History Projects on the Japanese American Redress Movement
We encourage work-study and non-work-study students to apply. This internship is only open to undergraduate students with a declared or proposed Humanities major or minor and requires work authorization.
Application Deadline: September 21, 2025
The Humanities Experiential Learning Opportunities in Research (EXPLORE) Program connects undergraduate Humanities majors and minors with faculty-led projects in the division for paid research positions. Fellows gain valuable mentorship and practical experience.
Details
Position Term: Fall 2025 – Spring 2026
Hours/Week: 10-15
Hourly Pay Rate: $20/hour
# Positions Available: 1
Mentorship: You will work closely with and report to History Professors Alice Yang, Jasmine Alinder, and Graduate Researcher Clara Bergamini. They will delegate tasks and review your work, provide coaching, and help you understand what professional research is like. You will meet to check in at least once per week.
About the project
(Click to read full description) The undergraduate researcher will support two projects on Japanese American redress history: archiving and sharing oral histories of redress activists through a website, podcasts, and community outreach, and developing a cinematic digital history project that combines films, video game elements, and archival sources to teach K–12 and college students about incarceration, resettlement, and activism. Working with faculty, graduate researchers, and community partners, the student will gain experience in archival research, digital storytelling, and public history while helping make the legacies of redress activism accessible to broader audiences.
You work on two projects: (1) archiving, podcasting, and exhibiting histories of Japanese American redress activism and multiracial solidarity through an extensive collection of oral histories, and (2) a digital cinematic history project aimed at teaching high school and college students about Japanese American redress through a fictional film, video game, and interactive web experience. For these projects, students will collaborate with Dr. Alice Yang, Dr. Jasmine Alinder, and graduate student researcher Clara Bergamini.
Three major organizations sought redress for the injustice of the mass removal and incarceration of over 120,000 Japanese Americans during World War II. This movement resulted in the passage of the 1988 Civil Rights Act, which issued a federal apology and provided payments of $20,000 to surviving former incarcerees. In the 1990s, Dr. Alice Yang conducted oral histories with 70 individuals who were either redress activists or influenced the redress movement. She obtained funding to digitize and transcribe 77 audio cassettes of these histories, where sources discuss their backgrounds, memories of incarceration camps, the impact of incarceration, redress activism, and their views on the lessons and legacies of the movement. Dr. Yang is seeking to hire a student researcher to work with a team of three other undergraduates in collecting information from interviewees or family members of deceased interviewees for web posting. Additional tasks include designing and developing a website, publicizing it to Japanese American communities and newspapers, reaching out to academic journals, and creating podcasts featuring interviews with redress activists and their families discussing their perspectives today.
In the cinematic digital history project, the Undergraduate Researcher will team up with Professor Alinder, graduate researcher Clara Bergamini, members of the Full Spectrum Features team, and three other Humanities Explore researchers to gather and curate primary and secondary documents for an interactive digital history website. This site will integrate fictional films, video game elements, and archival sources to enlighten K-12 and college students about the Japanese-American Redress movement from the 1960s to the 1980s. Using cinematic storytelling and interactive gaming, the website extends the characters and themes of incarceration, resettlement, and redress introduced in a series of films. These films aim to foster emotional engagement with the characters and period, while the website contextualizes the history through curated sources. The project involves multiple teams working on different parts, with the undergraduate researcher focused on sourcing and curating materials that support research, education, and website development to help educators and students understand the socio-political history of Japanese-American incarceration, resettlement, and redress. The researcher may also explore various research topics related to previous projects and programs that led to this web-based initiative.
What You’ll Do
- (40%) Collaborate with the team to research, identify, and curate relevant primary and secondary resources pertaining to the Japanese-American Redress movement.
- (30%) Transcribe interviews, assist with 3D scanning, and help plan the design of the website that will display the audio recordings, transcriptions, and photographs of the interviewees.
- (20%) Collaborate with the team to create podcasts and an exhibit based on interviewee accounts from the 1990s and interviews with redress activists/family members that can be posted on the site.
- (10%) Analyze and assess the suitability and applicability of identified resources for K-12 education, considering the diverse needs of educators and students.
- Humanities EXPLORE Programming: Attend a quarterly meeting when possible and participate in asynchronous Canvas experiential learning reflection.
What You’ll Learn
This position aims to improve your career readiness skills. You will show a desire to develop your critical thinking and decision-making abilities through qualitative research, which will require analytical reasoning and the confidence to evaluate materials. This research will also help you strengthen their organizational skills by learning the basics of project management as you organize their research materials. You will be dedicated to producing work that meets accessibility standards and reflects a commitment to cultural sensitivity and emotionally intelligent research practices.
Eligibility & Qualifications
- You must be a declared or proposed major or minor in a Humanities Division department and have good academic standing. If proposed, declare by June.
- Eligible majors: Applied Linguistics and Multilingualism, Classical Studies, Critical Race and Ethnic Studies, Feminist Studies, History, Jewish Studies, Language Studies, Linguistics, Literature, Philosophy, Spanish Studies
- Eligible minors: Black Studies, Classical Studies, East Asian Studies, History of Consciousness, History, Italian Studies, Jewish Studies, Language Studies, Linguistics, Literature, Middle Eastern and North African Studies, Philosophy, Spanish Studies
- You have work authorization (required)
- You can work independently and collaboratively (required)
- Strong interest in history, education, social justice, or related fields.
- Demonstrated research skills and ability to critically analyze primary sources.
- Excellent communication and collaboration skills.
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
- Sensitivity to cultural diversity and a commitment to promoting inclusive education.
- Ability to work remotely.
- Some familiarity with Google Docs and Google Sheets.
How To Apply
- Updated resume
- 1-page cover letter addressing:
- Why you’re interested in this role
- How your background and skills apply
- What you hope to gain from the experience
- Address your letter to Professors Alinder and Yang
Review these resume and cover letter resources to ensure you are a strong candidate! For application help, see Humanities Career Engagement.
Questions? Email Kylie Rachwalski at hum-experiential-learning@ucsc.edu.
The Mellon Foundation, The Helen and Will Webster Foundation, The Humanities Institute, the UCSC Humanities Division, and private donors generously support the Humanities EXCEL Program.
Misconduct Disclosure Requirement
As a condition of employment, the final candidate who accepts a conditional offer of employment will be required to disclose if they have been subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct; received notice of any allegations or are currently the subject of any administrative or disciplinary proceedings involving misconduct; have left a position after receiving notice of allegations or while under investigation in an administrative or disciplinary proceeding involving misconduct; or have filed an appeal of a finding of misconduct with a previous employer.
- “Misconduct” means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant’s previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment, discrimination, dishonesty, or unethical conduct, as defined by the employer. For reference, below are UC’s policies addressing some forms of misconduct: