Student researcher

Student Researcher:

This research position will blend, research, writing, and editing in service of two central questions: what are the most important historical accounts of the ocean by people of color? How can those accounts be more effectively integrated into discussions of oceanic history and literature? The day-to-day will largely entail research: compiling, surveying historical resources/observations of the marine environment by people of color, perhaps with a special focus on Indigenous sea representations from the region.

In terms of deliverables, this would also be incorporated into the Searchable Sea Literature database as public access resources. The researcher would also write a peer-reviewed bio for SSL and/or co-write an article with me (Prof. Ned Schaumberg) for Sea History magazine as well. Consequently, the researcher would gain research experience, practice co-writing public scholarship, and create a peer-reviewed piece of short scholarship or public work.

The position will last for 9 weeks, with location flexible—remote is possible, and there is potential for housing in the Mystic CT area, pending COVID restrictions. The student would apply for CES funds for this research work (Link: https://ces.williams.edu/student-opportunities/funding-research/). The deadline for that application is April 7. The researcher’s personal interests in terms of writing, WordPress experience, research, subject interests will also shape the output of the project, so as to tailor the experience to their needs.

Given the nature of the content, and the philosophical goal behind this work of making literary and humanities work more equitable, we would like to specially encourage students whose voices and backgrounds are often marginalized from oceanic discourses and academic work more broadly to apply. Our hope is that both the process and the deliverables from this internship are uplifting, enlivening, and practically valuable.

Please apply by emailing Prof. Schaumberg ([email protected]) with a short statement of interest (MAX 1 page) and a Resumé or CV by April 1. Your statement should explain your goals, background knowledge/experience, and other relevant information. If you have any questions, please reach out to Prof. Schaumberg for clarification.