Call for Applications: Humanities EXPLORE Undergraduate Research Fellowship with Professor Alice Yang, 2024-2025

Research Assistant: Historical Memories of Japanese American Redress Activism, 1945-1995 (History)

We encourage work-study and non-work-study students to apply. This role is only open to undergraduate students with a declared or proposed Humanities major or minor and requires work authorization.

Application Deadline: Thursday, November 21, 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 History Professor Alice Yang.

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.

Applicants must have a declared or proposed major or minor in the Humanities Division at the time of their application to be eligible. Please see the Humanities Division majors and minors list to check your eligibility before applying.

About The Project

This team-based project will digitize, transcribe, and publicize an oral history collection on Japanese American redress activism. There were three major organizations that sought redress for the injustice of the mass removal and incarceration of over 120,000 Japanese Americans during World War II. This redress movement led to the passage of the 1988 Civil Rights Act providing a federal apology and payments of $20,000 per surviving

former incarceree. During the 1990s, the faculty member conducted oral histories of 70 individuals who were redress activists in these three organizations or individuals who influenced the passage of redress. The faculty member received funding to digitize and transcribe 77 audio cassettes of oral histories of these 70 individuals describing their backgrounds, memories of the incarceration camps, impact of the incarceration, redress activism, and views of the lessons and legacies of the redress movement. The faculty member and a postdoctoral researcher are requesting funds to hire a student researcher or researchers to collaborate with them as they collect information from interviewees or family members of interviewees who have passed away that can be posted on the website. They also request help with designing and creating a website, publicizing the completed website to Japanese American community and newspaper organizations, reaching out to academic journals, and creating podcasts that include interviews with redress activists and family members about their perspectives in 2025.

Position Description:

RESPONSIBILITIES AND EXPECTATIONS

Winter Responsibilities:

50% Help email, mail, or phone 70 interviewees to share information on the project, share digitized and transcribed interviews, and request photographs of the interviewees that can be included on a website that will be created to publicize the oral histories. Since most of the interviewees have passed away, the student researcher will email, mail, or phone their family members to share information on the project and request photographs of the interviewees.
40% Collaborate with the faculty member and postdoctoral researcher to prepare brief descriptions of all 70 people and an index of the topics discussed in the interview that can be posted on the website.
10% Help plan the design of the website that will display the audio recordings, transcriptions, and photographs of the interviewees.

Spring Responsibilities:

20% Collaborate with the faculty member and postdoctoral researcher to finalize the design of the website.
80% Create a website that will host the audio recordings, transcriptions, photographs, and brief descriptions of all 70 interviewees.

Summer Responsibilities:

30% Help publicize the website to interviewees, families, and Japanese American community organizations such as Densho, National Japanese American Historical Society, 50 Objects, San Jose Nikkei Resisters, Nihonmachi Outreach Committee, Japanese American National Museum, Japanese American Redress.org, Japanese American Citizens League, and Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress (NCRR), formerly known as the National Coalition for Redress/Reparations.
20% Collect responses from interviewees and/or family members that can be posted on the site.
30% Collaborate with the team to create podcasts based on interviewee accounts from the 1990s, responses collected in 2025, and interviews with redress activists/family members that can be posted on the site.
20% Request that Japanese American community organizations and Japanese American newspapers such as the Pacific Citizen, Rafu Shimpo, Nichi Bei Times website, Nikkei West, Chicago Shimpo, and The San Times, and The International Examiner publicize the collection, provide links to the website, and consider writing additional stories about the collection. Also will publicize the collection to Amerasia Journal, the Journal of Asian American Studies, Densho, and several Asian American scholar networks.

Qualifications for success

Winter Qualifications:

You are a declared or proposed major or minor in a department in the Humanities Division and are in good academic standing. If your major or minor is proposed, you can declare by the end of the academic year in June. [strict eligibility requirement]
- 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]
Strong interest in history, education, social justice, or related fields
Sensitivity to cultural diversity
Demonstrated research skills and critical analysis skills
Excellent communication and collaboration skills
Ability to work independently and as part of a team

Spring Qualifications:

You are a declared or proposed major or minor in a department in the Humanities Division and are in good academic standing. If your major or minor is proposed, you can declare by the end of the academic year in June. [strict eligibility requirement]
- 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]
Strong interest in history, education, social justice, or related fields
Sensitivity to cultural diversity
Demonstrated website design and creation skills
Excellent communication and collaboration skills
Ability to work independently and as part of a team

Summer Qualifications:

You are a declared or proposed major or minor in a department in the Humanities Division and are in good academic standing. If your major or minor is proposed, you can declare by the end of the academic year in June. [strict eligibility requirement]
- 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]
Strong interest in history, education, social justice, or related fields.
Sensitivity to cultural diversity
Podcasting or similar experience preferred.
Excellent communication and collaboration skills
Ability to work independently and as part of a team

Position Term: Winter 2025 - Summer 2025

Hours: 10/week

Compensation: $20/hour

# Positions Available: 3

Mentorship: You will work closely with and report to History Professor Alice Yang. 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.

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! For application help, see Humanities Career Engagement.

Address your cover letter to Alice Yang

Once the application window closes, there will be an interview process with top candidates. This job is expected to start in January 2025.

APPLY NOW

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.