Still Available:

French Political History RA needed to read French newspapers of 1890-1914 for a research project on the Protestant minority in France. RA will read Protestant newspapers looking for stories combining religion and politics, especially on the subject of the separation of church and state. Requires good skills in French, some familiarity with and interest in French history, and eyes which can tolerate microfilm readers.

Judaism, Christianity, and Islam RA needed to assist in further development of course materials for Soul, Self, Person in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam: A Comparative Examination. Work includes both bibliographical work and extensive reading on a dozen great thinkers including Plato, Aristotle, Plotinus, Tertullian, Augustine,Saadia Gaon, Ghazali, Avicenna, Maimonides and Aquinas. 2-6 hours for at least 14 weeks, including a weekly meeting. Required skills: ability to summarize both ancient and modern texts about the human soul; preferably substantial background in the humanities; curiosity.

British Literary Societies RA needed for research on cultural practices and influence of British literary societies from their inception in the last decades of the Victorian period to the present. Perhaps the most familiar are the Jane Austen and Bronte Societies, but there are currently over a hundred such societies registered with the Alliance of British Literary Societies, an umbrella organization established in 1973 to pool resources, share information, and provide logistical assistance to new societies. My objectives is to examine the impact these highly influential organizations of “enthusiasts” have had and continue to have on literary production, distribution, reception and evaluation and to explore the myriad ways in which British reading communities have experienced literature over time.

An assistant would help me read through the full run of the journals of these societies, noting organizational changes, the changing subject matter of submitted papers, and composition of governing councils. I would also ask for some bibliographical assistance, searching for information on societies in the popular press and British media, and looking through the publications of selected societies. I also have hours of taped interviews that I will need some help transcribing.

Six hours a week—hours which would be entirely flexible in terms of the student’s own schedule and work pressures. There are any number of ways in which the work he or she does for me could lead to an independent study about reading practices in the 19th and 20th century, the larger topic of clubs and societies in Great Britain, or a more targeted study of the reception of a particular author.

The student would need to be a quick reader, able to grasp the intent of the project and translate that into an apprehension of what material would be of most interest to me. Some knowledge of British fiction of the 19th century would be nice but not required.