Undergraduate Internships

Application Deadline: Sunday, January 28, 2023

Apply on Crimson Careers

The Mahindra Humanities Center invites applications for undergraduate internships in the Public Humanities. Internships offered for Spring 2024 are: TV Archival & Licensing Research, Health Humanities Curriculum, Instructional Design, Grant-Writing & Nonprofit Administration, Poetry Outreach, Media Law & Entertainment Consulting, and the Woodberry Poetry Room internship.

Students may apply to up to THREE Internships in the Public Humanities. If you apply to more than one, please apply to each separately and rank them in your order of preference in each of your cover letters.

The period of the internships is 10 weeks during the Spring 2024, ideally beginning the week of February 14th and ending when spring term classes end. Please see individual descriptions for further details, including remote/in-person work expectations.

Preferred class levels: Students must be currently enrolled sophomores or juniors. (Currently enrolled seniors are also eligible to apply for fall internships if graduating in spring 2024.)

Required application documents: Cover letter explaining why you are interested in the internship and what experience you have relevant to the description; resumé; copy of unofficial Harvard transcript

Stipend: Interns will receive a stipend of $1,450 for their work, paid in two installments of $725.

Spring 2024 Application Deadline: Sunday, January 28, 2024 at 11:59pm

TV Archival and Licensing Research Internship

The Archival and Licensing Research Internship in the Public Humanities will provide experience and training in archival research for public distribution. Archival research and licensing is an essential part of film and television production, of the mounting of museum and other cultural exhibitions, of online education, of digital as well as print publishing and advertising — as well as a wide range of other applications in the commercial world. Good archival research takes historical knowledge and curiosity, storytelling ability, and an eye for visual culture. It also requires meticulous attention to copyright and intellectual property law, budgetary understanding, mastery of industry standards of record keeping and asset tracking, and the ability to work with others on deadline.

Students with an interest in history, science, literature, the visual arts, journalism, media, and law are invited to apply for this opportunity, which will allow them to work with an archival team on ongoing television and educational media projects. Training will be provided by seasoned veterans in the field. Work will take place both on campus, in libraries and archives of Harvard University, and remotely using internet-based/third-party research resources, to be determined in consultation with the position’s supervisor.

Students applying for this internship must be ready to commit 5-8 hours per week throughout the period of the internship. The intern is asked to set a 2-hour regular weekly block to be available between 9am and 5pm, and the rest of the work can be completed by the intern on their own schedule. The period of the internship is 10 weeks during the Spring 2024 semester, ideally beginning the week of February 14th and ending when Spring term classes end. The intern will receive a stipend of $1,450 (half payable at the end of week 5 and half payable upon successful completion of the internship and submission of a brief report).

APPLY NOW

Health Humanities Curriculum Internship

The Health Humanities Curriculum intern the Public Humanities will gain exposure to, and build skills in, the world of online education, by supporting the team developing a set of Health Humanities learning experiences—to include for-credit undergraduate courses, materials for use in K-12 classrooms, and more.

The Health Humanities is a young, interdisciplinary field that integrates the humanities, social sciences, and the arts with the study and practice of medicine, and of wellness more generally. The Health Humanities originated in medical education, but its greatest efficacy is realized in programs that support the broadest societal understanding of the human life cycle.

Students with an interest in literature, history, medicine, health and wellness, the social sciences, education, and instructional design are invited to apply. The Health Humanities curriculum intern will come onboard as the Arizona State University Center for Public Humanities continues production of its first Health Humanities offerings. The intern will receive training from, and work alongside, a team of instructional design professionals to research and help develop content. Weekly tasks may include: reviewing and compiling paper edits on rough cuts of interview footage; putting together formatted PDFs of potential reading material; retrieving and reading texts from the Harvard libraries; and/or copy editing and proofreading course prose and transcripts.

Students applying for this internship should be ready to commit 7-10 hours per week throughout the duration of the internship; work will be mostly remote, with exceptions to be determined in consultation with the position’s supervisor. The period of the internship is 10 weeks during the Spring 2024 semester, ideally beginning the week of February 14th and ending when Spring term classes end. The intern will receive a stipend of $1,450 (half payable at the end of week 5 and half payable upon successful completion of the internship and submission of a brief report).

APPLY NOW

Instructional Design Internship

Instructional design is a newly emerging field that uses various elements and tools to create engaging, equitable, and accessible learning experiences. Instructional design allows course developers to think about course design as it relates to the demographics and the needs of particular learning communities.

The Instructional Design Intern in the Public Humanities will gain exposure to, and build skills in, the world of online education, by supporting the team designing a set of Health Humanities learning experiences—to include for-credit undergraduate courses, materials for use in K-12 classrooms, and more. Through this internship, you will: think through the benefits and limitations of different Learning Management Systems (LMS), use past student performance data and learning technologies to fill curricular gaps, support learning objectives, and make sure the structure of the course aids in teaching core competencies, not just recall.

This internship requires the ability to think about a digital experience from another person’s perspective and a capacity to think about imagined audiences. Possible projects include creating interactive elements (like assessments, timelines, image galleries, etc.) for online courses, (assessments, timelines, and image galleries, etc.) identifying knowledge gaps and doing research, building units in an LMS, working with curriculum development team to build assessments, or reviewing prose, key concepts, and videos to think about how to reinforce and facilitate learning.

Students with an interest in education design, curricular design, online education, how learning happens, education equity, and bridge or dual-enrollment programs are invited to apply. People interested in public health or health justice may also find this internship appealing. A background in design, education or pre-med is NOT necessary for consideration.

Students applying for this internship should be ready to commit 7-10 hours per week throughout the duration of the internship, allowing time for one recurring course development meeting on Tuesdays at 2:30pm ET. Work will be mostly remote, with exceptions to be determined in consultation with the position’s supervisor. The period of the internship is 10 weeks during the Spring 2024 semester, ideally beginning the week of February 14th and ending when Spring term classes end. The intern will receive a stipend of $1,450 (half payable at the end of week 5 and half payable upon successful completion of the internship and submission of a brief report).

APPLY NOW

Grant-Writing & Nonprofit Administration Internship

The Grant-Writing & Nonprofit Administration intern in the Public Humanities will learn the process of applying for and reporting on grant funding to support the work of Verse Video Education, a 501(c)(3) non-profit multimedia production company that produces the PBS series Poetry in America.

Management at a small nonprofit takes a can-do attitude, a close eye for detail, and a willingness to dive deep into research and communicate with others to solve problems. Often learning on the fly by adapting to the challenges that come up each week, the intern will work alongside the nonprofit’s operations manager to keep organized records of monthly spending in order to report on the grant funding that supports Poetry in America’s work.

On the flip side, nonprofit fundraising work requires very strong writing and communication skills, careful attention to the details of how your programs run, curiosity about your industry, and understanding of big ideas. Working alongside a seasoned grant writer, the intern will also help support multiple ongoing fundraising campaigns and collaborations, learning along the way the fundamentals of researching and applying for grant funding in the public humanities.

Weekly tasks might include: researching and compiling potential grant opportunities; emailing a foundation program officer with questions; helping to review monthly expense sheets; following up with staff on credit card transactions; collecting, coding, and filing receipts; proofreading or helping to draft a concept paper, letter of inquiry, or slide deck; compiling and formatting social media anecdotes and press material for grant reports; drafting a project budget; helping to prepare or review a financial report or state filing; assisting with prep for the organization’s 2021 audit; or simply researching problems as they arise.

This internship will require detailed attention to classifying expenses, some familiarity with Google Drive and Google Sheets, and the ability to work with others on deadline. No prior experience in accounting, grant-writing, or management is required. Students with an interest in media or television production, filmmaking, education, or the public arts and humanities are invited to apply. Work will be mostly remote, with exceptions to be determined in consultation with the position’s supervisor, including an optional visit to our office / production hub in Brighton.

Students applying for this internship should be ready to commit 7-10 hours per week throughout the duration of the internship; work will be mostly remote, with exceptions to be determined in consultation with the position’s supervisor. The period of the internship is 10 weeks during the Spring 2024 semester, ideally beginning the week of February 14th and ending when Spring term classes end. The intern will receive a stipend of $1,450 (half payable at the end of week 5 and half payable upon successful completion of the internship and submission of a brief report).

APPLY NOW

Poetry Outreach Internship

The Poetry Outreach intern in the Public Humanities will gain experience in helping to shape and execute a marketing and outreach strategy for a multifaceted nonprofit: Poetry in America. This internship will approach social media (and other marketing tools like newsletters & blog posts) as a storytelling vehicle that enables our brand to engage with developments in the education and poetry space, and generates buzz around Poetry in America’s new endeavors and experiments, while engaging the existing fanbase of our successful PBS series and online courses.

Great outreach work requires creativity, storytelling ability, and facility with visual media in a social media landscape – including GIFs, 1-min clips, Instagram stories, and TikToks. Other requirements for this role include: flexibility to respond to current events, an ear for online culture, a deep understanding of the audience, a careful eye for proofreading, close attention to the details of our programs and events, and the ability to manage your own time and work with others on deadline.

Working as part of a promotions team, the poetry outreach intern will: create and publish content for TikTok and Instagram stories; write articles and conduct interviews for publication on our blog; help brainstorm events, newsletters, and social media campaigns; write social post copy; design graphics; compile social media anecdotes; analyze and report on social and Mailchimp performance metrics; and provide remote support as needed for potential virtual and in-person events and speaking engagements. Past event partners have included Theater of War, the National Student Poets, Books & Books, Boys and Girls Club of America, Cornell University Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, PBS Books, Harvard Hillel, Arizona PBS, GBH, and many more.

This internship does NOT require any previous experience in graphic design, video editing, marketing, or events. Students with an interest in social media, pop culture, education, documentary videos, publishing, or American poetry and literature are invited to apply. Work will be mostly remote, with exceptions to be determined in consultation with the position’s supervisor, including an optional visit to our office / production hub in Brighton.

Students applying for this internship should be ready to commit 7-10 hours per week throughout the duration of the internship; work will be mostly remote, with exceptions to be determined in consultation with the position’s supervisor. The period of the internship is 10 weeks during the Spring 2024 semester, ideally beginning the week of February 14th and ending when Spring term classes end. The intern will receive a stipend of $1,450 (half payable at the end of week 5 and half payable upon successful completion of the internship and submission of a brief report).

APPLY NOW

Entertainment Consulting & Media Law Internship

The Entertainment Consulting and Media Law intern in the Public Humanities will gain both exposure to the many real-world applications of media law and hands-on experience with talent management. Media law addresses all legal issues that might arise during the production, use, or consumption of media – whether broadcast, digital, or print. Protecting public interests such as media pluralism and diversity, media law also has a deep impact on artists and creators by regulating standards for ownership and use.

A broad familiarity with the norms of licensing, fair use, copyright, intellectual property, FCC regulations, and contract law is in-demand in the workplace, both for media lawyers – who may work in the legal departments of newspapers, magazines, online publications, record labels, museums, podcasts, or television shows – and for non-legal professionals in the fields of journalism, digital education, public media, publishing, marketing, and entertainment.

Working as part of Dogghouse, Inc., a small media consultancy run by a recent graduate of Harvard Law, the entertainment consulting and media law intern will help to identify potential audiences for under-recognized and up-and-coming creative talent; establish relationships with artists; and help creators and media-makers to navigate contract negotiations, compliance, and other legal issues necessary to distribute their work. Dogghouse’s clients range from Snoop Dogg and other musicians to record labels, production companies, podcasters, novelists, and nonprofit organizations.

Great work in the field of entertainment and media law consulting takes strong communication skills and the commitment to foster trust with clients. This internship does NOT require prior experience with either pre-law studies or the entertainment industry. Students who are energized by the prospect of working directly with artists, musicians, podcasters, and other media-makers are encouraged to apply.

Students applying for this internship should be ready to commit 7-10 hours per week throughout the duration of the internship; work will be almost fully remote, with exceptions to be determined in consultation with the position’s supervisor. The period of the internship is 10 weeks during the Spring 2024 semester, ideally beginning the week of February 14th and ending when Spring term classes end. The intern will receive a stipend of $1,450 (half payable at the end of week 5 and half payable upon successful completion of the internship and submission of a brief report).

APPLY NOW

Woodberry Poetry Room Internship

The Woodberry Poetry Room is one of the largest audio-visual archives for literary recordings in the United States; a dynamic center of creative activity on Harvard’s campus, it is free and open to the public.

Our spring 2024 intern in the Public Humanities will be primarily focused on preparing for a Mellon Grant for which the Poetry Room has been nominated—the goal of which is to create an online Library of Voices at Harvard (the site will launch in 2025).

Activities will include time-stamping and titling the first selection of 25 recordings for the site (e.g., recordings by John Berryman, Elizabeth Bishop, Gwendolyn Brooks, Lucille Clifton, Robert Hayden, Allen Ginsberg, and Ntozake Shange); researching related materials and author photographs to be featured; continuing to conduct UX interviews with a range of potential users and a few tech gurus; and mocking up preliminary designs of the site (for presentation to future designers).

In addition, our Spring 2024 interns will be invited to assist with our public programs (and related publicity) and to undertake an independent project, such as launching a workshop in the Poetry Room; writing a series of Blog posts/articles; or designing and installing a pop-up exhibition.

The Poetry Room’s internship will be particularly useful to students who are interested in careers in the digital humanities, graphic design, Web publishing, arts administration, libraries and museums/archives, and creative writing.

Students applying for this internship should be ready to commit 6-10 hours per week throughout the duration of the internship. Work will be partially remote/in-person, and can be arranged around your academic schedule.

APPLY NOW