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History

Internships

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History

Address:
404 Wayne Hall
West Chester, PA 19382

Phone: 610-436-2201
Fax: 610-436-3069

Carole Marciano
Departmental Secretary
Office: Wayne 404
Phone: 610-436-2201
Fax: 610-436-3069
CMarciano@wcupa.edu

Dr. Wayne Hanley
Departmental Chairperson
Office: Wayne 406
Phone: 610-436-2201
Fax: 610-436-3069
WHanley@wcupa.edu

Dr. Karin Gedge
Social Studies Coordinator
Office: Wayne 416
Phone: 610-436-2971
KGedge@wcupa.edu

Brenda Gaydosh
Acting Graduate Coordinator
Office: Wayne 421
Phone: 610-436-0734
BGaydosh@wcupa.edu

Jonathan Friedman
Director, Holocaust-Genocide Studies
Office: Main 409
Phone: 610-436-2972
JFriedman@wcupa.edu

Internships

Danielle Lehr

Danielle Lehr, Pennsbury Manor

Danielle Lehr
In 2011, Danielle Lehr interned at Pennsbury Manor William Penn's country home, where she worked in the kitchen garden, led tours, and wrote blog posts. Several years later she returned to Pennsbury, now as the Education Coordinator.
Kaitlyn Sheeran

Kaitlyn Sheeran, Lehigh County Historical Society

Kaitlyn Sheeran
Kaitlyn Sheeran knew she did a great job as an intern at the Lehigh County Historical Society when the director offered her a job! As an intern, she wore many hats, conducting research, helping with marketing, processing collections, and leading public programs.
Henry Carlson

Henry Carlson, Ephrata Cloister

Henry Carlson
Internships allow students to develop new skills, as Henry Carlson discovered in his position leading tours in costume at Ephrata Cloister.
Amanda Tuttle & Kelly McGuire

Amanda Tuttle & Kelly McGuire, History of Oppression Project at Elwyn, Inc.

Amanda Tuttle & Kelly McGuire
Amanda Tuttle and Kelly McGuire interned at the History of Oppression Project at Elwyn, Inc., transforming its corporate archives into a professional research collection.
Taryn Carey

Taryn Carey, Anthracite Heritage Museum

Taryn Carey
In 2013, Taryn Carey spent her summer working at the Anthracite Heritage Museum, which celebrates and preserves Pennsylvania's coal mining heritage.
Kristen Waltz

Kristen Waltz, Colonial Pennsylvania Plantation

Kristen Waltz
In Summer 2014, Kristen Waltz honed her skills as a History major with Secondary Education certificate by working on educational programs at Colonial Pennsylvania Plantation.
Jeremy Tonnessen

Jeremy Tonnessen, Pottsgrove Manor

Jeremy Tonnessen
Interning in summer 2015 at Pottsgrove Manor, a Montgomery County Georgian mansion built in 1752, Jeremy Tonnesson shadowed curator Amy Reis in her day- to-day work to learn the ins and out of working at a historic site. He also helped work on Pottsgrove's collections inventory and interpreted the site through the development of a tea party exhibit. Read Jeremy's full internship reflection here.
Caitlin O'Donnell

Caitlin O'Donnell, National Iron and Steel Heritage Museum

Caitlin O'Donnell
During her internship at the National Steel and Iron Heritage Museum in Coatesville in summer 2015, Caitlin O'Donnell worked primarily in the archives section and briefly helped do research for an upcoming exhibition. She archived a variety of documents and objects, including memos, drinking glasses, clothing, and large machinery equipped for a steel mill. She reflected that working with a collection of different archival items taught her how to properly archive a wide assortment of objects and was valuable in teaching her the basics in archiving at a museum.
Michael Lewis

Michael Lewis, Moravian Archives

Michael Lewis
In Summer 2015, Mike Lewis returned to his hometown of Bethlehem, PA, to intern at the Moravian Archives, where in addition to helping with reference requests, he learned to transcribe handwritten Old German documents. He used a digital platform, Juxtaeditions, to create these annotated transcriptions about the communal life of the Moravians in the 1740s. He also cataloged an early 20th century archival collection, creating a finding aid. Read about his full experience.
Andrew Ross

Andrew Ross, The Mill at Anselma

Andrew Ross
In Fall 2015, Andrew Ross interned at the Mill at Anselma, in Chester Springs, Pennsylvania, where in addition to helping open the mill in the morning, Ross led tours through the historic site. He also conducted research on the Anselma Post Office, from the time it opened in 1872 to the time it closed in 1958. Read his full internship report here.
Ben Spohn

Ben Spohn, Chester County Historical Society

Ben Spohn
In Summer 2015, History graduate student Ben Spohn interned at Chester County Historical Society in West Chester, where he developed skills in a number of areas. He created high-resolution scans of historic Bibles, cataloging records of each. He also worked in collections and assisted in developing an audio feature for CCHS's The Sixties! exhibit. His experience helped him land his first public history gig post-graduation, working on an audio project at Hagley Museum and Library.
Richard Fontanet

Richard Fontanet, Independence Seaport Museum

Richard Fontanet
Richard Fontanet brought his enthusiasm, technical skills, and attention to detail to the Independence Seaport Museum, where he interned in Spring 2016. He produced a website using the open source platform Omeka to combine his research with the museum's Labor on the Delaware collection, illustrating the life and changing times of the longshoremen culture.

You know you love history, but how can you apply that passion to a job? The best way to contemplate your future career is with hands-on experience through a service-learning internship for credit, which you can list on your resume and college transcript. Recent interns have considered the experience life changing, as they develop new goals and career ambitions while building their professional network.

The History Department offers opportunities for internships with a broad range of placements and projects, including museums, archives, historical societies, and public agencies. Our interns give tours, develop curricula, manage collections, build websites, transcribe archival materials, and much more! Interested students with a minimum 2.5 GPA who can offer 14 or more eight-hour days, typically during summer sessions, should contact the History Department Internship Coordinator, CHardy@wcupa.edu, regarding the application process and registration for AMS 415 or HIS 450.

Internship Policies and Procedures

  • An intern may earn 3 credits during a semester or summer session.
  • A 3-credit internship requires a student to perform assigned responsibilities at the cooperating internship site for no less than 120 hours. (This is the equivalent of an 8-hour day for each week of a 15-week academic semester).
  • Interns must be History majors with at least 80 earned credits and a minimum 2.5 grade point overall and in history. (The chair may make exceptions in special cases.)
  • Interested students should contact the department internship coordinator, CHardy@wcupa.edu, one semester prior to the semester in which they wish to intern.
  • Students must provide the internship coordinator a sample of their best historical writing and a resume for submission to prospective cooperating internship institutions.
  • The coordinator will review these materials and inform students if they qualify for an internship. Students denied an internship will receive reasons for the denial from the internship coordinator and suggestions for strengthening a future application.
  • The internship coordinator and student will work together to decide where to seek a placement, with either the student or coordinator making the initial contact.

Compensation: Paid Internships!

To enable those who cannot afford the cost, the Department of History offers paid internships of $1,200 each for a limited number of students, and $500 to students completing internships whose work the Department of History has deemed meritorious. Both are funded by the Dr. Robert E. Drayer Memorial Scholarship Fund.

Evaluation

Working with a faculty internship supervisor agreed upon by the student and department internship coordinator, the student, faculty supervisor, and site supervisor will articulate internship responsibilities and activities. Requirement include:

  • a daily log, detailing the nature of the activities during the internship The internship coordinator will use this log, submitted on a schedule, to determine the intern's performance and to suggest changes to the internship assignments and responsibilities.
  • Consistent contact with the faculty internship supervisor, including regarding any significant changes to their activities or emerging problems.
  • On-site visit by the faculty supervisor

The student's grade will be based on:

  • the on-site supervisor's evaluation,
  • the student's internship report, describing and evaluating the nature of the internship experience,
  • a final project, based on the intern's work at the cooperating institution, agreed upon by the faculty supervisor and the student once the internship is underway.
  • the internship coordinator's on-site visit, and
  • supporting documentation, which can include materials the intern has worked on for the host institution, promotional materials for exhibits or projects to which the intern contributed, and other evidence of accomplishments.

Recent Internship Placements

  • Academy of Natural Sciences
  • American Helicopter Museum & Education Center
  • Anthracite Heritage Museum
  • Brandywine Battlefield State Park
  • Brandywine River Museum
  • Chadds Ford Historical Society
  • Chester County Historical Society
  • Cliveden of the National Trust
  • Colonial Pennsylvania Plantation
  • Colonial Williamsburg
  • Delaware Children's Museum
  • Eastern State Penitentiary
  • Eckley Miner's Village
  • Elwyn Inc.
  • Ephrata Cloister
  • ExplorePAHistory.com
  • Greater Philadelphia Film Office
  • Historic Fort Mifflin
  • Historical Society of Pennsylvania
  • Historic Yellow Springs
  • Iron and Steel Heritage Museum
  • Lancaster Historical Society
  • Lehigh County Historical Society
  • Lightfoot Mill at Anselma
  • Mid-Atlantic Air Museum
  • Moravian Archives
  • Moravian Historical Society
  • National Constitution Center
  • Newlin Mill
  • Pearl Buck Foundation
  • Pennsylvania State Archives
  • Philadelphia History Museum
  • Pottsgrove Manor
  • Salem County Historical Society
  • Save Ellis Island Foundation
  • Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History
  • Soldiers and Scholars Oral History Project
  • Valley Forge National Park