Graduate Research Assistantships
A variety of graduate research assistantships are available to full-time public history graduate students. Assistantships offer valuable opportunities for students to acquire skills that will prepare them for future careers while adding work experiences for a resume.
Graduate research assistantships offer a tuition waiver (available to both in- state and out-of-state applicants) and a monthly stipend in exchange for working on an assigned project 18-20 hours per week. Work responsibilities, hours, and schedules vary based on the assignment and funding source.
Several UWG departments and programs offer graduate assistantships related to public history.
The Center for Public History at the University of West Georgia offers graduate assistantships to assist with a variety of projects and programs. These projects are often in collaboration with other partners, such as the Smithsonian Institution, the National Park Service, the Georgia Department of Transportation, Georgia Humanities as well as local governments and regional and local organizations, such as the Southeastern Quilt and Textile Museum and the Chieftains Museum/Major Ridge Home. In addition, the Center for Public History offers assistantships with two signature projects: the West Georgia Textile Heritage Trail and the University History Project.
Through both agreements and a partnership, the Center for Public History works with the National Park Service and its Southeastern Regional Office in Atlanta to provide assistantships in research, archives, and museum technicians. Contact Center Director Mark Janzen to learn more.
The College of Arts and Humanities provides assistantships in support of its partnership with the Georgia Humanities. These positions work on collaborative projects between the College and the Georgia Humanities. Our current projects include developing a publication on the Georgia Governor's Mansion, assisting with the Smithsonian Museum on Main Street program tour in Georgia, and coordinating the statewide History Day Contest.
The UWG Special Collections in the Ingram Library offers graduate research assistantships in archival processing. Contact Blynne Olivieri, Head of Special Collections, for more information on these positions.
The Antonio J. Waring Archaeology Laboratory on the UWG campus offers graduate research assistantships to students with an interest or expertise in anthropology or archaeology. The Center for Public History partnered with the Waring Lab to offer graduate research assistantships producing interpretive signage and a related website for the Leake mounds site in Bartow County, with the Georgia Department of Transportation. Another graduate research assistant produced digital 3-D scans of artifacts from the Leake Site and other excavations.
With funding through the The Gretsch Company, the Center for Public History offers the Joseph R. Johnson Scholarship for graduate students in the Public History or Museum Studies program. The recipient of the scholarship works on a project that documents the musical heritage of Georgia at the Georgia Music Hall of Fame.
In 2006, the Georgia Music Foundation, along with Fred and Dinah Gretsch, endowed the Joseph R. Johnson Fellowship at the University of West Georgia’s Center for Public History for graduate students to research and document the musical heritage of the state. The scholarship honors Joseph R. Johnson, founding curator at the Georgia Music Hall of Fame, whose unbridled passion and enthusiasm for his work were an inspiration to many during his 15-year career with the museum.
The Joseph Johnson Fellowship supports exciting collaborative work between The Georgia Music Foundation and The University of West Georgia Center for Public History. Past projects have included
- developing a website on Sacred Harp music in Georgia,
- conducting interviews with Georgia folklorists and producing a documentary on Georgia Blues traditions with those interviews,
- creating an interpretive plan for the Capricorn Music Studios building in Macon,
- serving on the scholar team for the Smithsonian Museum on Main Street New Harmonies exhibition in Georgia and assisting in producing the state catalog for the exhibition
- documenting regional music traditions through oral history and research,
- assisting with developing statewide educational programs, and
- researching and writing articles for the Georgia Music website
Individuals interested in applying for the fellowship must be enrolled as full-time students in the University of West Georgia graduate program in public history during the fellowship period, either as an M.A. student or in the Public History or Museum Studies Certificate programs. The position begins in August 2017. The Fellowship provides a tuition waiver and stipend, and may be renewed for a second year.
To apply, please send a resume and statement of interest to Dr. Mark Janzen, History Department, University of West Georgia, Carrollton, GA 30118 or by email at mjanzen@westga.edu by February 1, 2017.
Students who are interested in applying for graduate research assistantships must be full-time students taking nine-hours of course work for that semester. Applications are available on the History Graduate program website. Applications for the falls semester are due on April 15 and for the spring semester on October 15, but late applications may be accepted if funding is still available. Interviews are required for most positions.
For more information on graduate research assistantships in public history, please contact Dr. Mark Janzen.
The Department of History also offers graduate research assistantships to assist professors with scholarly research and classroom teaching. Contact Dr. Stephanie Chalifoux, in the Department of History, for more information on these opportunities.
To apply for a GRA assistantship, please contact Dr. Mark Janzen.