The History Praxis Lab at Ohio State invites students to apply for a six-week summer research assistant position, held from June 3-July 19, 2024. Students will learn the techniques of historical research and do team-based research on Native American and African American civic engagement, citizenship, voting, education, and civil rights activism 1780-1950. Students will work in person with experts on Native American and African American studies, including Professors John Bickers (Miami Tribe of Oklahoma), Margaret Newell, Deondre Smiles (Leech Lake Ojibwe), and Noël Voltz. The 2024 Lab will focus on stories from the Midwest, Alaska, New England, and Georgia among other topics.

Undergraduate students of all majors are welcome to apply.

Responsibilities will be moderate and less routine and will require responsibility and good judgement. May coordinate activities for other student employees. Requires providing excellent customer service, strong organizational skills, and the ability to work in a professional environment. Requires previous experience and knowledge or skill in student assistant role. Represent the department and the university with the highest degree of integrity applying OSU mission and shared values.

The Department of History within the College of Arts and Sciences seeks an Undergraduate Student Research Assistant to join our team. The College of Arts and Sciences is the largest college and the academic heart of the university. The College hosts 81 majors. With 38 departments, 20+ world-class research centers, and more than 2,000 faculty and staff members, students have the unique opportunity to study with the best artists, scholars, and scientists in their field. The College values diversity and offers a supportive, open, and inclusive community.

Two Lab Sessions:
In Session 1, the History Praxis Lab will be held in Columbus on the OSU campus in person June 3-July 3, 2024. The Lab will run M-F 10am -4pm with some weekend hours at archives possible. Students will attend an in-person training workshop in Columbus and will do in-person research. Session 1 will include an optional research trip to Cleveland to work in the Western Reserve Historical Society archive for interested students, with transportation and lodging paid for by the Praxis Lab.

In Session 2, July 8-19, students may shift to online remote work to continue their research in consultation with the Principal Investigators or participate in faculty-led optional travel research opportunities to physical archives outside of Columbus. Research opportunities will include work in digital and physical archives and sites. Lab interns will record their experiences as researchers for use on social media and the Lab website, and Lab discoveries will contribute to our ongoing project, “Native Americans and African Americans in and out of the U.S. Body Politic,” a multi-year initiative funded by the Mellon Foundation. We will also be collaborating with the National Parks Service to support local sites and storytellers of significance to Black and Native American history.

Compensation: Students will be paid $14.00 per hour, up to 115 hours for full participation in both sessions, with some flexibility possible for fewer hours or continuing research. Students coming from out of state may be eligible to receive room and board and travel expenses to and from Columbus for Session 1, and all students participating in research trips outside of Columbus during sessions 1 and 2 will receive travel and lodging expenses.

Temporary (Fixed Term) 10 First Shift