Graduate Field Scholars applications for 2026-2027 are now open
Due: Wednesday, April 15th 11:59 PM
Description: The SOHP's Field Scholars come from all departments and disciplines across UNC at Chapel Hill to conduct new research and contribute new oral histories for various SOHP projects. Each academic year, the SOHP accepts current UNC graduate students to work with us for 15 hours per week through a selective application process. The SOHP will provide a $11K stipend to the student for each semester of participation.
Application Requirements (upload as one merged PDF):
• Curriculum Vitae
• A personal statement (Around 500-1000 words). In the statement, please discuss your interest and experience with oral history research (please list projects you worked on and if you were a lead scholar or assisted), why you want to work with the Southern Oral History Program, and how the program will align with your academic and professional goals.
• Please share the statement of support below with your department head or director of graduate studies. Your completed application must include a signed copy of the statement:
"Dear Southern Oral History Program Leadership, I am writing to express my support for [Student Name]’s application to serve as a Spring 2026 Southern Oral History Program Field Scholar. This student is in good academic standing and eligible to participate in this experience. I understand that, if chosen, the SOHP will provide a $11K stipend to the student for each semester of participation. The department will cover the cost of tuition, fees, and insurance."
Graduate Field Scholars are the intellectual and creative strength of the SOHP.
The Field Scholars come from all departments and disciplines across Carolina to conduct new research and contribute new oral histories for various SOHP projects. Each academic year the SOHP selects at least three current UNC graduate students to work with us for 15 hours per week through a selective application process.
Here are some of the ways the Field Scholars contribute to the SOHP:
- Support archival processing of interviews through transcription and preparation for depositing materials in the Southern Historical Collection
- Edit and produce materials from the archive to help promote public engagement and access to the SOHP’s collection
- Collaborate with and support community partners in a multitude of ways, including training & workshops, community archiving, and participating in various stakeholders' working groups to maintain relationships in the field and beyond
- Mentor and train undergraduates in oral history methods, fieldwork, and curatorial aspects
- Assist in grant research and development
- Teach undergraduate courses, including HIST593: Oral History Internship
- Publish articles based on oral history fieldwork & research
- Prepare and facilitate oral history workshops, both on and off campus
- Address issues with SOHP’s collection and suggest ways to address inequities and oversights in the archive
- Practice and engage in interdisciplinary collaboration, bringing strengths from each of their departments from across UNC’s campus
- Learn skills essential to their future work as scholars
Former Field Scholars hold faculty positions at UNC-Chapel Hill, Columbia, Duke, San Diego State, West Virginia University, Cal State Fullerton, University of Kentucky, and Texas A&M. Others hold positions in archives and museums such as the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, the National Park Service, and the Citadel.