Undergraduate Research Experience

with Program Coordinator Erin Craft — History 

Tempe and Online 

Project information: 

Public History is history that engages the community in building connections to their pasts and each other. For this research experience, students will work with the Public History coordinator and various faculty on a variety of ongoing Public History projects. Projects will include curating Salt River Stories and Global World War II Monuments through editing, research and writing interpretive text. Additional project work may include developing and curating digital archives, such as our past project Journal of a Plague Year: An Archive of Covid-19, conducting “history harvests” with local partners such as the City of Phoenix, or conducting and processing oral histories.

• 9 hours required per week 
• 3 credits anticipated 

Student information: 

Research assistant’s duties:
Duties may include curating or editing digital projects; facilitating work between partner organizations and students; attending in-person collection events (on-ground students); conducting and processing oral histories; research and writing for digital projects. Additionally, student will be required to attend one virtual meeting per week with other public history students to discuss ongoing work as well as theoretical issues within public history.                                                                                                                                                                  
Required skills or qualifications:
Desired qualifications include strong writing and communication skills; research experience; interest in Oral History; time management skills; and basic computing skills.                                                                     
Skills student will acquire:
Students will learn about public history and about working in the Public History realm. This might include planning and executing a project with a partner institution; organizing research; archival research; curating items in a digital exhibit; conducting and processing oral histories; creating educational programming around an exhibit or event; digital resource collection and curation.

with Assistant Professor Sungik Yang — History

Tempe only

Project information: 

The first president of South Korea, Syngman Rhee, was forced to resign in April 1960 after widespread protests against his authoritarian rule. For about a year, South Korea entered into a brief democratic phase, until a military coup d'etat brought another dictator (Park Chung Hee) to power in May 1961. All the while, American observers both in the government and the media fretted about whether these political shifts in South Korea, a crucial ally in East Asia, boded well or ill for their national security strategy in the Pacific.

To understand better these American perspectives during a time of rapid political change in South Korea, the student assistant will examine both diplomatic documents and newspapers that show American policymakers' and commentators' views on Rhee's downfall, the new democratic government and the sudden seizure of power by the military. This project will show how Americans sought to balance their avowed commitment to liberal democracy with their national security interests during the Cold War.

• 9 hours required per week 
• 3 credits anticipated 

Student information: 

Research assistant’s duties:
The student assistant will 1) examine online archival materials including the Foreign Relations of the United States (FRUS) series and the ProQuest Historical Newspapers and document their findings on American perspectives on South Korean political changes; 2) review the relevant secondary literature on the topic; 3) write short reports on the documents and evaluate their function and value as historical sources; 4) if time permits, write a comprehensive research report that advances a historical argument based on the student's research of these sources.   
                                                                                                                                                       
Required skills or qualifications:
Knowledge of Korean is desirable but not required.
                                                              
Skills student will acquire:
The student will become familiar with important historical databases, learn about historical research methods, and Korean-US relations during a time of political turbulence.

with Senior Program Coordinator Erin Craft — History

Tempe only

Project information: 

In this undergraduate research experience, students will work with our partners at the Valley of the Sun YMCA, helping to preserve their history. Working closely with the graduate student leading the project, students will evaluate historical objects, photographs, and documents gathered together as the downtown Phoenix Lincoln Family Center closed for refurbishment. Students will also help create a digital archive, and plan for future physical exhibits.

• 9 hours required per week 
• 3 credits anticipated 

Student information: 

Research assistant’s duties:
Students will work with a graduate student and evaluate objects, photos, and materials related to the history of the Valley of the Sun YMCA. Students will create a digital archive and assign metadata for objects. Students will conduct research to provide historical context for the YMCA and its role as a community resource in Phoenix. Students should be available for both in-person and remote work.

Required skills or qualifications:
Desired qualifications include strong writing and communication skills; research experience; interest in archiving; time management skills; and basic computing skills.
                                                             
Skills student will acquire:
Students will learn about working on a project with a partner institution; organizing research; archival research; curating items in a digital archive; digital resource collection and curation; exhibit planning.

with Senior Program Coordinator Erin Craft — History

Tempe only

Project information: 

The collections at the Arizona Historical Society (AHS), Tempe History Museum, and the Arizona Jewish Historical Society broadly represent Arizona History and are invaluable to researchers of various disciplines and the public. Students will work with Craft and Professor Mark Tebeau, as well as the archivists, collections manager and librarians at one or more of the three museum locations, to engage in hands-on work surrounding digital and physical collections and archive management. Tasks might include item evaluation, collection management, exhibit design, or research, and will be designed to meet student’s skills and interests as much as possible.

• 9 hours required per week 
• 3 credits anticipated 

Student information: 

Research assistant’s duties:
Student duties will include working with the staff at the Arizona Heritage Center (one of AHS’s museums), the Tempe History Museum, or the Arizona Jewish Historical Museum to process collections; data entry; writing; collection care; evaluation of artifacts; and assisting collections manager and archivists as needed. Student will need to be available for in-person work for 4 hours per week during operating hours at the museums. (M–F, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.). Opportunity is available to local students, whether on-ground or online, and student will be responsible for transportation to the 3 locations (within 15 miles of ASU Tempe campus). Additionally, students will be required to attend one virtual meeting per week with other public history students.          
                                                                                                                                                      
Required skills or qualifications:
Desired qualifications include strong writing and communication skills; research experience; time management skills, basic computing skills, and an interest in archives collections, exhibits or museums. Seats are limited each semester, so preference will be given to Upper Division students majoring or minoring in history or similar degree program. Student must live within the greater Phoenix Metro area.       
                                                             
Skills student will acquire:
Students will learn various aspects of working in an archive or physical collection and working within the museum field. Tasks may include evaluating items in a collection; organizing materials; archival research; curating items in a digital exhibit or collection; artifact preservation; creating programming around an exhibit or event; and digital resource collection and curation.