Calling St. George Undergraduates in Socio-cultural Anthropology and Asian Studies

Fully Funded Summer Internship in India

Professor Tania Li has received funding from the Dean’s International Initiatives Fund (DIIF) to cover air fare and living costs for 3 students to travel to Kerala, India, for internships at the Centre for Research and Education for Social Transformation (CREST). The commitment is for two months in 2019, May-June (1 intern) and July-August (2 interns).

For reports from students who took part in the internship in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 see https://ethnographylab.ca/category/undergraduate-ethnography-abroad/

CREST provides skills training for youth in Kerala who suffer from stigma and social exclusion based on their caste and tribal identities. CREST works with high school students seeking application to universities, who need guidance and preparation for entrance exams. It also works with trainees who have graduated from state universities, yet face discrimination when they seek jobs in the private sector, especially prestigious jobs in multinationals. During a 4-month residential program at CREST, these graduate trainees improve their conversational English, upgrade academic and computer skills, and learn how to present themselves with confidence and polish so they can compete with job applicants from more privileged backgrounds. For more information on CREST see http://www.crest.ac.in/

The role of the U of T student-interns is to assist CREST staff by coaching and mentoring high school students and graduate trainees individually, and by organizing creative and fun group activities to develop confidence and overcome cultural barriers to communication. The academic objective is to learn about social exclusion in India through direct exchanges and discussions with trainees and staff in both formal, classroom settings and through informal interactions (playing badminton, sharing accommodation in the trainee dorm, going with trainees or staff to visit their families on weekends or short breaks). Selected interns may receive academic credit, or participate on a non-credit basis. While in Kerala, interns will work under the supervision of CREST staff; they will submit academic reports to Professor Li, and contribute blog posts for the Ethnography Lab website.

If you would like to learn more about this opportunity, please come to the info session on January 9 12-1pm in AP 330 (Ethnography Lab, Anthropology building). Preference will be given to students who will have completed at least 13 credits by April 2019. You may be excluded if you have previously received Arts and Science Faculty funds for travel abroad (eg ICM, DIIF). The funding is restricted to St George students who are still registered at the time of the internship (ie not planning to graduate before September 2019).

Applications are due by January 16 at 9 am. Your application must include name, student number, email address, screen-shot of your u of t transcript to date, and a 300-word statement on what you think you can contribute to the internship, and what you expect to gain from it. Short-listed applicants will be notified on January 17 at 5:00 PM, interviewed on Jan 18 2-5pm, notified about provisional acceptance on Jan 21, with confirmation by DIIF by Jan 24. Send applications to the internship coordinator at ethnography.lab@utoronto.ca