2022 Summer Student Opportunities

The Center for Public History (CPH) offers a number of different paid and volunteer opportunities through public-facing projects. These positions are open to both undergraduate and graduate students. Click below to read more about each opportunity and apply.

Undergraduate Student Positions

*See Updates for CITE and 100 Years of Stories Positions - Application Deadlines Extended to April 22, 2022

CITE Grant, CPH Summer Undergraduate Internship Program (12 positions available)

The Center for Public History - in conjunction with the Department of History and the College of Technology - welcomes applications to its Summer 2022 Undergraduate Internship Program. This interdisciplinary program provides a ten-week research experience to undergraduate students interested in history, social engagement, and new media. Interns will work in an interdisciplinary team with faculty mentors in researching, developing, and publishing historical content for public audiences. Alongside working in a cohort, each intern will join one of the following digital humanities and public history projects:

100 Years of Stories: Documenting a Century at the University of Houston – an innovative storytelling collaboration and interactive public history initiative that showcases the important role the University has had played in shaping the city. Lighting the path to the UH centennial celebration in 2027, CPH is collaborating with Houston Public Media and M.D. Anderson Libraries to collect, share, and preserve the stories of the University’s people and institutions that have defined our city and region. Interns of this project will edit and/write articles for Houston History magazine; assist in photo identification and selection, caption writing, and verification of permissions; and transcribe and edit oral histories. There may be opportunities to conduct research and write new articles.

SYRIOS – a digital museum exhibit that draws upon interactive storytelling and data visualization to teach scholarly and public audiences about the diverse communities and artifacts of ancient Syria. Interns of this project will research and design short, animated videos to be featured online at https://syrios.uh.edu. These videos will teach public audiences about Syrian history, archaeology, data visualization, and the ethics of cultural heritage trade. Interns will also be involved with the front-end and back-end web development, using an industry-standard framework to meet requirements. In addition, they will learn about the deployment of the application and write documentation.

Sharing Stories from 1977 – a nationally prominent website and archive-building project that documents and preserves the stories of over 150,000 participants of the 1977 National Women’s Conference held in Houston (https://sharingstories1977.uh.edu/). Over 1,000 students at UH and other universities have helped unearth the history of 2,000 delegates and alternates who came to Houston in 1977 to deliberate women's views on the pressing issues of the day from equal rights and abortion to childcare and the status of rural women. Participants spanned racial, economic, ethnic, and geographic divides. This project assesses the legacy of this event and seeks to generate new scholarship in women and politics. Internship work will involve: working individually to write short biographies, working in small teams to write thematic essays and conduct oral histories, and researching demographic information about NWC participants.

Current sophomores, juniors, and seniors (NOT graduating in May 2022) at UH main campus are encouraged to apply. We welcome students from the humanities AND STEM fields. No prior experience is required! For more information, contact Dr. Wes Jackson at wtjacks@central.uh.edu.

This program will run June 1-August 5 with an orientation in May. Interns will be required to attend weekly cohort meetings (TBD in-person and/or virtual), as well as meet individually with their specific project team. Interns should plan on working 15 hours per week. All interns accepted into this program will receive a summer stipend of $2,250.

*DEADLINE EXTENDED - Applications are due by April 22, 2022.

To apply, click here. Application materials include:

CPH Internship Form
Statement of Interest (Please address: why you are interested in this program; what you hope to gain; what specific skills, experiences, and personal qualities you bring to a research team; and what your future career goals are)
Current resume or CV
Writing sample (no more than 15 pages) OR upload a document with links to prior work (e.g. github repos or hosted web projects)

100 Years of Stories Undergraduate Student Assistant (2 positions available)

100 Years of Stories: Documenting a Century at the University of Houston seeks two undergraduate students to work closely with our team. This project is part of an innovative storytelling collaboration and interactive public history initiative that showcases the important role the University has had played in shaping the city. Lighting the path to the UH centennial celebration in 2027, the Center for Public History is collaborating with Houston Public Media and M.D. Anderson Libraries to collect, share, and preserve the stories of the University’s people and institutions that have defined our city and region.

Responsibilities include: editing and/writing articles for Houston History magazine; assist in photo identification and selection, caption writing, and verification of permissions; transcribe and edit oral histories; attend two team meetings per week. There may be opportunities to conduct research and write new articles.

Requirements: Preference will be given to students who have taken one or more of the following courses: HIST 3327 Houston History, HIST 3324 Oral History, HIST 3323 History Magazine Writing and Editing, or HIST 3307 Houston Migration and Immigration.
Students who will graduate May 2022 are also welcome to apply.

For more information, contact Dr. Debbie Harwell at dzharwel@central.uh.edu.

Pay: $15/hour, 15 hours/week, up to 10 weeks
Start Date: Flexible May 23 through Aug. 5, 2022
*DEADLINE EXTENDED - Applications are due by April 22, 2022.

To apply, click here. Application materials include:

Online Form
Current resume or CV

Sharing Stories from 1977 Unpaid Volunteer (multiple positions available)

Sharing Stories from 1977 is seeking unpaid volunteers from any US High School or College. This robust digital humanities project is student powered. Over a thousand UH students and students from other universities around the country have given their time and talents to unearth the stories of the 2000 delegates and alternates who came to Houston in 1977 to deliberate women's views on the pressing issues of the day, everything from equal rights and abortion to childcare and the status of rural women. Participants spanned the racial, economic, ethnic, social, and geographic divides. This conference realized a more perfect representation than has ever been found in the US Congress. Participants drafted 26 planks that were presented to President Jimmy Carter in 1978.

Internship work will involve: working individually to write short biographies, working in small teams to collect oral histories, working in small teams to write thematic essays, and researching demographic information about NWC participants.

Work will begin June 1, 2022, and end August 5, 2022. Unpaid interns can set their own work schedules.

Applications Due: May 1, 2022

For more information, please contact Dr. Nancy Beck Young (nyoung@central.uh.edu) or Dr. Leandra Zarnow (lrzarnow@central.uh.edu).

To apply, click here. Application materials include:

Online Form
Writing Sample no longer than 15 pages
Resume

Graduate Student Positions

*See Updates for CITE, SYRIOS, 100 Years of Stories, and CPH Lecture Series Positions - Application Deadlines Extended to April 22, 2022

CITE Grant, CPH Summer Program Coordinator for Undergraduate Internships (1 position available)

The UH Center for Public History is seeking an outstanding graduate student to serve as the coordinator for the 2022 CPH Summer Undergraduate Internship Program. This program will provide a ten-week research experience to twelve undergraduate students interested in history, social engagement, and new media. These students will meet weekly as a cohort as well as be assigned to one of three digital and/or public humanities projects:

Sharing Stories from 1977 – a nationally prominent website and archive-building project that documents and preserves the stories of over 150,000 participants of the 1977 National Women’s Conference held in Houston. Interns of this project will develop demographic datasets, oral histories, interpretive essays, and/or biographies, which will be featured online at https://sharingstories1977.uh.edu.

As the coordinator for this program, this position entails organizing and leading weekly cohort meetings, meeting with each project team, coordinating with faculty project directors, and providing student support. The coordinator will schedule guest speakers and other related progamming, help to document and publicize the program and student experience, and oversee other forms of communication. The coordinator will also help to facilitate end of the project assessment and reporting.

This program will run from June 1-August 5, but it is expected that the graduate coordinator will meet earlier in May with CPH leadership to help plan the summer. This position requires 20 hours per week and will be paid $20/hour up to $4,000.

All current UH graduate students encouraged to apply. We especially welcome students from public history and related fields.

For more information, contact Dr. Wes Jackson at wtjacks@central.uh.edu.

*DEADLINE EXTENDED - Applications are due by April 22, 2022.

To apply, click here. Application materials include:

Letter of interest highlighting related leadership and organizational experience
Current resume or CV

SYRIOS Summer Graduate Research Assistant (1 position available)

SYRIOS (https://syrios.uh.edu) is looking for a summer humanities graduate research assistant to help research, craft, and post content for an online digital exhibit exploring the history and material culture of ancient Syria. This student will work on developing stories for the website, as well as participate in usability testing research with target audiences for the exhibit. The student will also help manage undergraduate researchers.

Requirements: Student must demonstrate research and writing skills as well as willingness to engage in a team setting and with technology. Must have experience with ancient history, public history, and/or material culture.

This is a paid position of $15/per hour up to 130 hours.

Start Date: June 1, 2022

For more information, please contact Dr. Kristina Neumann at kmneuma2@central.uh.edu.

*DEADLINE EXTENDED - Applications are due by April 22, 2022.

To apply, please click here. Application materials include:

Statement of interest
Current CV or Resume

100 Years of Stories Summer Graduate Assistant (1 position available)

100 Years of Stories: Documenting a Century at the University of Houston is part of an innovative storytelling collaboration and interactive public history initiative that showcases the important role the University has had played in shaping the city. Lighting the path to the UH centennial celebration in 2027, the Center for Public History is collaborating with Houston Public Media and M.D. Anderson Libraries to collect, share, and preserve the stories of the University’s people and institutions that have defined our city and region.

This graduate assistant will provide leadership and mentoring of undergraduate students; work closely with Dr. Debbie Harwell to read edited articles and advise on photos for weekly meetings; and supervise the oral history component of the project. There may be opportunities to research and write articles for Houston History magazine.

Requirements: Student must demonstrate exemplary writing and editing skills and ability to engage in a team setting. Must be able to attend meetings twice per week during the employment period and be available to support and assist undergraduate students. Graduate public history coursework and/or public history major or minor preferred.

This is a paid position of $20/hour up to 240 hours.

Start date: June 1, 2022

*DEADLINE EXTENDED - Applications are due by April 22, 2022.

To apply, please click here. Application materials include:

Online Form
Statement of Interest
CV
Writing Sample or Public History Project

CPH Lecture Series Summer Social Media Graduate Assistant (1 position available)

The CPH Lecture Series Social Media Graduate Assistant provides communication support related to CPH Lecture Series events and promotion on social media. The Summer Graduate Assistant position:

Manages the CPH Media e-mail to provide news to the CPH listserv on upcoming events
Coordinates interdepartmental mail deliveries
Regularly updates Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram social media accounts
Participates in center-level communication and strategy planning
Runs data analysis for all social media campaigns

Graduate public history coursework preferred. This is a paid position of $20/hour at 15 hours per week.

Start date: June 1, 2022
End date: August 31, 2022
*DEADLINE EXTENDED - Applications are due by April 22, 2022.

Please click here to apply. Application materials include:

Online Form
Statement of Interest
CV
Writing Sample or Public History Project

Sharing Stories Summer Graduate Research Assistant (1 position available)

Sharing Stories from 1977 is seeking a graduate-level summer research assistant. This robust digital humanities project is student powered. Over a thousand UH students and students from other universities around the country have given their time and talents to unearth the stories of the 2000 delegates and alternates who came to Houston in 1977 to deliberate women's views on the pressing issues of the day, everything from equal rights and abortion to childcare and the status of rural women. Participants spanned the racial, economic, ethnic, social, and geographic divides. This conference realized a more perfect representation than has ever been found in the US Congress. Participants drafted 26 planks that were presented to President Jimmy Carter in 1978.

The summer research assistantship work will involve a mixture of editing biographical essays and data cleaning demographic research for our Sharing Stories from 1977 project.

This is a paid position of $15/hour up to a maximum 200 hours of work for the summer.

Work will begin June 1, 2022, and end August 5, 2022.

Applications Due: May 1, 2022

For more information, please contact Dr. Nancy Beck Young (nyoung@central.uh.edu) or Dr. Leandra Zarnow (lrzarnow@central.uh.edu).

To apply, click here. Application materials include:

Online Form
Writing Sample no longer than 15 pages. Writing Sample can be shorter than 15 pages.
Resume

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Undergraduate Student Positions

Graduate Student Positions