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Beyond the Classroom: Opportunities & Resources

American Studies VPUE Summer Research Internships

These internships give you the opportunity to develop your own research interests and skills, as well as a broader understanding of the various kinds of research scholars in American Studies do—and the various ways they do such research—as you apprentice with an American Studies-affiliated faculty member on tasks related to the faculty member’s current research interests or projects. The internship also includes time for you to develop your own research projects with the faculty member’s mentorship.

Details

Details are listed below in the first accordion menu. 

Expectations

Over the 10-week summer quarter, the student intern will spend approximately 25-30 hours per week apprenticing on research tasks related to the faculty member’s research topic or area, and another 10 hours per week pursuing the student’s own related academic interests or projects with the faculty member’s guidance. Faculty mentors are expected to meet frequently with their research interns over the summer and guide them in the research and tasks they will undertake.

Funding

Full-time Research Interns will receive a stipend of $8,500 for the Summer.

An additional $1,500 need-based supplement is available for qualified students

Eligibility

Current Frosh, Sophomores, and Juniors are eligible to apply.

Note: American Studies majors will be given priority for these positions, but others are welcome to apply as well.

To apply

If you are interested, please submit an application here by Wednesday, April 8, 2026 at 11:59pm.

The application will ask you to:

  1. Identify which faculty you are most interested in interning with.
  2. Write a short statement about your interest in the faculty member’s research project and how it would align with your own interests, experience, and learning goals.
  3. List the name, position/title, and email of a reference (typically a faculty member) who could speak to your aptitude for a research internship.
  4. Upload a CV.

We will share these materials with matching faculty, who may follow up with interviews. We hope to complete the matching process before the middle of the Spring quarter.

If you have any questions, please contact our Assistant Director of Student Services, winnini [at] stanford.edu (Winni Ni).

[closed] Ari Kelman (Topic/project: Effects of Deindustrialization upon a Small Ohio Town)

Faculty Lead/Mentor: Ari Kelman (Education)

Project Description and Tasks: The student would help me conduct research on the effects of deindustrialization, particularly NAFTA, upon the small, factory town of Fostoria, OH. I have a book contract with Harper Collins to publish a book entitled Fostoria: a Town in the Middle of Everywhere. This book will examine the town as a microcosm of the broader social, political, and economic shifts wrought by NAFTA..

Student Learning Outcomes: The internship will provide students with historical, geo-spatial, and digital research and story-telling..

Location conditions: This research can be conducted remotely from any location.

[filled] Gavin Wright, Economics (Topic/project: History of Stanford Economics)

Faculty Lead/Mentor: Gavin Wright (Economics)

Project Description and Tasks: I have agreed to write a history of the Stanford Economics Department and would like to have assistance in reviewing the archival record. Department records from 1900-1962 are now in the Stanford Archives, and they are largely untouched.

Student Learning Outcomes: Development of archival research skills would be first. Next would be knowledgeability in important episodes of Sanford history, such as the Edward Ross affair, the firing of Thorstein Veblen, and the persecution of Marxist economist Paul Baran.

Location conditions: This research requires the student to be on Stanford Campus.

[filled] Judith Richardson, English, American Studies (Topic/project: 50 Years of American Studies at Stanford)

Faculty Lead/Mentor: Judith Richardson, English, American Studies

Project Description and Tasks:  The Stanford American Studies is approaching its 50th anniversary as an independent major. As we ramp up to that, the primary focus of this Research Internship will be to recover and collect materials related to the history of American Studies at Stanford. Tasks could include archival research in Special Collections, the Stanford Oral History Project, and the Stanford Historical Society, as well as in digitized resources (including the Stanford Bulletin, American Studies Newsletters, the Daily, etc.). The internship might also include helping with outreach to gather recollections and materials (photos, oral histories, and other artifacts) from alumni and faculty, past and current. There is also an opportunity here for the intern to play a shaping role in conceptualizing and planning events, publications, exhibits, and/or other methods of capturing and conveying the story of Stanford American Studies as part of an anniversary celebration.

Student Learning Outcomes: The student will gain experience in archival research, including research in both material and digitized archives. Depending on the student’s interests and goals, the project could also be an opportunity to develop skills in oral history, storytelling, visual design, exhibition and event planning, and more.

Location conditions: Ideally the research intern would be available to conduct research at Stanford for at least part of the summer, though some of the work can be completed remotely.

 

Other Internships

Summer, Arts, Global and Government Internships

AMSTUD Research Internships at Stanford

The Program in American Studies, with generous sponsorship from VPUE, offers paid internships, typically during summer quarters, in which students work with various American Studies faculty on their research.   A full-time internship runs for 10 weeks, during which the student works 25-30 hours per week on research projects being pursued by the faculty member and an additional 5-10 hours per week pursuing personal research and education goals and opportunities, such as taking classes or engaging in research for an honors project.  Faculty mentors are expected to meet frequently with their research assistants and guide them in the research they will undertake.  An email soliciting applications will go out early in winter quarter.

Please contact the Assistant Director of Student Services for the most up-to-date information.

Interested in the Arts?  Check out the resources below!

Stanford in Government Fellowships

SIG offers dozens of fully-funded public service internships every summer in a range of organizations around the world. Undergraduates from all majors and years are encouraged to apply, as the fellowship placements include public service opportunities through a variety of disciplines.  For more information, see the SIG website.

Stanford Global Studies Summer Internships

Stanford Global Studies internships are open to students from all majors.  Please see the SGS website for more information.

Public Service Internships and Fellowships

A number of public service internships and fellowships are available through the Haas Center.

 

Grants & Funding

Funding Opportunities from American Studies and others

Funding from American Studies 

As a small program, American Studies has limited funds to offer students.  These are primarily earmarked for AMSTUD majors completing an honor thesis with the program. To apply for funding to support an honors project, please send an email to the Assistant Director of Student Services detailing your needs, the costs, and the purpose.

Other Sources of Funding on Campus

BEAM, Stanford Career Education

 

BEAM site

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