Living Archives on Eugenics in Western Canada
Summer Internships, 2011
Living Archives on Eugenics in Western Canada is a 5-year project, funded in 2010 by the Community-University Research Alliance (CURA) program of SSHRC, based at the University of Alberta and directed by Professor Rob Wilson Email Rob Wilson. The project focuses on the history of eugenics in Western Canada, and the relevance of that history for ongoing issues concerning reproduction, technology, disability, human variation, and community inclusiveness. For an overview of the project, and to read about the summer 2010 internships, see www.eugenicsarchive.ca.
Living Archives incorporates a core training role for students. This year, the project will sponsor up to 8 summer internships, valued at $1200 each, for students who are registered at the University of Alberta during the 2010-11 or 2011-12 academic years to work on project themes over the summer of 2011. The summer intern program will run June 1 – August 15th, and will involve a minimum of 100 hours of self-directed work spread flexibly over this period. Interns need not be in Edmonton throughout the whole period of the internship, but are expected to attend regular local group meetings. There will be an informational meeting for those interested at 12 noon, Wednesday, 30th March, in Business 4-13; all welcome. A summary document for the project will be provided at that meeting to aid in the preparation of applications; that document is also available upon request. Inquiries to either the project coordinator or project director are also welcome.
These internships aim to seed further student involvement in the project during the 2011-12 academic year, either through Community Service-Learning courses connected to the project, APIRG student groups, participation in team events throughout the year, or in a graduating student’s ongoing studies or career. Interns can expect to work under the direction of one or more of the 30+ members of the team, and for their work to form a part of the resource set the project is developing.
Summer intern project proposals should be shaped around a deliverable, including Wikipedia articles, research papers, bibliographical entries, photo essays, blog posts (for the What Sorts blog associated with the project), creative writing, and video narratives. Each project will involve some direct work with community partners, which Living Archives will organize. Four existing projects initiated by past summer interns and CSL students that we would be especially interested to have summer interns in 2011 continuing to work on as a deliverable (even if their projects are organized around something else) are:
- an online eugenics timeline
- completion of a “mind map” or “relationship browser” (software architecture already built)
- learning modules for high school on immigration and eugenics, and on women and eugenics
- discussion modules for high school biology on contemporary issues concerning genetic testing
Topics of antecedent interest to the LAE team on which summer intern applications are encouraged are:
- Institutionalization and eugenics
- Public views of eugenics in Western Canada, 1925-1935
- Repeal of the Sexual Sterilization Act of Alberta, 1968-1975
- Acknowledging the eugenic past in Western Canada
- Eugenics and residential schools in Western Canada
- Shifting definitions of eugenics
Proposals on other topics are also welcome.
Applicants should send a short letter (1-2 pages) that explains their relevant background and interest and contains an outline of the project that they plan to undertake, together with a copy of their (unofficial) university transcripts to: Moyra Lang Email Moyra Lang, Project Coordinator, Living Archives, 2-40 Assiniboia Hall by 4pm, Friday, April 15th. Results will be announced by May 1st.
Living Archives on Eugenics Blog 
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