Call for Applications: Humanities EXPLORE Research Fellowship with Dr. Elaine Sullivan – 2025-2026
Selling Saqqara: Tracing provenance for Egyptian artifacts in the early 20th-century antiquities trade (History)
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
Hours: 10–20 hours/week
Pay: $20/hour
Mentorship: Regular check-ins and support from Dr. Elaine Sullivan (History)
About the project
401 faience ushabti figurines were discovered in the tomb of the ancient Egyptian elite Tjanenhebu at the necropolis of Saqqara in 1900 and sold and disbursed globally by the Egyptian Antiquities Service through various channels. Faculty member Sullivan is tracing the distribution of these objects worldwide and needs assistance from a student research intern to identify and document as many of the ushabti figurines from Tjanenhebu's tomb as possible.
What You’ll Do
- Building up a Provenance Database (85%): You will enter information that previous interns have gathered from museum and auction house catalog information on the ushabtis into an international, collaborative online database. This includes links to images or museum websites, information on how the items were sold or acquired, and research on the people who bought or sold them. You will carefully follow the database structure and cooperate with the database project members in the UK and work with the faculty member on any problem-solving for integrating our data into the database.
- Explore Global Museum Collections (10%): You will perform online research on a series of museum databases and auction house catalogs in both Europe and the Americas as designated by the faculty member to research the distribution of a series of ancient Egyptian ushabti figurines across the globe as part of the early 20th-century antiquities market.
- Humanities EXPLORE Programming (5%): You will track and report your hours weekly. 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’re comfortable working both independently and with a team.
- You’ve taken coursework in ancient Egyptian history or art and have experience doing research using library resources.
- You can use Excel or Google Sheets to organize and track information.
You’ve used online museum or auction house websites to research artifacts (or you’re excited to learn). - You’re detail-oriented and take pride in staying organized and keeping clear records.
- Reading knowledge of German, French, or Italian is a plus, but not required.
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 Dr. Elaine Sullivan
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:
