Are you interested in Russian-language research in Indigenous and Queer Studies? Then the project The Right to Write might be the right place for you! We are looking for a team of six undergraduate students that will work with us during the spring semester of 2025. Student interns receive a scholarship of $2,500.

The project The Right to Write documents the literary culture of two marginalized communities in today’s Russia. As a research intern, you will learn to comb through sources online and offline, compile bibliographies, and documentation. This data contributes to an online database of journals, publishers, literary works, and biographical information on underrepresented Russian-language LGBTQ+ and Siberian and Arctic Indigenous authors. As a three-credit-hour independent study, the course also involves seminar discussions of foundational texts, conversations with specialists, and learning about best practices for digital humanities research. In the end, you will prepare short presentations of your findings.

Students can expect to spend three hours weekly on research meetings and an additional 6 hours on active research and preparation.

Requirements:

• curiosity about queer and Indigenous cultures
• basic computation and research skills/willingness to learn (work with spreadsheets and shared documents, versioning and documentation, use of library catalogues and other research tools)
• basic knowledge of Russian, equivalent to two semesters of language study or more

Apply by email, submitting the following documents:

• an application letter of ca. 500 words, detailing your relevant skills, experience, and interest in the topic. If you have a preference, indicate whether you would be interested in working on the Indigenous or on the queer section.
• a resume or CV
• a current transcript (does not need to be official)
• name of one potential reference among faculty at OSU or another higher education institution

If you have any questions, please contact the project’s faculty Dr. Dima Arzyutov (arzyutov.1@osu.edu) or Dr. Philip Tuxbury-Gleissner (tuxbury-gleissner.1@osu.edu). Submit your application by October 31, 5 PM to both faculty members. Participants will be notified by November 15.

Please note that eligibility for the scholarship is contingent on the student’s funding status/cost of attendance rules. Students must be current undergraduate students enrolled in at least one credit hour.

This opportunity is sponsored by an Arts and Sciences Departmental Student Research Program Grant.