EXPLORE Research Fellowship with Prof. M. Ty, Counter-Colonial Ecologies (Critical Race & Ethnic Studies)

Research Assistant: Counter-Colonial Ecologies (CRES)

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: Sunday, November 2, 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

Duration: Academic Year 2025–26

Hours: 10 hours/week

Pay: $20/hour

Mentorship: Regular check-ins and support from Professor M. Ty (Critical Race & Ethnic Studies)

About the project

This project invites students to work collaboratively on a project that engages in counter-colonial ecological research and turns its attention to the waters of Palestine.  Our team will build upon previous investigations of how decades of occupation have transformed aquatic ecosystems and the practices of subsistence on which they depend.  Taking inspiration from the artist Jumana Emil Abboud, who understands water divination as an act of collective memory, the project will work to tell the stories of springs, wells, and rivers that have been forcibly disappeared—as well as those that persist, despite threats of toxicity and unilateral diversion.  In doing so, the project seeks to move discourses about environmental destruction in Palestine beyond the parameters of quantitative analysis.  Fellows will engage colonial archives, learning to read against their currents.  They will also work together to assemble a visual counter-archive of Palestinian waters, which will be drawn from historical footage and various traditions of Arab cinema.  The project will culminate in the launch of a public-facing website, where we can share our work of water-mapping and its significance for reimagining indigenous politics of land.  

The main stages of the project will be as follows:

1. Collaborative teamwork to create common milestones and project timeframes.
2. Engage with academic literature concerning visual research methodology and the history and contemporary life of the Pajaro and Salinas Valleys.
3. Maintain and expand existing photographic database.
4. Analysis of collected images’ social, cultural, historical, technoscientific, and ecological dimensions.
5. Document the findings of the analysis, employing a range of writing practices.

What You’ll Do

Students will learn how to navigate a range of archives and primary and secondary source material related to histories of black and indigenous subsistence. Specifically, they will learn about the difficulties involved in researching histories that have been relegated to the periphery of History proper. They will learn to read against the grain of practices of colonial documentation and to listen not only to what the archive says but also to what it omits.

This role provides hands-on experience in archival research, historical analysis, and public humanities work. Training will be offered to students who may not have prior research experience but can demonstrate a commitment to racial justice and historical inquiry.

• (35%) Sorting, reading through, and screening primary sources with an eye for material that’s relevant to the project; assembling these resources in a central repository
• (10%) Corresponding with librarians to request materials from archival collections; managing those files
• (10%) Transcribing handwritten sources into formats compatible with a word processor
• (15%) When the student has the appropriate language skills, translating selections from primary documents
• (10%) Generating informal literature reviews and report-backs about secondary literature
• (10%) Helping to set up and maintain a website with a curated set of materials to offer a way for the public to interface with our research
• (10%) Team meetings to share knowledge
• Humanities EXPLORE Programming (5%): Attend a quarterly meeting when possible and participate in asynchronous Canvas experiential learning reflection.y (%)

At later stages of the project, these percentages would shift. Should it be possible to start a garden on the campus that would draw from our research, there would be additional work to do, including making arrangements for the space, doing outreach for a public event, helping with some physical work in setting up a garden (with accommodations for anyone with a disability); collaborating on a plan to keep the garden going beyond the original cohort.

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)
• You will be enrolled throughout the entire length of the position. [strict requirement] 
• Interest in interdisciplinary research related to ecology, botany, history, and/or racial justice.
• You’re willing to engage deeply with archival research, including reading historical documents and analyzing colonial records.
• You have strong reading and analytical skills, with a willingness to read substantial amounts of historical and scholarly material.
• You can work independently and collaboratively in an interdisciplinary research setting.
• You’re committed to exploring marginalized histories and engaging with questions of race, sexuality, and subsistence within plantation economies.
• You have strong organizational skills for managing archival materials and corresponding with faculty and librarians.

A Bonus If You Have…

• Interest in or experience with critical race and ethnic studies (CRES); students who have taken Introduction to CRES will be well-prepared for the project.
• Academic background or personal experience in ecology, botany, gardening, or farming.
• Experience with archival research or an eagerness to learn methodologies for working with historical documents.
• Language proficiency in Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, and/or French, with an interest in translation work.
• Familiarity with or willingness to learn website maintenance for public-facing research dissemination.
• If working on the project about Palestinian water, some familiarity with video editing software is required.
• Interest in public history, community engagement, and/or digital humanities projects.
• Enthusiasm for collaborative, project-based work, including potential involvement in creating a campus garden inspired by historical subsistence practices.
• First-generation college students and underrepresented minorities are especially encouraged to apply!

How To Apply

• Updated resume
• 1-page cover letter addressed to the Professor explaining:
  • Why you’re interested in this role
  • How your background and skills apply
  • What you hope to gain from the experience.

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.

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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:
  • UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy
  • UC Anti-Discrimination Policy
  • Abusive Conduct in the Workplace