Imagined Futures: Putting the Arts and Humanities to Work
A letter from Imagined Futures director, Danielle Fosler-Lussier
Sometimes, people think of graduate school as a vocational-training pipeline that leads people directly from their undergraduate education into specific, well-defined jobs. These days, though, the transition into employment is neither linear nor narrow. Our graduate alumni are going in many different directions as they move into worlds of work. They are applying the skills, knowledge and perspectives they cultivated at Ohio State in the service of communities, employers and the public good — and doing so in ways that demonstrate the usefulness of training that integrates arts + humanities mindsets and practices.
At its best, graduate education allows people to see and to seize opportunities. Sometimes, the opportunities are already visible, but often they need to be searched for or even created. Some of the career prospects that might follow a given course of study may be explicitly stated, but many more are possible if we think imaginatively about all the ways to apply and extend what we have learned.
Imagined Futures leverages the integrated arts + humanities to empower graduate students and their mentors to imagine and pursue diverse career paths. The Imagined Futures Community of Practice will support faculty in developing opportunities for practical training in the application of arts + humanities methods to critical societal challenges. By aligning graduate offerings and mentorship with the aim of career diversity, and by connecting and promoting Ohio State’s career development resources, Imagined Futures intends to ensure that graduate students are equipped to pursue satisfying professional paths that meet society’s needs, now and in the future.