Job Title: Research Assistant – The History of International Organizations
Location: Virtual but based at UBC
Type: Part-time (10 hours / week)
Salary: $4800 in total, including benefits (10 hours per week for 20 weeks)
Duration: November 18, 2024 to April 11, 2025
About the project
In 1954, the Canadian government faced a politically embarrassing situation: it was about to lose the one international organization headquartered in Canada, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in Montreal. Quotidian concerns like provincial taxes intertwined with British and Latin American countries’ desires to host an international organization of their own, leading to a long-forgotten fight over moving ICAO’s headquarters. Ultimately, ICAO remained in Montreal, but the fight reveals fascinating dynamics around the provincial, federal, and international levels within international history.
The lead of this project, Dr. Heidi Tworek, is seeking a Research Assistant to integrate digitized materials from Library and Archives Canada. An undergraduate student would help with the research by analyzing these digitized archival files, reading the relevant secondary literature on Canada’s and Quebec’s relationship with international organizations as well as the relationship between the federal and provincial governments at this time, before working with Dr. Tworek to integrate this material into Tworek’s extant work on the topic. The student will gain experience in core skills of historical research as well as insights into the drafting of a peer-reviewed article.
Job Description:
The overall aim of the research assistantship is to help Dr. Tworek to create an article to submit for peer review. The RA will assist in analyzing archival documents, reading secondary literature, and making that material speak to a historical argument.
Key Responsibilities:
- Reading, making notes on, and analyzing archival documents digitized from Library and Archives Canada
- Reading and annotating relevant secondary literature
- Collaborate with Dr. Tworek on writing up the findings.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s in progress in History, International Relations, or a related field
- Strong research and analytical skills
- Strong written and verbal communication skills
- Attention to detail and ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Familiarity with archival documents
- Ability to work independently
- Ability to read French
- Experience with Zotero.
How to Apply:
Interested candidates should submit a resume, cover letter (max. one page), and a writing sample to heidi.tworek@ubc.ca by 5 p.m. on November 3. Please include “Research Assistant Application International Organizations – [Your Name]” in the subject line.
UBC is an equal opportunity employer committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Equity and diversity are essential to academic excellence. An open and diverse community fosters the inclusion of voices that have been underrepresented or discouraged. We encourage applications from members of groups that have been marginalized on any grounds enumerated under the B.C. Human Rights Code, including sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, racialization, disability, political belief, religion, marital or family status, age, and/or status as a First Nation, Metis, Inuit, or Indigenous person.
UBC welcomes and encourages applications from persons with disabilities. Accommodations are available on request for all candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process. The University committed to creating and maintaining an inclusive and equitable work environment for all members of its workforce, and in particular, for its employees with disabilities. An inclusive work environment for employees with disabilities presumes an environment where differences are accepted, recognized, and integrated into current structures, planning, and decision-making modes. For contact information regarding UBC’s accommodation and access policies and resources, please visit the Centre for Accessibility.