Summer Internship for PhD Students
Boston College Summer Internship for PhD Students
Boston College is offering a second year pilot of an internship program for PhD students in the humanities and qualitative social sciences sponsored by the Institute for the Liberal Arts, the Office of the Provost, and the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences. Given the current shortage of full-time academic teaching positions, these internships are designed to let PhD students explore possible non-professorial careers, learn more about how to make a transition to an “Alt-Ac” career path, and provide work experience that will facilitate such a transition.
The internships will take place in June and July, 2023. Students who participate will be expected to work 35-40 hours per week on the internship and in addition to attend a weekly group meeting to reflect on the experience and to learn about practical steps for pursuing non-teaching careers. (Whether the internships and meetings will be remote or in person will be determined later in the spring.) Participants will have to complete two informational interviews with people in a relevant field and write a short report at the end of the internship. Interns will be paid a stipend of $4,000.
Application Process & Deadline
Applications can be submitted online at: PhD Summer Internship Application Form
Applications are due on: March 13, 2023
All applicants must have the approval of a dissertation director, main advisor, or graduate program director.
PhD students at any stage of their degree program can apply for up to two internships and should indicate which is their first choice. Providing a second choice is optional. We are offering eight different internships (seven at BC, one external) and some of these positions will accept more than one intern, for a total of up to twelve internships.
Questions: Contact Mary Crane (mary.crane.1@bc.edu)
BC Libraries
https://library.bc.edu
Institutional Repository OutreachHost Department: Scholarly Communications
This internship will introduce a student to the ways that librarians support Scholarly Communications, specifically learning about how libraries facilitate the dissemination of scholarship via institutional repositories.
Boston College Libraries is planning a significant migration to an upgraded Institutional Repository platform in 2023. To support this migration and to introduce the repository's new features, the intern will develop documentation and outreach materials targeting the Boston College community. The intern may also have opportunities to test the system as features are introduced and to assist in populating the repository with new material. The internship will require basic graphic design and the ability to use a spreadsheet; training will be provided as needed.
The intern will not be required to work on-site, but will need to be available during business hours for virtual meetings. There will be regular meetings with the Scholarly Communications Librarian, as well as opportunities to meet with other members of the Library team to learn more about librarianship.
Contact: Elliott Hibbler; Head Librarian, Scholarly Communications; elliott.hibbler@bc.edu
BC Libraries
https://library.bc.edu
Digital Humanities: Host Department, Digital Scholarship Team
NB: Willing to take two or as many as four graduate students
The Digital Humanities (DH) internship will support students wishing to incorporate DH approaches and skills into their research and actively contribute to their scholarly communities. The intern will participate in the development of (an) online project(s) associated with existing DH programs, with the goal of promoting the use of Digital Scholarship (DS) in academic classrooms at Boston College. Possible projects include--but are not limited to--place and the senses in urban studies with focus; oral histories; the narrative in the digital world; and/or open educational resources for projects like women who ruled.
To facilitate this work, the student will meet weekly project check-ins and support as well as to discuss career options. Library staff will provide training, and the student will have the opportunity to shadow subject specialists and learn more about academic library work. Students will leave the internship with a greater understanding of working within a project team, developing and managing projects, and applying specific technical skills. Applicants do not need to be on-site for this internship. Preference will be given to students who are part of the certificate program.
Contact: Melanie Hubbard; Head of Digital Scholarship & Data Services; hubbarmd@bc.edu
BC Libraries
https://library.bc.edu
American Catholicism Collections Host Department: John J. Burns Library
John J. Burns Library for rare books, special collections, and archives at Boston College acquired, over several decades, significant collections of books, periodicals, pamphlets, ephemera, and artifacts that document American Catholic thought, life, and religious practice, with a particular focus on the period between the First and Second Vatican Councils.
The intern will assist library staff with the reappraisal of Catholic Americana collections in order to calibrate future acquisitions, prioritize and prepare backlogged acquisitions for cataloging, and inform transfer and deaccession decisions. The intern will receive training in aspects of library collection analysis and management related to project goals and will have opportunities to learn about additional aspects of special collections library operations. Given the collection-specific focus of this placement, students pursuing degrees in theology or history will likely be the most prepared to undertake this internship and benefit from it.
Because many of the tasks associated with this project will involve working with physical collections, this internship will require onsite work in Burns Library during its normal operating hours, Monday through Friday, 9am-5pm, though some tasks, such as consulting online catalogs and conducting web-based research, may be performed remotely and outside these hours. The start and end dates are also negotiable, with the understanding that the program requirements must be fulfilled between the end of the spring semester and beginning of the fall term, and that the appointee will be expected to participate fully in the internship group meetings, which will be scheduled in June and July.
Contacts: Christian Dupont, Associate University Librarian for Collections and Burns Librarian (christian.dupont@bc.edu) and Seth Meehan, Associate Director for Academic Programs and Special Projects (seth.meehan@bc.edu).
McMullen Museum, Boston College
https://www.bc.edu/artmuseum
McMullen Museum
Host Departments: McMullen Museum and John J. Burns Library
This internship provides opportunities to learn about and contribute to the process of planning exhibitions at an academic museum and special collections library. Responsibilities will include:
- Conducting research on subject and collections relevant to exhibition themes
- Communicating with relevant scholars and collection owners
- Reviewing collections in order to identify potentially relevant items to display
- Documenting findings using structured information
- Drafting exhibition labels
The intern will work with curatorial staff in McMullen Museum and John J. Burns Library on one or more exhibitions, which may include a future McMullen Museum exhibition that will focus on photography and material culture portraying the decades of violent sectarian conflict in Northern Ireland known as “The Troubles,” as well as an installation from McMullen’s permanent collection on 19th- and 20th-century graphic works on paper. The intern may also contribute to displays of Irish materials in Burns Library.
The intern will be introduced to principles of archival management and research as well as exhibition design and curation. Given the thematic focuses of the exhibitions, students pursuing degrees in Irish Studies, or history, or sociology will likely be the most prepared to undertake this internship and benefit from it.
Because many of the tasks associated with this project will involve working with physical collections, this internship will require onsite work in McMullen Museum and Burns Library during their normal weekday business hours, though some tasks, such conducting web-based research, may be performed remotely and outside these hours. The start and end dates are also negotiable, with the understanding that the program requirements must be fulfilled between the end of the spring semester and beginning of the fall term, and that the appointee will be expected to participate fully in the internship group meetings, which will be scheduled in June and July.
Contacts: Nancy Netzer, Inaugural Robert L. and Judith T. Winston Director, McMullen Museum of Art and Professor of Art History (nancy.netzer@bc.edu) and Christian Dupont, Associate University Librarian for Scholarly Resources and Burns Librarian (christian.dupont@bc.edu).
Academic Advising
Host Department: Morrissey College, AAC
The Academic Advising Center (AAC) collaborates with the Provost's Office, First Year Experience, and colleagues in other undergraduate schools to welcome the incoming undergraduate class of the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences (MCAS). The intern will work closely with the AAC administration in organizing, training, and executing summer academic orientation, advising, and registration. Members of the Class of 2027 will attend one of seven advising weeks during the months of June, July, and August. The intern will co-lead faculty training workshops, serve as a point person for faculty who take on summer advising responsibilities, and take on a batch of first-year advisees. The intern will work on editing and updating the summer advising web pages and may be assigned other exploratory projects throughout the summer.
Contact: Joseph Desciak, Associate Dean for First-Year Students (desciak@bc.edu), and Rebecca Schmitz, Associate Director of the Academic Advising Center (rebecca.schmitz@bc.edu)
Schiller Institute, Boston College
https://www.bc.edu/schiller
The Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society
The Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society is seeking a PhD-level summer intern, to contribute to data collection/analysis and operations.
The Institute is in a growth stage, operating similar to a startup company. As a result, there will also be many opportunities for the intern to contribute to the day-to-day operations and strategic planning of the Institute. In this role, the intern will operate similar to an in-house consultant, providing input on a range of strategic, planning and organizational activities. For example, the intern may be asked to review the reported outcomes of the Institute’s internal grant program, assessing the return on investment and visualizing trajectory of each project. As another example, the Institute is planning to lead multiple faculty searches in academic year 2023-24, so the intern would likely assist with multiple projects related to the preparation for that search.
The Institute is also engaged in various institutional research projects and the intern will have the opportunity to contribute to these under the mentorship of the Institute’s Executive Director.
If the intern expresses interest in working on aspects of the Institute’s work not included above, we are open to considering other projects.
Contact: Mary Crane (mary.crane@bc.edu)
Student Affairs, Boston College
https://www.bc.edu/studentaffairs
Student Affairs
The Division of Student Affairs is home to 15 affiliated departments that provide a rich array of co-curricular programs and services that promote student learning, health and wellness, leadership development, and community engagement. The division's 160–member staff works with faculty, administrators, and alumni to support the personal, professional, social, and spiritual growth of the University’s undergraduate and graduate students. Under the leadership of the Vice President of Student Affairs, the Division is poised to launch a new strategic plan.
The Student Affairs internship will provide opportunities to explore different aspects of student affairs administration, including the ability to work cross functionally in areas including student engagement, integrated learning and student success.
The Student Affairs intern will report to the Senior Adviser to the Vice President of Student Affairs and work closely with the associate vice presidents of student engagement and integrated learning. This is a unique opportunity to gain exposure to senior leaders within the Division and gain a better understanding of different career paths within student affairs.
Possible projects may include:
- Assisting with initiatives and projects related to the launch of the new Student Affairs strategic plan, which may include data analysis, benchmarking, goal mapping, and training development.
- Building out MyBC materials and pathways for students, including utilizing our engagement platform, Engage.
- Supporting the development of integrated learning programs, including “Living Learning” programs through Residential Life, including benchmarking and program planning.
Desired skill sets/Qualifications:
Strong communication and interpersonal skills; strong motivational and organizational skills; ability to work independently and effectively on multiple tasks and be detail oriented; initiative, and flexibility; willingness to work as part of a team; commitment to issues of diversity, equity and inclusion; technological competence, especially with Microsoft Office, Campaign Monitor and Canva helpful; interest in learning about current issues in Student Affairs Student Affairs Internship.
Contact: Mary Crane (mary.crane@bc.edu)
The Guild for Human Services
https://www.guildhumanservices.org
History of The Guild and of Disability Rights Advocacy in Massachusetts
The Guild for Human Services is seeking a partner to continue to develop a history of The Guild that will serve as a complementary part of an existing archival project.
Research into the Guild’s history starting with the incorporation of the Protestant Guild for the Blind and the context of its creation. Explore deeper The Guild’s history of serving marginalized populations and provide a backdrop of the history of disability rights and advocacy at that time. Tying in such initiatives as the Massachusetts Historical Society’s series on Disability and the American Past, our academic partner will work to build a historical timeline.
Possible student contributions:
- Interviewing former students, employees and board members about the history of The Guild over the past 7 decades
- Integration of photographic and historical archives and timeline of history of disability rights, activism and service delivery in Massachusetts and US.
- Supporting Guild staff in preparation, logistics, content production for The Guild’s website and possible online webinars.
- Participate in creating a Guild timeline with Guild staff and other partners
Humanities Research in Human Services:
Bring in your experience and expertise in your field of study to create a research project that informs The Guild and the IDD serving community. Areas of focus could be around Human Rights, Disability Justice, Immigrant workforce in direct service or other ideas are welcome!
The Guild is very open to remote or hybrid work.