Slavery North Undergraduate Honors Student Research Fellowships
About UMass Amherst
UMass Amherst, the Commonwealth’s flagship campus, is a nationally ranked public research university offering a full range of undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. The University sits on nearly 1,450-acres in the scenic Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts and offers a rich cultural environment in a bucolic setting close to major urban centers. In addition, the University is part of the Five Colleges (including Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, and Smith College), which adds to the intellectual energy of the region.
About Slavery North
Founded in 2022, Slavery North is a one-of-a kind academic and cultural destination where scholars, thinkers, artists, and cultural producers build community and produce research and cultural outcomes that transform our understanding of the neglected histories of Transatlantic Slavery in Canada and the US North. Slavery North seeks to advance social justice by recuperating and interrogating the complex histories of Transatlantic Slavery and European colonization of the Americas, thereby recovering and centering the cultures, experiences, lives, and resistance of enslaved peoples in Canada and the US North. At the heart of Slavery North is a fellowship program that will welcome national and international students, artists, and scholars, providing them with the space, funding, time, and community to produce transformative research outcomes.
Job Summary
Slavery North fellowships are open to UMass Amherst Humanities and Fine Arts Honors students who are writing a thesis or major research paper or creating a major research project. The fellows will actively participate in both the scholarly and social environment of the center. Honors student fellows, with support of Slavery North leadership, will conduct their independent research and create original research/works in one or more of the five mandate areas of Slavery North which include: 1) Canadian Slavery, (2) slavery in the US North, (3) the comparative study of slavery in Canada, the US North, and other northern or temperate regions, (4) the study of the inter-connectedness of slavery in Canada and the US North with Caribbean Slavery, and (5) Black-Indigenous relations in Canadian Slavery or US North Slavery. Furthermore, the research must center on the enslaved and/or adopt an anti-colonial, de-colonial, post-colonial, and/or anti-racist methodology/approach which challenges the nature of European and Euro-American imperialism and colonialism and interrogates the racist logic of the institution of Transatlantic Slavery.
Essential Functions
- Self-directed research and production of original works with the support of Slavery North leadership in one or more of the five core mandate areas of Slavery North as described
above. - Actively participate in the life of Slavery North including working in our shared office space, attending and contributing to Slavery North and relevant UMass Amherst and
regional activities. - Contribute to a culture of conversation, support, and the sharing of ideas, resources, and knowledge.
- Present at least one public paper, exhibition, or workshop on your research project while in residence.
- Provide suitable biographical information for use on Slavery North website and in promotional and outreach materials.
Other Functions
Performs other duties as assigned.
Minimum Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, Education, Experience, Certifications, Licensure)
Be enrolled in a UMass Amherst Honors program with a thesis or major research project component in the Humanities or Fine Arts.
Additional Details
Honors Student fellows must credit Slavery North Initiative-UMass Amherst in all outcomes derived from their appointment.
All successful fellows will be hired and paid through the Umass student payroll system and are subject to all terms, conditions, and policies of student employment at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. This will require a completed I-9 form indicating one is eligible to work in the United States. International students who may be studying on an F-1 visa are eligible, however this appointment will count as a 20 hour per week work obligation and not allow for further employment during periods classes are in session.
Work Schedule
Flexible. Honors Student fellows are expected to work in the shared office and actively contribute to the Slavery North community.
Salary Information
This is a maximum two-semester non-benefitted fellowship. Fellowships will be awarded according to the following schedule:
Rate: $20/hour x 20 hours per week x 16 weeks = $6,400.00 per semester
Fall Semester: beginning September 3, 2024
Spring Semester: beginning January 30, 2025
*Successful applicants may be offered one or both semesters.
Special Instructions to Applicants
Please submit the following materials for consideration by June 24, 2024 (Eastern Daylight Time) to: [email protected]
Applications will not be considered complete until all materials are received.
1. Current CV (maximum 3 pages) which addresses education/training, related course work, work experience, awards, scholarships, and grants, event/exhibition/conference
organization and participation, extracurricular activities, other creative outcomes, and relevant community contributions and engagement.
2. Project Statement (Maximum 5 pages): Applicants must demonstrate that their entire thesis or creative production, or a significant part thereof, focuses on at least one of
the Slavery North Mandate Areas. The project statement must be written in full sentence form and include the following areas:
a. Page 1: Project Summary (avoid jargon and write for non-specialist audience)
b. Pages 2-4: Objectives; Context; Importance and Originality; Literature Review; Theoretical and Methodological Approach; Archival or Primary Sources; Impact and Outcomes.
c. Page 5: Timeline (point form); indicate desired semester(s) for appointment (maximum 2) and plan to complete all or a significant portion of your researc
3. Photographs, Weblinks, or Writing Sample: Five photographs of completed artworks or creative output OR film stills OR link to applicant’s website OR writing sample (maximum 12 pages).
UMass Amherst is committed to a policy of equal opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, age, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry,
disability, military status, or genetic information in employment, admission to and participation in academic programs, activities, and services, and the selection of vendors who provide services or products to the University. To fulfill that policy, UMass Amherst is further committed to a program of affirmative action to eliminate or mitigate artificial barriers and to increase opportunities for the recruitment and advancement of qualified minorities, women, persons with disabilities, and covered veterans. It is the policy of the UMass Amherst to comply with the applicable federal and state statutes, rules, and regulations concerning equal opportunity and affirmative action.
Advertised: Eastern Daylight Time
Applications close: Eastern Daylight Time
Questions can be directed to: [email protected]
