CAS Office of Experiential Learning and Discovery

Contribute to the stewardship of Vermont’s cultural heritage.

In the Cultural Heritage Community of Practice, students from across the University complete internships with local cultural heritage nonprofits. They consider some of the key issues facing the field today while making valuable contributions to collections stewardship, public programming, and organizational operations.

Enroll in CAS 2920 F – No application needed.

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The Student Experience:

Students in this program will complete an in-person or remote internship with a local museum, archives, library, arts program, historic preservation organization, or other cultural heritage nonprofit. Internship projects may include contributing to collections inventory or preservation work, conducting in-depth research on a special topic, or assisting with exhibitions or programs. Students will fill out an interest form after registration to assist with internship placement.

This program will help students identify possible career paths in the cultural heritage sector and gain important skills such as preserving collections, conducting primary source research, developing exhibitions, presenting public programs, and writing for public humanities audiences.

Time commitment: Students will complete a 100-hour independent internship, attend weekly class sessions, and complete weekly assignments delving into topics relevant to their internship sites and the cultural heritage sector at large. This program is designed to match the amount of work required of a typical 3-credit academic course.

Credit information: The Cultural Heritage Community of Practice counts as elective internship credit. If students’ placements are related to their major or minor, they can request that the credit count toward their major or minor by contacting their department chairperson.

Program Objectives:

• Complete an independent internship in a local cultural humanities nonprofit contributing to collections stewardship, exhibitions, public programs, and/or organizational operations
• Consider some of the key issues facing the cultural humanities field, including collections stewardship, sustainability, and community relations, and assess the impact of these issues on Vermont’s cultural humanities landscape via written and oral work
• Improve awareness of career paths within the cultural humanities sector

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