Call for Applications: Humanities EXPLORE Research Fellowship with Professor Mark Amengual–2025-2026
The acoustics of bilingual speech (Languages & Applied Linguistics)
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: May 18, 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 (September-June)
Hours: 10 hours/week
Pay: $20/hour
Mentorship: Regular check-ins and support from Professor Mark Amengual (Languages & Applied Linguistics)
About the project
This research team will complete acoustic analyses of the speech of Spanish-English, Tagalog-English, and English-Italian bilinguals. You will learn to work as a team in a linguistics laboratory environment and gain knowledge with specific training on how to use the Praat speech software and R for statistical analyses. You will learn how to conduct acoustic analyses, visualize/interpret speech waveforms and spectrograms, and discuss results and applications towards bilingualism and applied linguistics.
What You’ll Do
- Regular bi-weekly meetings (10%)
- Training workshops (20%): to learn to use scripts in order to measure vowels and consonant sounds from previously collected audio recordings
- Acoustic analyses using Praat software (60%)
- Organizing files and working collaboratively to visualize the data and interpret the results (10%)
- Humanities EXPLORE Programming (5%): Attend a quarterly meeting when possible and participate in asynchronous Canvas experiential learning reflection.
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 are interested in learning about bilingual speech and acoustic phonetics.
- If you have experience with phonetics and phonology or previous use of Praat, you are especially encouraged to apply. All interested students can be trained to conduct acoustic analyses for this project.
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 Professor Mark Amengual
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 EXPLORE 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:
