Undergrad Internships (Paid) with Centre for Scottish Studies
Be a part of exciting research and a leading global centre for the study of Scotland!
The Centre for Scottish Studies at the University of Guelph is the largest such academic centre outside Scotland, and the University’s Archival and Special Collections has the largest collection of documentary material on Scotland outside the United Kingdom.
Beginning this year, two paid undergraduate internships will be awarded by the Centre, for 50 hours of work at $15/hr, associated with two innovative online projects connected to the Centre. Work will be conducted according to a timeframe agreed between the scholar and supervisor within the 2020-21 academic year. We are seeking highly motivated, talented scholars with a keen interest in History and a desire to apply and develop their skills in the context of a mentored work experience. We strongly encourage upper-level History students who may have an interest in graduate study to consider applying, though applications from all registered undergraduate students are most welcome.
Applications will be received until 11:59 pm on 15 October 2020, after which applicants may be selected for an online interview.
Project 1: “Beds for the Night”: Mapping Scotland’s Roads, Routes and Inns
In this project, a collaboration with Prof. Daniel Maudlin of Plymouth University, one of the world’s leading authorities on British inns, a student working with Prof. Kevin James will use the University of Guelph’s outstanding Scottish Studies collection—unparalleled in scope outside the UK. Identifying nineteenth-century travel writings and itineraries held in the collection, you will help build a digital repository of texts/sources specific to the project, catalogued thematically (period, mode of travel, route) which will be used for a project exploring the evolution of the Scottish inn and Scottish Highland tourist routes in the nineteenth century. This role integrates you within an exciting international research project at its initial stages and develops skills of documentary analysis and database building. Familiarity with EXCEL and an interest in Scottish documentary sources are assets, as well as the capacity to work collaboratively in the systematic development of a critical research tool.
Please submit a short résumé, an unofficial transcript and a one-page covering letter outlining your interest, how you see this paid work opportunity contributing to your scholarly development, and how you might make contributions through it to the Centre for Scottish Studies (delivering an online report, for instance).
Please contact Prof. Kevin James: kjames@uoguelph.ca with any questions, or to apply.
Project 2: “Honey Bees and Hairy Coos”: The Parchment and Wax Industries of Medieval Scotland
This project is part of a wider study of the University of Guelph’s medieval Scottish charter collection, that will eventually include a DNA analysis of the charters’ materials: namely parchment and wax. Working alongside Prof. Susannah Ferreira, you will investigate the leather and wax industries of Scotland between 1330 and 1590. The primary goal of this research is to establish the origins of the parchment and seals used in the charters and to learn whether they were likely to have been produced locally or whether they may have been imported from elsewhere in Europe. The role allows you to work closely with original medieval manuscripts, housed in Archives and Special Collections, and to learn about their material culture. The broader interdisciplinary project will establish what DNA analysis can tell us about livestock and the natural world of premodern Scotland and there may be further opportunities for you to pursue graduate research on this subject.
Please submit a short résumé, an unofficial transcript and a one-page covering letter outlining your interest, how you see this paid work opportunity contributing to your scholarly development, and how you might make contributions through it to the Centre for Scottish Studies (delivering an online report, for instance).
Please contact Prof. Susannah Ferreira: Susannah.ferreira@uoguelph.ca with any questions, or to apply.