Jessica Swoboda

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Jessica Swoboda
Jessica Swoboda

Jessica Swoboda is a 5th year PhD candidate in the Department of English at the University’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Her dissertation examines how characters' interactions with works of art in novels reveal the crucial role aesthetic encounters and aesthetic interpretation play in the strength and stability of interpersonal connections.  

Jessica was a PhD Plus intern at The Point magazine. As a result of this internship, Jessica created a new interview series entitled "Criticism in Public." She cultivated her internship through the Propose Your Own option offered through PhD Plus. 

Q. What are your post-PhD career aspirations? 

A. I hope to stay in academia and continue my editing and writing work for public-facing publications. 

Q. Please summarize your PhD Plus internship 

I served as an editorial intern with The Point, a magazine of philosophical writing on everyday life and culture. While I spent some time editing and commissioning essays, my main project was hosting, editing, and organizing the interview series "Criticism in Public." This series asks: What is literary criticism for? Why does it matter, not only to literary studies as a field but also to the critic? How does writing about literature for magazines differ from writing for academic journals? Featuring literary scholars who also write in public venues, “Criticism in Public” is an attempt to explore these and other questions related to the state of contemporary criticism, in direct dialogue with those working at the intersection between academic scholarship and public discourse. 

Q. What professional skills did you develop during your internship? 

I learned how to communicate effectively with the editorial team as well as with authors. But perhaps the most important skill I gained was learning how to compose and deliver constructive criticism. Being able to do this well is so key: you want to help another person develop and execute *their* vision; you don't want to impose your vision onto theirs. It's as much about listening as it is about working to figure out what's motivating an author to write a particular piece. 

Q. How did the internship support your career development? 

This internship helped me realize how much I enjoy working within the public writing world. I'll be continuing with The Point as a Contributing Editor for the foreseeable future, which I'm thrilled and excited about. My new role will help me continue to build a more public profile and grow as both an editor and a writer. 

Q. What advice would you give peers on utilizing PhD Plus internships for career development? 

My first piece of advice is to send an email to the leader of an organization you'd love to work for. You lose nothing in sending an email but might gain a career from doing so! My second piece of advice is to be proactive as well as a self-starter once you land the internship. Don't be afraid to take initiative and to communicate with your mentor(s) what you're hoping to get out of the internship. 

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