Research Assistant with Potential Extension to an MA or PhD Scholarship: Interview-based Study on “Participation and Representation in the Digital Age”
Link to Call: https://tinyurl.com/yn92ymnx
The position:
Ø Research Assistant (RA) with potential to integrate into a research team as a funded MA or PhD student within a European Research Council (ERC) research project on “Participation and Representation in the Digital Age,” described in further detail here.
Ø Time frame: May 1 – July 31, 2023. At least 20 hours/month (i.e., 5 hours/week). Those interested in the role who are unavailable to begin during this time period are also welcome to apply, noting their time availability in a cover letter.
Ø Team support: Join a team that is committed to the professional growth of its members, and to dynamic, fun, international adventures of discovery — both intellectually and interpersonally.
Ø Payment will follow standard university research assistance pay according to training level.
The study:
Ø This interview-based study involves unique longitudinal re-interviews of activists in Israel and Spain, first interviewed during the 2011 global “Occupy” social protest cycle wave.
Ø The motivating question of the study is how these activists perceive that their own capacity to impact political processes has evolved since 2011, with particular attention to their digital political participation.
RA Responsibilities: (May-July 2023)
Ø Literature summary and literature review action steps.
Ø Pilot testing of survey instrument.
Ø Transcription of pilot interviews.
Qualifications and skills:
Ø Final year BA student, or MA / PhD student in political science or related fields.
Ø Interest in interview work (interviewing experience is an advantage).
Ø Interest in social movements, protests, social networks and social change.
Ø Excellent reading and writing skills in Hebrew and English (Spanish proficiency is a bonus).
Ø Intellectual curiosity, independence, teamwork skills, and attention to detail.
Ø Preference for candidates who are interested to continue to MA and PhD research
related to this project, with an ambition of producing peer-reviewed academic research.
Ø University enrollment:
o Ben-Gurion University research students and candidates interested in future BGU enrollment will be given preference.
o Students enrolled at other universities can also apply for this role as paid research assistants, with the potential to be co-supervised by Prof. Oser in MA / PhD studies.
Supervision and training: The RA will be supervised and trained by two researchers:
Ø Prof. Jennifer Oser, Principal Investigator of the ERC project.
Ø Dr. Aya Shoshan, Postdoctoral team member of the ERC project. Dr. Shoshan completed the first round of activist interviews as part of her PhD, which yielded high-impact research on organizational repertoires
Application: Send a CV with the contact information of at least one academic recommender to Dr. Aya Shoshan (ayas@post.bgu.ac.il). A brief cover letter that describes your interest in the role and includes links to writing samples in English is optional, but welcome.
Applications will be reviewed beginning on March 30th, 2023.