have experience navigating these career paths.
April 3, Wednesday, 3 PM, CC 528: Teaching Statements and Portfolios*
At this meeting, we’ll discuss the role teaching statements and teaching portfolios play in academic job searches and how to put them together. These are essential for anyone interested in a teaching career (as well as for many pre-doctoral fellowship applications). Starting these early in your graduate career and updating them as you accumulate new teaching experiences can save a lot of time and frustration later on. This session will be led by Justin Nordin, PhD candidate in philosophy at Loyola. *Attendance at this seminar meeting counts toward the history dept.’s pedagogy requirement for PhD students. Please note that this seminar will take place on a Wednesday at 3 PM instead of Tuesday at 4.)
March 19, Tuesday, 4 PM, CC 528: Digital Literacy for Humanists*
We’ll talk together about what digital literacy is, what it means for each of us, and how we can build our digital skill sets. We’ll also spend some time talking about how to manage our digital presences.
March 11, Monday, 2:30 PM. CC 503: Individual Development Plans Work Session
Come work with other history graduate students on your Individual Development Plan. The history department requires history graduate students to maintain Individual Development Plans, planning documents that help students plan their years in graduate school and for careers after graduation.
February 26, Tuesday, 4 PM, CC 528: Introduction to Online Teaching*
Online teaching is a rapidly growing area of higher education and knowing how to teach online is an essential skill for anyone interested in a career teaching at the college level. At this meeting, we’ll talk about what it means to teach online, how it differs from other teaching and learning formats, and how online teaching is shaping the future of higher education. This session will be led by Christopher Dickman, PhD, and Kristlyn Thomas, MS, instructional designers from Loyola’s Office of Online Learning. Attendance at this meeting counts toward the history dept.’s pedagogy requirement for PhD students.
February 19, Tuesday, 4 PM, CC 528: Intellectual Self-Confidence and Career Pathways*
Lindsey Martin, PhD, Assistant Director of Postdoctoral Affairs at Northwestern University will lead us in a moderated discussion about this important topic and offer more productive ways to think about what we each bring to our respective disciplines.
February 5, Tuesday, 4 PM, CC 528: Ethics in the Classroom and Beyond*
Attendance counts toward the history dept.’s pedagogy requirement for PhD students.
Fall 2018
November 27: What’s in a syllabus?*
We’ll discuss the purpose and function of a syllabus, what information the syllabus should contain, and how to ensure it plays an active role in the classroom. This session will be led by Christopher Dickman, PhD, and Kristlyn Thomas, MS, instructional designers from Loyola’s Office of Online Learning. Attendance counts toward the history dept.’s pedagogy requirement for PhD students.
November 13: Collaboration and Career Pathways*
The second of the AHA’s five skills for historians, “collaboration is a series of activities, not simply a one-time task; undertaken with others, not alone; and for a shared, mutually understood and valued objective, not for exclusive or singular benefit” (AHA). We’ll discuss why this is an essential skill for historians, where we learn collaborative techniques and norms, and how to apply collaborative skills across a variety of career paths. Led by Lindsey Martin, PhD, Assistant Director of Postdoctoral Affairs at Northwestern University.
October 30: Assignments, Assessment, and Feedback*
We’ll consider the role assignments, assessment, and feedback play in our classrooms and how we can make sure they support the learning goals we set for our students. We’ll also discuss how to use active learning techniques as an assessment tool. Led by Jessica Mansbach, PhD, Teaching and Learning Development Coordinator at Loyola’s Center for Ignatian Pedagogy. Attendance counts toward the history dept.’s pedagogy requirement for PhD students.
October 16: Communication Skills and Career Pathways*
The first of the AHA’s five skills for historians, “the ability to communicate to different audiences across different media…[is] essential to flourishing in careers both within and beyond the academy” (AHA). We’ll talk about the many ways we learn how to communicate in history graduate programs, where we apply these skills, and how to continue building this knowledge. Led by Lindsey Martin, PhD, Assistant Director of Postdoctoral Affairs at Northwestern University.
October 2: Teaching Philosophies and Approaches: What Kind of Teacher Are You?*
Loyola history faculty members Edin Hajdarpasic, Suzanne Kaufman, and Marek Suszko will discuss their teaching philosophies and approaches to course design. They’ll talk about how they put their courses together and how each course component— from discussion and lecture to assignments and feedback— work together to meet teaching and student learning goals. Attendance counts toward the history dept.’s pedagogy requirement for PhD students.
September 25: Introduction to Career Pathways: Self-Assessments and IDPs*
We’ll consider how self-assessments and individual development plans (IDPs) can help us identify possible career paths and pursue professional goals. This professionalization seminar will also introduce the next five, which are each themed around one of the AHA’s Five Skills for historians. Led by Pat Mooney-Melvin, PhD, Associate Professor of History and Loyola History Graduate Program Director, and Hope Shannon, AHA Career Diversity Fellow.
September 18: An Introduction to Integrated Course Design*
Attendees will learn how to implement this student-centered model in their own teaching practice. Developed by L. Dee Fink, integrated course design “takes a systematic, learning-centered approach to designing courses” and “offers the best chance of ensuring that students have a significant learning experience.” (Fink, “Integrated Course Design,” Idea Paper 42). Led by Jessica Mansbach, PhD, Teaching and Learning Development Coordinator at Loyola’s Center for Ignatian Pedagogy. Attendance counts toward the history dept.’s pedagogy requirement for PhD students.