Summer Public History Institute, July 7-19 2024

employment opportunities

 

Residential program assistants

Professor Lasdow seeks applications for 6 residential program assistants (RPAs) to participate in Suffolk’s 2-week Summer Public History Institute for High School Students from July 7-19, 2024. RPAs will live on campus and serve as chaperones and mentors for the high school students participating in the program. RPAs will supervise students in the dormitories and assist program faculty and staff in executing daily schedules, chaperoning site visits, and ensuring student safety. They will report directly to Professor Lasdow, Dean Nolfo-Clements, and the program’s Graduate Teaching Fellow.

RPAs will work up to 28 hours per week at $15/hr, and receive room & board and free admission to scheduled museums and historic sites for the duration of the program. RPAs are required to participate in orientation training and workshops with Professor Lasdow and Dean Nolfo-Clements in late Spring 2024. RPAs will be expected to coordinate any additional outside work schedules so that they do not conflict with their responsibilities in this program.

RPAs do not need to be History majors. All majors/minors welcome. 

What is the Summer Public History Institute? 

During the 2-week residential Summer Public History Institute, rising high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors are immersed in the rich history of Boston’s colonial and Revolutionary eras. Through historical site visits, small group discussions, and behind-the-scenes museum tours guided by expert history and art & design faculty, students learn valuable skills in historical research, museum studies, and digital interpretation. Their studies culminate in the creation of individualized digital exhibits using their very own Meta Quest unit, a cutting-edge virtual reality technology, which each student gets to keep! During the program, students gain hands-on, unparalleled access to some of the Boston area’s most celebrated museums and historic sites, including the Freedom Trail, Revolutionary Spaces, Old North Church, Paul Revere House, the Concord Museum, and historic archaeological and building sites related to African American History and indigenous Boston. They also network with Suffolk University alumni who have built careers leading the area’s cultural institutions. Read more here: https://www.suffolk.edu/cas/degrees-programs/history/summer-public-history-institute and here: https://www.suffolk.edu/news-features/news/2023/09/25/16/39/public-history-for-a-new-generation 

Application Instructions

Interested applicants should email Professor Lasdow (klasdow@suffolk.edu) a brief interest document (~250 words) and resume, touching upon:

  • Their desire to serve an Residential Program Assistant for the Public History Program

  • Their previous experience or interest in working with young people

  • Any additional relevant qualities or experience (personal qualities/disposition, work experience, academics/coursework, work studies, internships) that would make them a good fit for this role. 


RPAs will be selected on a rolling basis until all positions are filled, with a final application deadline of Friday, March 8, 2024. 

If you think you might be interested, but aren’t sure yet. Email Professor Lasdow anyway. She’s happy to talk with you!