The IHR’s Centre for the History of People, Place and Community is developing a new area of research on the Dissolution of the Monasteries. We are interested in the material impact of the dissolution at ‘street level’—both at the time during the sixteenth century, and its legacy today.
We are looking for an intern to help us scope and explore sources, and to assist us in running both academic and public-facing events. This internship offers a unique opportunity to gain experience in working as part of a research team, and organising academic events, at the UK’s national centre for history.
This will involve:
- Event planning and preparation: assisting in the organisation of an academic workshop on the project, and also an event for the Festival of Archaeology in July 2023
- Desk based research: sorting, linking, and tagging Victoria County History articles to map locations
- Library based research: beginning bibliographies of published primary and secondary sources relating to monastic houses in two sample counties (with a focus on local periodicals which might not be digitised or well indexed)
We anticipate that this internship might be of interest to PhD students and early-career academics and independent researchers in history, archaeology, or heritage studies. The intern should be broadly familiar with early modern or late medieval English history and sources, and comfortable with working with both text and spreadsheet data.
The internship is designed to help build skills and offer career development opportunities in applied research, collaboration, and events organisation. We welcome applications from historians—working in any context—from under-represented groups, including those from minoritized ethnic groups, disabled people, LGBTQIA+ people, and those who are ‘first generation’ in Higher Education.
This internship is offered from May 2023, and all outcomes should be complete by the end of August 2023. While the majority of the work can be completed remotely, the intern should be available to use physical library collections in London (or another major research library) on occasion, as well as available to help with events in London in June 2023 and Dunstable in July 2023. Travel and subsistence expenses for these trips will be available. The internship will not require full-time work over the summer period, and there is flexibility around how to organise the time spent on the project (for example, alongside part-time work or studying commitments). This should be agreed with the project supervisor at the start.
The internship will be supported with a total bursary award of £1500 (paid as £500 at the start of the project, £500 at a midway review point and £500 on completion and approval of the project). Objectives and milestones (including the midway review) will be agreed with the project supervisor at the start.
How to Apply
Please submit your application to IHR.Training@sas.ac.uk by 12 noon, UK time, on Thursday 27 April 2023. Please mark the email subject line ‘Monasteries Internship Application’. You should include as a single attachment:
- Statement of up to 500 words identifying the internship you wish to apply for, and explaining how this opportunity will support your career development, and the skills and experience you would bring to the role.
- A statement confirming that you identify as an early-career researcher / professional, and also confirming your availability to hold an internship during the period late May to late August 2023.
- A CV of up to two A4 pages, including your current job or student status.
Applications will be reviewed by a panel including Professor Catherine Clarke and Dr Justin Colson. Applicants will be notified of the outcome by Wednesday 10 May 2023.
If you have any questions about the internship or the application process, please contact the IHR Director of Studies, Dr Simon Trafford.