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Cultural Ecologies
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Cultural Ecologies
A Project of the IU Indianapolis Arts and Humanities Institute

Cultural Ecologies PHD Track

Cultural Ecologies Track in the American Studies PhD Program at IU Indianapolis builds upon the traditional PhD framework by adding an innovative infrastructure for a collaborative and applied graduate school experience that closes the distance between academia and the world surrounding it.

The Cultural Ecologies Track is offered in collaboration with the IU Indianapolis Arts & Humanities Institute. Students undertake research and internships that align with the research program of The Cultural Ecologies Project. The centerpiece of this program is an internship experience that embeds students in partner organizations, working with them to solve problems specific to their institutions.

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Internship sites inform student research for dissertations and provide the foundation for future employment. Directors at these sites assist faculty mentors in determining the coursework and skills students acquire through the academic side of the program. IU Indianapolis serves as an academic laboratory for applied projects. The coursework and internships will often operate simultaneously, thus allowing students to work on problems and issues encountered during their internships in the courses they take. Moreover, faculty mentors and internship site directors collaborate before, during, and after student internships, much as researchers interact with their partners when working on externally funded projects.