Despite proclamations about the humanities in crisis, humanities majors are in high demand for skills unique to their course work, including critical thinking, collaboration, and communication, and their ability to engage with technology’s social and ethical dimensions. Illinois hosts burgeoning tech industries in areas like Chicago and St. Louis’s Metro East. Those tech industries offer a wealth of new careers that blend technology and the humanities, like data storytelling and civic technology. Humanities Futures is telling the story of those careers and laying out the wealth of opportunities and avenues for new graduates to pursue their passions.

Humanities Futures responds to these challenges through mentorship and digital storytelling about careers at the intersection of technology and the humanities. The project will place students at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) and Governors State University (GSU) in conversation with mentors working in humanities-driven tech jobs. The students will learn skills including media production and data visualization as they collaborate with mentors to outline pathways from humanities degrees into emerging careers.

During the 2024-2025 school year, ten student fellows at each university will:

• Partner with a local industry mentor to learn about their career,
• Learn skills and tools for digital storytelling from faculty at both universities,
• Produce a digital storytelling piece about their mentor’s career, and
• Present their work to an audience of faculty, community members, and industry contacts.

In addition to what they learn and produce, student fellows will receive a $1000 stipend for their participation.