Call for Applications: Humanities Public Fellowship with Shakespeare Workshop 2024-2025

Application Deadline: Sunday, June 2, 2024

The Humanities Division is excited to announce an experiential learning opportunity for Humanities undergraduates at UC Santa Cruz to work with Shakespeare Workshop. Undergraduate Public Fellowships are internships that connect Humanities majors and minors to projects in the community and benefit students and organizations mutually. Students gain practical experience, and professional training, and learn about positions outside of the university relevant to their studies in the Humanities. At the same time, community organizations benefit from students’ assistance and academic expertise.

About Shakespeare Workshop:

The Shakespeare Workshop is a research center dedicated to studying the works of William Shakespeare, emphasizing how they speak to the experiences of today’s audiences and readers. Since 2013 the workshop has created a community of scholars, practitioners, and enthusiasts that strives to explore enduring questions about the human experience through the lens of Shakespeare’s works, using the common vocabulary created by the dramatic world of his plays to address existential concerns.

Position Description: Public Fellow

This year-long undergraduate Public Fellowship with Shakespeare Workshop is an opportunity to support the Humanities Division’s mission of community education; learn more about the partnership between literary research and professional theater; contribute to Undiscovered Shakespeare (an annual Zoom webinar series) and Santa Cruz Shakespeare’s summer festival; and develop as a researcher and writer.

RESPONSIBILITIES AND EXPECTATIONS

• Archival Research [30%] : reading the records of Shakespeare Santa Cruz at McHenry Library for information about past productions; seeking information about production history beyond the archive (for example, in local newspapers and other media outlets or publicly available departmental records) and from relevant UCSC faculty and staff; keeping detailed notes (winter and spring quarters)
• Writing [40%] : drafting and revising content about local performance history for the purposes of community education and outreach; drafting and revising content about Shakespeare’s plays for use in dramaturgy packets for Undiscovered Shakespeare (fall and winter quarters)
• Online Research [15%] : learning about the web and social media presence of other Shakespeare centers at colleges and universities; gathering internet resources to facilitate the study and enjoyment of Shakespeare’s works for publication on the Shakespeare Workshop website (fall, winter, and spring quarters)
• Collaboration [15%] : meetings with Professor Keilen to discuss the scope and progress of the project (fall, winter, and spring quarters)

Required Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities

• You are a declared major or minor in a department in the Humanities Division and are in good academic standing. If you are currently proposed, you can declare by the end of the 2024-2025 academic year in June. [required] 
• You have studied Shakespeare’s works at the college level.
• You have the ability to write clearly, concisely, and to deadlines.
• You are well-organized, manage your time wisely, and can work

independently on complex academic projects.

Preferred Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities  

• You want to learn about arts-related non-profit organizations.
• You are curious about theater history.
• You are familiar with recent productions at Santa Cruz Shakespeare.
• You have experience writing for a broad audience.

Internship Term: 2024-2025 Academic Year (September 26, 2024 - June 5, 2025)

Hours: 10 Hours/Week

Compensation: $20/hour 

# Positions Available: 1

Location: A combination of in-person and remote, depending on the quarter (in spring, for example, the Shakespeare Santa Cruz archive may only be explored at McHenry Library).

Reports to:  Sean Keilen, Professor of Literature & Director of Shakespeare Workshop

How To Apply

Apply by submitting:

1. your resume
2. a short cover letter (no more than one page) answering the following questions,
   1. What kind of experience do you have with Shakespeare? (Describe it clearly, whatever form it takes.)
   2. What do you hope to gain from this experience with Shakespeare?
3. A writing sample (no more than four double-spaced pages) demonstrates that you can write clearly and concisely about a topic you have studied for non-academic readers.

• COVER LETTER TIP: consider how this position will further your undergraduate studies as well as your professional career once you have completed your education.
• REVIEW these resume and cover letter resources to ensure you are a strong candidate!

Once the application window closes on Sunday June 2, there will be a virtual interview process with top candidates.

APPLY NOW

Please contact Experiential Learning Coordinator Kylie Rachwalski at hum-experiential-learning@ucsc.edu with any questions.