Call for Applications: Humanities EXPLORE Undergraduate Research Fellowship with Professor Josefina Bittar, 2024-2025
We encourage work-study and non-work-study students to apply. This role requires work authorization.
Research Assistant: Corpus of Paraguayans in Spain (Languages and Applied Linguistics)
Application Deadline: 09/27/2024
The Humanities Division and The Humanities Institute are excited to announce an experiential learning opportunity for undergraduates at UC Santa Cruz to work with Languages and Applied Linguistics Professor Josefina Bittar.
The Humanities Experiential Learning Opportunities in Research (EXPLORE) Program connects Humanities majors and minors to faculty-led research projects in the division. EXPLORE Fellows are mentored by faculty members to develop skills and knowledge to help them make an impactful intellectual or creative contribution to their field. Students gain practical experience and professional training that builds on their studies in the Humanities. At the same time, faculty benefit from students’ assistance and academic expertise.
About the Project
The Corpus of Paraguayans in Spain is an ongoing documentation project of the experiences of Paraguayans who have increasingly migrated to Spain during the last decades. The collection includes video and audio recordings of the migrants, most of whom are bilingual in Guarani and Spanish, the two most widely spoken languages of Paraguay.
Check out this team’s research brief about their work during the 2023-2024 academic year.
Position Description:
You will work on a project to build a database of interviews (a corpus) with Paraguayans in Spain. Using specialized software, you will generate the transcriptions, which you will then correct and adjust. You will also help synchronize and organize the video, audio, and pdf files.
RESPONSIBILITIES AND EXPECTATIONS
- Generate transcription (10%): You will use Sonix to generate automated Spanish transcriptions.
- Duty (80%): You will correct the automated Spanish transcription using ELAN.
- Generate transcription (10%): You will synchronize video and audio files; and organize pdf files.
Required Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities
- You are a declared major or minor in a department in the Humanities Division, and you are in good academic standing. If you have proposed the major or minor, you can declare by the end of the academic year in June. [required]
- You have work authorization. [required]
- You are fluent in Spanish. [required]
Preferred Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities
- You can edit videos.
What You’ll Learn
You will improve your spoken and written Spanish skills. You will familiarize yourself with a lesser-known dialect of Spanish and the sounds of Guarani, a native language of Paraguay. You will also learn the basics of the softwares: ELAN, Sonix, and Final Cut (or similar). When working with data, you will develop organizational skills by using different folders, files, and labels. You will also learn about Paraguayan culture and diverse migration and linguistic experiences
Position Term: Fall Quarter 2024, with the possibility to extend into Winter and Spring 2025
Hours: 15 hours/week
Compensation: $20/hour
# Positions Available: 1
Mentorship: You will work closely with and report to LAAL Professor Josefina Bittar. They will delegate tasks, review your work, provide coaching, and help you understand professional research. You will meet to check in at least once per week.
Apply By Submitting
- Your updated resume
- A short cover letter (no more than one page) answering these questions: Why are you interested in this position? How does your academic expertise and skillset prepare you for this role? What are you hoping to gain from this opportunity?
REVIEW these resume and cover letter resources to ensure you are a strong candidate!
- Address your cover letter to Professor Bittar.
Once the application window closes on September 27th, there will be an interview process with top candidates. This job is expected to start October 7th.
Please contact the EXPLORE Program coordinator, Kylie Rachwalski, at hum-experiential-learning@ucsc.edu with any questions.
The Mellon Foundation, The Helen and Will Webster Foundation, The Humanities Institute, and the UCSC Humanities Division generously support the Humanities EXPLORE Program.
