Applications for our spring 2026 internship, HIST593, are open.
How to apply:
The Southern Oral History Program (SOHP) is currently accepting applications for our Spring 2026 undergraduate internship. The SOHP’s internship program provides experiential education in the intellectual, practical, and curatorial work of oral history. Students must apply for the program; upon acceptance, they will be enrolled in HIST 593 for three credit hours. The course will meet at the Center for the Study of the American South on Fridays from 10:10 am–1:00 pm during the Spring 2026 semester.
Students will work as researchers, collaborators, and curators with the Southern Oral History Program. They will learn about oral history as both a method and a tradition—studying interviewing techniques, fieldwork ethics, and the interpretive frameworks that shape oral history as a practice.
This semester will center on a collaborative oral history project, with the partner organization and theme to be announced. Past internships have focused on topics such as labor and worker rights, textile history, racial justice, public health, and Southern identity. Students will explore how oral history intersects with social movements, memory work, and storytelling in the U.S. South, and how these narratives are shaped by race, class, gender, and geography.
As part of the internship, students will also:
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Conduct background research using archival materials
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Develop and refine interview guides
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Conduct and analyze in-depth oral history interviews
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Learn the basics of public history and digital storytelling
Please note:
Some work will be required outside of regular class time. This includes scheduling and conducting oral history interviews with individuals and community partners. Students should feel comfortable reaching out to potential narrators—including cold-calling—in order to complete their semester-long projects.
Throughout the semester, students will consider not only how interviews help explore the past, but also how people actively construct meaning in the present through memory, narrative, and dialogue.
Submit a one-page letter of interest, a resume, and contact information for one faculty reference by November 7th, 2025 email to Phil MacDonald at ptmacdon@unc.edu with the subject line “SOHP 2026 Spring Internship [your last name]”
Example: SOHP 2026 Spring MacDonald
Questions to consider answering within your letter of interest are:
- Describe your interest in oral history
- How would an internship at SOHP apply to your studies and future endeavors?
- What skills and experiences do you bring to the table that would be beneficial to the SOHP?