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RESEARCH Aprenticeship PROGRAM

Contribute to a Faculty Research Project

This program allows undergraduates invaluable opportunties to learn research methods in a one-on-one collaboration with a faculty member.  Each fall, faculty members apply for the opportunity to bring undergraduate research fellows into their research projects.  The Humanities Center advertises research opportunities on this page, and students are invited to apply directly to faculty mentors starting in early September.  Faculty make nominations to the Humanities Center, and successful nominees are appointed as Student Research Fellows. Each fellowship involves work on a faculty research project, often leading to publication.  Projects involve different types of research and unfold over different time-periods with flexibility to accommodate the schedules of the student and the needs of the faculty member. At the end of the academic year, student fellows who complete the program successfully receive $450.

Students interested in serving as research apprentices should check this page frequently during the fall. Scroll down to see current opportunities.

Faculty members interested in the program should visit the faculty Research Fellows Program page for instructions on how to apply.

If you are interested in past research student-faculty collaborations please visit our archival page.

2022-2023  Apprenticeship Projects

If you are interested in applying for one of the apprenticeships below, please email the relevant professor and write "Research Apprenticeship Application" in the subject line of your email. For additional questions please write to humanitiescenter@miamioh.edu.

Art and Herbalism in West Africa

Jordan A. Fenton

While botanists and medical anthropologists have explored African herbalism, links between herbalism, art, and expressive culture are severely lacking. This project will address this void in scholarly literature. An undergraduate research fellow will help with the following tasks: 1) Qualitative analysis and transcription of extensive field notes, interviews, and recorded performances and songs sung (collected during 2018 and 2022); 2) Searching online scholarly databases for relevant publications on topic and build an annotated bibliography of these sources; and 3) Reading translations of songs, performances, and rituals for clarity. Candidates do not need to have previous knowledge of herbalism, art history or the arts, but should be able to carry out work independently, be organized, and have strong research, critical reading, and writing skills.

THIS POSITION HAS BEEN FILLED.

Building a Digital Repository

Tim Lockridge

A research fellow is sought to help build a digital repository of materials from the national Computers & Writing conference. The fellow will help convert a collection of print programs from the conference into accessible digital formats. The fellow does not need to have experience with any particular digital technology (these skills will be taught), but will need a willingness to learn new digital skills and workflows. The faculty member and student fellow will work together to clean and mark up the digitized text, apply metadata for qualitative analysis, and track this work in a version control system. Depending on the fellow’s interests, the job responsibilities can also include practice and work with HTML, CSS, and other Web-related skills and technologies.

THIS POSITION HAS BEEN FILLED.

Contemporary Cinema Studies

Elisabeth Hodges

This project explores specific features of contemporary film. An reasearch assistant is sought to assist with searching databases for recent secondary sources related to these artists/directors in thestudy. The research fellow selected will read/review these sources, catalogue information, and compile an annotated bibliography of any recent materials critical to the completion of the book. The fellow might also assist  in compiling the final filmography and bibliography and double-checking source citations. The apprentice will gain valuable knowledge of humanities research practices, critical thinking, writing, and approaches to film analysis, and how to continually refresh and integrate new materials into ongoing research projects.

THIS POSITION HAS BEEN FILLED.

Mapping News Organizations in Southwest Ohio

Matthew Crain

This project maps news organizations in southwest Ohio. The undergraduate research fellow will assist with 1) conducting a literature review of relevant scholarship; 2) annotating and comparing research designs from similar “mapping” studies; 3) creating a research plan; and 4) collecting data on local news organizations. The fellowship runs from Nov. 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023 and requires approximately 3 hours of work per week. Necessary qualifications include: familiarity with library databases; strong organizational and writing skills; and interest in news media. Beneficial, but not required is experience with Zotero citation manager or experience annotating scholarly publications. More info at: https://crainresearch.wordpress.com/ohio-news-project

THIS POSITION HAS BEEN FILLED.

Racing Transatlantic Performance

Katie Johnson

A research fellow is sought to assist with a new book project on issues of race in transatlantic theatre.  This project examines theatre productions that occurred on London and Irish stages when actors of color took the stage to investigate the connections between Irish and Black performance practices, as well as how these productions intersected with key cultural issues such as segregation, interracial marriage, immigration, and imperialism. The research fellow will assist with conducting research, locating materials from archives and museums, and compiling a bibliography.  The selected fellow will gain experience in how to conduct research, as well as how to write about theatre and historical contexts. 

THIS POSITION HAS BEEN FILLED.

Reselling Religion: An Ethnography of Material Circulation

James Bielo

This ethnographic research project centers on the lives of resellers who sift through donated, discarded, and passed over items in search of Christian material culture. The project contextualizes this scavenging and reselling labor within a broader assemblage that encompasses sites such as: church closures, estate sales, thrift stores, auction houses, and online marketplaces such as Instagram live sales. The Research Apprentice will develop skills in qualitative research design, as well as explore interdisciplinary scholarship on themes of circulation, reuse, and material culture. The Apprentice will have a range of activities to select from, and will make substantive contributions to the project.

THIS POSITION HAS BEEN FILLED.

Sound and Music Education through Social Media

Mack Hagood

Phantom Power, a podcast on sound in the arts and humanities, seeks a research apprentice to creatively repurpose our audio content for public education through social media. The job is to create and post engaging video clips, images with quotes, and anything else the apprentice can dream up. Training on user-friendly content creation software (including a new AI-based tool in beta testing) will be provided. The strongest candidates will have strong writing skills and some experience with content creation for TikTok, YouTube, or Instagram. Knowledge of (or interest in) sound, experimental music, or sound art is a huge plus. Phantom Power has a top 2% global ranking according to podcast database Listen Notes. Learn more at phantompod.org. To apply, please contact Professor Hagood at mhagood@miamioh.edu.

Trust and Advertising Fraud

Adam Rottinghaus

A research fellow is sought for aid in the development of a book manuscript about trust and advertising fraud. The book is being written for a popular audience and will revolve around four case studies of fraudulent advertising that give insight into why people trust deceptive advertising. The aim of the book is to provide actionable steps for people to protect themselves from fraudulent claims through the application of media literacy principles. Primary responsibilities for the apprentice will include reviewing and annotating news articles, legal documents, and other media texts, and possibly conducting research in digital archives or repositories.

THIS POSITION HAS BEEN FILLED.