Digital Humanities Fellowship

Note: This page is relevant to the 2022 fellowship. Information about the 2024 fellowship is forthcoming. If you have questions, please email R.C. Miessler, Digital Initiatives Librarian, at rmiessle@gettysburg.edu.

Digital Humanities Fellowship

Overview

Musselman Library invites rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors from any major or discipline to apply for our paid, residential, summer program for undergraduate fellows. Fellows learn Digital Humanities tools and methods, both independently and as part of a structured curriculum, and apply them to a public-facing digital project. Applicants propose a research question or topic to explore that uses materials in Musselman Library’s Special Collections and College Archives and/or focuses on Gettysburg College history. Fellows participate in a Digital Humanities community of practice and share their learning experiences throughout the duration of the fellowship. We have three openings, and the fellowship runs for 8 weeks (June 6 – July 29, 2022), during which time fellows will live on campus.

What are the Digital Humanities?

Digital Humanities encompasses any humanistic inquiry facilitated by digital technologies. Digital humanists use tools for mapping, data visualization, text analysis, online exhibits, digital collections, storytelling, and more to interpret, analyze, and present research across all disciplines to a broad audience. Digital Humanities work is characterized by collaborative approaches, public engagement, openness, and transparency. We value process and experimentation as well as scholarly outcomes.

Communities of Practice

An important aspect of this fellowship is the development of a community of practice that includes students and library staff. In addition to working independently, fellows will be expected to work as a cohort to support each other's work, learn digital tools, solve problems, and discuss issues related to the Digital Humanities. Additionally, for the first 4 weeks of the experience, fellows will develop a collaborative micro-project using materials from Special Collections and College Archives. Fellows are expected to engage in topics related to inclusion and diversity in the practice of the Digital Humanities and commit to maintaining a culture of mutual respect.

Required Qualifications and Skills

  • Interest in Digital Humanities as a mode of scholarly inquiry and output
  • Ability to create a research topic or question and apply research skills towards answering it
  • Desire to learn Digital Humanities tools and methods
  • Strong communication, interpersonal, time management, and organizational skills
  • Ability to work effectively as an independent researcher and as part of a diverse team

Expectations, Duties, and Responsibilities

Fellows will:

Conduct independent research to create a digital project

  • Work independently, and with the support of the 2022 cohort, librarian partners, and Special Collections and College Archives, to plan, design, and create a Digital Humanities project that uses materials from Special Collections and College Archives and/or has a focus on Gettysburg College history
  • Participate in an 8-week program designed to support the development of a research question, apply research skills, and introduce a wide range of Digital Humanities tools and methods

Participate in a community of practice to foster a supportive learning environment

  • Develop a collaborative micro-project using materials from Special Collections and College Archives
  • Provide weekly updates on their projects to the fellowship cohort and discuss issues in the field of Digital Humanities

Communicate their experiences to demonstrate the value of undergraduate Digital Humanities research

  • Write short reflective essays that address a question or issue in the field of Digital Humanities; these essays are publicly posted on the 2022 website
  • Present their projects in a public session at the conclusion of the fellowship

Application Materials

Statement of Interest

Address the following in a single statement of 500–750 words:

1. Why are you interested in the fellowship, and what do you hope to learn and accomplish?

2. What single research question or topic would you like to investigate, and how does it connect to materials in Special Collections and College Archives, the history of Gettysburg College, or both? Examples of relevant digital collections include, but are not limited to:

3. Tell us about digital tools you are interested in using or learning more about that will be most effective for your proposed research question or project, and why they are appropriate. If you are new to digital tools, you can learn more about some of them and how they are used on the DH Toolkit website. Some tools that have been successfully used in student projects include:

Faculty Reference

Provide the name and email address of a Gettysburg College faculty member who may serve as a reference and is familiar with your work and research capabilities. Faculty may email R.C. Miessler, Systems and Digital Initiatives Librarian (rmiessle@gettysburg.edu) if they have questions about the fellowship. Faculty references will be contacted after interviews are completed.

Application Tips

To Apply

Submit your statement of interest and faculty reference via Handshake by March 13, 2022.

Eligibility

Applicants must be Gettysburg College students in good academic standing and be a rising sophomore, junior, or senior at the end of the Spring 2022 semester, with at least one semester of coursework left to complete.

Interviews

Potential fellows will be selected from the first round of the application process to participate in a 30-minute interview. Interviews will be scheduled for the week of March 21, 2022.

Selection

Selected fellows will be informed by April 4, 2022. A follow-up meeting will be scheduled in late April/early May 2022.

Fellowship Start and End Dates

The fellowship will begin on June 6, 2022 and ends on July 29, 2022. Students who have successfully completed the program are eligible to continue work during the academic year as Digital Scholarship Fellows. Gettysburg College is an at-will employer. Your employment with Gettysburg College is a voluntary employment-at-will relationship for no definite period of time. You maintain the right to terminate your employment with or without cause at any time, and for any reason. Gettysburg College retains the same right.

Estimated Hours per Week

Fellows are expected to treat the experience as a full-time job, 37.5 hours per week.

Pay

$4,000 stipend paid in biweekly installments. On-campus housing is provided at no additional cost for the duration of the fellowship.

Evaluation Process

Students will meet weekly with a librarian partner to discuss their progress. Students will also participate in two program evaluations, one at the mid-point of the program, and one at the end.