C. Dallett Hemphill Summer Internship Program

The McNeil Center for Early American Studies is soliciting institutional partners to host summer interns who will carry out public-facing history work in the greater Philadelphia region during the summer of 2023.

The McNeil Center aims to create paid opportunities for undergraduate and terminal-degree masters students to develop their interests and skills in doing history in professional settings. Internships will last approximately 8 weeks and will require full-time work (35 hours per week).

Toward this end, the McNeil Center seeks to partner with institutions that are willing to emphasize mentorship and can demonstrate a plan for, and commitment to, the professional and intellectual development of interns. Each internship should have components that include research, analysis, and communication. The program aims to link interns with institutions with specific projects to which they can contribute, and to integrate the results of those projects with the intellectual life of the Center.

Internships should relate broadly to the Center’s mission to facilitate inquiry into the histories and cultures of North America in the Atlantic world before 1850. However, the internship program hopes to solicit proposals from a diverse array of institutional partners. These might include museums, historic sites, or digital humanities projects. But they also might include public art projects with a historical component or initiatives to reinterpret monuments.

The McNeil Center invites potential partners to submit a letter of interest to Laura Keenan Spero by January 20, 2023.

Letter writers should address the following:

• What project or duties would define the proposed internship?

• How does this project draw on and contribute to the work of doing history?

• What types of teaching or mentorship would you provide for the student?

• Is there a possibility that your institution could contribute funding toward a stipend?

Questions about the internship program and about the letters should also be directed to the McNeil Center’s Coordinator of Scholarly Programs, Laura Keenan Spero.

Internship Opportunities

Call for Applications for the C. Dallett Hemphill Summer Internships

The McNeil Center for Early American Studies at the University of Pennsylvania is co-sponsoring two summer internships in the summer of 2023. The Center’s partner institutions in 2023 are Colonial Pennsylvania Plantation and the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. The stipend for each internship is $3,000.

These internships are open to undergraduate and terminal-degree masters students enrolled at McNeil Center Consortium institutions and are designed to introduce students to professional work in public history settings. Interns are expected to work full-time (35 hours per week) for at least 8 weeks. Beginning and end dates will be arranged between the hosting institution and the intern, but internships should be completed by September 1. Stipends are intended to cover housing, travel, and daily living expenses – all arrangements and costs for which are the responsibility of the intern. One half of the stipend will be paid at the beginning of the fellowship, and the other half will be remitted at the completion of the internship.

Please submit applications by April 14, 2023.

Partner Institutions and Position Description

1. Colonial Pennsylvania Plantation (CPP). This intern will assist with research and program development that will help place the historic farm at CPP in the larger social and political context before, during, and after the American Revolution. The research will focus on exploring the experiences of local farmers (specifically the Pratt family and the surrounding Quaker community) with the local militia, how Quaker families perceived and perhaps participated in the political and social movements and protests of the time, and how encampments and the overall war impacted livestock, such as sheep and cattle, and crop production, such as wheat and flax, for a Pennsylvania farmer. The research findings will be used to redevelop CPP’s King’s Taxes role-playing educational program, which introduces students to the idea of taxation and asks them to decide whether to rebel against England or not, as well as to inform the site’s 4th of July public programming. Additionally, the research will guide updates to CPP’s interpretive training manual for staff and volunteers, visitor brochures, and programming in the lead-up to its forthcoming 50th anniversary. This intern will also have opportunities for a written article or blog post to be featured on the CPP website. The intern for Colonial Pennsylvania Plantation must be able to transport themselves to and from the site; there may be a small travel stipend to help with associated costs.
2. Historical Society of Pennsylvania (HSP). This internship is intended to raise awareness of the collections at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania and the diverse American stories contained therein. Working within the Department of Education and Programs, the intern will meet with archival and collections staff to learn about new and recently accessioned collections. Based on those conversations and the finding aids, the intern will explore a collection and identify objects to be photographed; they will also research and write summaries of aspects of the collection that are compelling and interesting. With guidance from archival staff, they may also interview donors for a collector’s perspective on the collection, analyze exit surveys collected from research fellows and bibliographic information to collect data on collection use, and other projects as needed. Finally, with editorial oversight from the Communications and Programs Coordinator and the Director of Education and Programs, they will produce a blog post for HSP’s website. The goal for this internship is to produce four to six posts. The intern will gain a direct understanding of how a special collections library works, from acquisition to reading room use. They will then deploy their understanding of this process, as well as their own research in the collection, to share historical content with the public. Successful completion of the projects will greatly support HSP’s goals of raising awareness of its collection and inviting more people to use it in their own projects.

Eligibility

This program is intended for undergraduate and terminal-degree masters students currently enrolled at McNeil Center Consortium institutions. A list of these institutions can be found at https://www.mceas.org/consortium. If your institution is not yet a Consortium member, please contact Amy Baxter-Bellamy (abaxter@sas.upenn.edu) for more information. Students should explain their interest and (where applicable) experience in history, historic preservation, museum studies, or archival work.

Submission

Please address applications and inquiries to:

Laura Keenan Spero

Coordinator of Scholarly Programs, McNeil Center

lakeenan@sas.upenn.edu

Applicants should submit the following items 1-4 in a single pdf document. Letters of recommendation should be submitted directly from the recommender.

1. Cover Sheet (including contact info, institution, major/minor, anticipated date of graduation, recommender, and ranking of interest in internships – do not rank an internship for which you do not wish to be considered).

2. Application letter. Applicants should explain their interest in these internships, relevant experience and coursework, commitment to pursuing interests in public history or related fields, and what they hope to gain from this summer internship.

3. C.V.

4. Transcript (unofficial).

5. Letter of recommendation from professional reference (professor or public history professional): due via email directly from recommender to Laura Keenan Spero (lakeenan@sas.upenn.edu) by April 14, 2023.