Historical Accountability Student Research Program
Historical Accountability Student Research Externship
Through the creation of this program, we seek to situate Dartmouth, and issues of diversity and inclusion, within the larger context of regional university life.
The Historical Accountability Student Research Program hopes to expand its exploration of institutional issues of diversity and inclusion beyond Dartmouth College. We are looking for applications that indicate an interest in conducting some form of research related to inter-institutional issues of diversity and inclusion and/or unique perspectives about Dartmouth in the repositories of other institutions.
During the length of your research period, you’ll pursue your own research interests related to institutional history using Rauner Special Collections Library and collections held by peer institutions. At the end of the externship period, the extern will present their work to the Dartmouth community with the expectation that further refinement of that work will lead to a formal piece of writing to be made accessible on this website.
Award and Expectations
Historical Accountability Student Research Externs will receive a lump sum of $3,000, which includes a $1,000 research stipend and $2,000 for living expenses. Externs will be in frequent and regular residence at Rauner Library and the archives of their selected institution during their four-week period of research. The month will culminate in the creation of a formal piece of writing that makes substantive use of primary sources consulted during the externship period.
Externs will present the results of their project and discuss their research process at a public reception which will include a question-and-answer session. Because this is a time-intensive research opportunity, the extern may not be engaged in any other classes or programs during the four-week period.
Application Process
All externs will be selected on a competitive basis from applicants interested in conducting original research at Rauner Special Collections Library and other institutional repositories.
Students must choose between institutions determined to have sufficient archival material about Dartmouth College or members of the Dartmouth community. The current institutions eligible for externship project(s) are:
Smith College
Here are some examples of collections you could explore at Smith:
- Alice Beal Baker Hyde papers: While Hyde attended Smith between 1914 and 1917, she corresponded with a friend, Dan Waugh, who was attending Dartmouth during that time. Waugh’s letters display his perspective on many facets of Dartmouth College, including academic life, fraternity life, and Dartmouth men’s relationships with women.
- Charlotte Cheever Tucker papers: Charlotte Tucker, a Smith alumna, was married to William Jewett Tucker, the president of Dartmouth College. This collection contains journals Charlotte kept during her husband’s presidency and correspondence between Charlotte and her husband, offering some insight into the lives of Dartmouth administrators and women’s roles at Dartmouth before co-education.
- Athletics Subject Files: This collection contains documentation of the interactions between the Smith and Dartmouth Outing Clubs and the Intercollegiate Outing Club Association, of which the DOC was the primary founder. These materials could be used to build on the work of the Fall 2019 fellow, Mia Nelson.
- Debate Society records: The Debate Society at Smith had its first co-educational debate against Dartmouth in 1921 and visited Dartmouth in 1934 to argue the affirmative case for “Resolved: That Woman’s Place is in the Home.”
- Student Strike of 1970 collection: The Student Strike of 1970 was a protest against the Vietnam War that took place at colleges across the US. Although all of the Dartmouth-related material in this collection is already available through Rauner Library, the collection also covers Amherst College, Mt. Holyoke College, and Yale University in addition to Smith College, making it a great opportunity for researching the strike on a larger scale.
For more details about this research opportunity and information about the projects possible at other institutions, please contact Val Werner, Institutional History Research Specialist. He will be able to give you insights about potential sources and help connect you with reference librarians at other institutions.
Criteria for selection will include:
- Personal statement – student indicates clear motivations for applying with particular attention to:
- Interest in conducting research with primary sources (including any prior experience)
- Relevant information about their peer institution of choice (e.g., why it has been selected and how their collections relate to Dartmouth history)
- Investment in issues of diversity and inclusion
- List of collection(s) of interest at Rauner and the peer institution of choice and how they might be used
- Writing sample – academic writing in the humanities that demonstrates use of outside sources (primary or secondary)
- Faculty letter of recommendation – provides evidence of any relevant research experience and the student’s ability to complete their project independently
Application portfolio will consist of:
- A brief personal statement (up to five pages in length)
- Proposed period of research (Winter Intersession or an off-term)
- Writing sample (up to 20 pages in length)
- Resume or CV
- One letter of support from a faculty member
To apply:
Submit your application portfolio to HASRP@dartmouth.edu. Your letter of support should be sent separately to the same address by your recommender.
The selection committee will not consider your application until it has received your recommender’s letter. We will notify you once we receive the letter, but you are responsible for ensuring its delivery.
Deadline
This position is intended for students to participate in during Winter Intersession or part of an off-term. While applications for other research periods are welcome at any time, there is a strict deadline to be considered for Spring 2023:
- Deadline for Spring 2023 applications: January 27, 2023 (notification of the selection committee’s decision will occur no later than February 10, 2023)
As this research relies on the services of other repositories to external researchers, certain externship destinations may be unavailable as COVID-19 policies evolve at different institutions. Students are responsible for navigating the policies of their peer institution of choice.
