Peter Boyle MA Graduate Assistantship, University of Wyoming

Applications are invited for the BAAS Graduate Assistantship in American Studies at the University of Wyoming, starting in August 2015 for two years. Candidates will normally be final-year undergraduates in American Studies and related fields and disciplines at a British university, but applications will also be accepted from recent graduates.

A BAAS Graduate Assistantship is awarded for two years of graduate study, assuming satisfactory progress toward the MA degree and adequate performance of GA duties.  During the two years the GA could expect to assist in the teaching of two courses (leading discussions, marking essay exams, etc.), conduct research in support of a faculty member’s project, and participate in grant-supported activities that would lead outside the university.  The GA could demand between 15-18 hours of work per week.  The Assistantship provides an income sufficient to cover living expenses, plus remission of tuition fees while the recipient of the award pursues graduate study for an MA.

American Studies at the University of Wyoming

The University of Wyoming has offered the MA in American Studies since 1952, the first such degree in the western US. Specialties include environmental studies, visual culture, landscape studies, international American Studies, folklore, and public sector work. The American Studies Program has a core faculty of five and its public sector program is supported by two staff members whose field work often includes student participation. As the only university in a large state with a small population, the University has unique access to the cultural organizations and institutions of Wyoming. In addition to offering the opportunity to teach, the Peter Boyle Assistantship can give students access to on-the-ground projects that are often the source of innovative thesis ideas. The Program is especially eager to engage students in original research – either by using the facilities of the American Heritage Center or through engagement with field studies in folklore, material culture, and historic preservation. The goal of the Program is to allow each student to shape a portfolio of teaching recommendations, writing projects, and thesis work that will be most useful in whatever the next step for that student might be. Typically, each class of eight or nine contains two international students. Approximately one third of Program graduates continue as fully funded PhD students at other US institutions. For further information about the Program, its faculty, and its student community, please consult www.uwyo.edu/ams.

Procedure

Applicants will be received by a BAAS panel, which will draw up a shortlist for an interview in early December. The recommendation of the panel needs to be ratified by the University of Wyoming. The successful candidates would begin their studies at the University of Wyoming in August 2015 for the two years, 2015-2017.

Applicants should send the following by Friday November 28, 2014 to: awards@baas.ac.uk. Applications should include the following:

(1) a curriculum vitae;

(2) transcript of undergraduate work;

(3) reason for applying in no more than 250 words;

(4) Please also arrange for two letters of recommendation to be forwarded to the same address (awards@baas.ac.uk) by the deadline of Friday 28 November 2014. Applications without references will not be considered.

BAAS members are asked to encourage applications for the BAAS Graduate Assistantships from suitably qualified students.

For additional information about the award and the University of Wyoming click here.

The previous recipient discusses her time at Wyoming here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKuGHcS-Vbo