Call for Applications: Undergraduate Research Opportunity with the Creative Writing Program, Fall 2024–Winter 2025
Application Deadline: Sunday, May 12, 2024
The Humanities Division is excited to announce an experiential learning opportunity for Humanities undergraduates at UC Santa Cruz to conduct research led by Professor of Literature and Creative Writing professor Micah Perks.
Undergraduate research connects Humanities majors and minors to faculty-led research projects in the Division and it provides a valuable opportunity for students to apply their knowledge and develop skills to 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 Creative Writing Program has long had an archive at Kresge College of the physical final projects that each graduating senior in the creative writing concentration has put together over the past 30 years until the pandemic, when projects became digital. In Spring 2023, the archive needed to be relocated due to the renovations at Kresge College. Thus, the projects are now in boxes.
In Winter '24, Professor Perks began a project called What Happened Next. In this project, the whole creative writing program worked together to reconnect and be inspired by our creative writing alumni. Each student taking creative writing chose a senior project written by an alum to read and work with over the quarter. They digitized the project, then did some detective work to find their alum and interview them. This project had three aims: to reconnect with our alumni, to begin digitizing the archive and to help our current student imagine a career that utilizes their degree.
We now have these interviews, contacts and digitized projects on Google Drive. The undergraduate student researcher will work with Professor Perks to:
- Finish the project by finding and contacting the remaining alum through their projects
- Help create a website that will highlight the project
- Help transfer the physical archive to the divisional offices and the Literature Department library
- Help create a newsletter to send to alums to let them know the results of the project.
Position Description:
RESPONSIBILITIES AND EXPECTATIONS
- Alumni Outreach (50%) : Find and contact remaining alumni from the What Happened Next project; including a short interview about what they’re doing now and how they’re using their creative writing degree; and adding their contact information on a spreadsheet.
- Website Design (30%) : conceptualize how to best highlight the project, map out the web layout, write copy and build the site out.
- Communications (15%): plan and create a digital newsletter to send to alums to let them know the results of the project .
- Administrative Tasks (5%) : relocate the physical archive to the Humanities divisional offices, and other tasks as assigned
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. Or, you have proposed the major or minor and you are able to declare by the end of the academic year in June. [required]
- Excellent writing, communication and organizational skills
- Experience in website design or willingness to learn.
- WCMS training can be provided.
- Able to help physically move boxes of senior projects
Preferred Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities
- Member of the creative writing concentration
Internship Term: Fall Quarter 2024 – Winter Quarter 2025
Hours: 5-10 hours per week
Compensation: $18-$20/hour depending on experience
# Positions Available: 1-2
Location: Primarily remote, on site (Humanities 1) 5-10 hours over the course of the internship to organize the archive.
Reports to: Literature and Creative Writing Professor Micah Perks
How To Apply
Apply by submitting your resume and a short cover letter (no more than one page) answering these questions: What makes you a great fit for this role at this time?
- 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 that you are a strong candidate!
Once the application window closes on May 10 , there will be a virtual interview process with top candidates.
Please contact Experiential Learning Coordinator Kylie Rachwalski at hum-experiential-learning@ucsc.edu with any questions.
This undergraduate internship is generously supported by The Mellon Foundation.
