History UK research fellowship – History and Disability Project

History UK is seeking two early career historians (PhD or post-doc) for short-term fellowships to contribute to their History and Disability project (co-funded by the RHS).  

History UK Disability and History Project  

The History UK EDI report [https://www.history-uk.ac.uk/history-uk-history-pedagogy-and-edi-project-report/] identified that disability is often not foregrounded in University EDI initiatives and was an area demanding further attention. The number of staff and students declaring disabilities is increasing and the awarding gaps for disabled students are significant. The Covid-19 pandemic and the wider mental health crisis in higher education highlighted the challenges faced. It also led to an intense interest from the student body in the histories of medicine, health and disability. The HUK Disability History Project has 2 complementary strands examining a) experiences of disabled students and staff in history departments in HEIs and b) the teaching and studying of disability history in UKHE. The aim is to generate evidence-based recommendations and produce a sector-wide report in the style of previous HUK reports. The project is jointly funded by the Royal Historical Society.  

The HUK research fellows will contribute to the shaping of the project, conduct desk-based research (of websites, blog posts, social media for relevant case studies, reports or practical guides and relevant peer-reviewed literature), present clear and concise summaries of their findings, facilitate survey work and focus groups. The research fellows will be expected to undertake 40 hours of work each during the project. Work can largely be undertaken flexibly at times that suit the researchers, except for some scheduled events. Researchers will begin work on the project during June 2024 and conclude in October 2024 (timescale subject to change). The renumeration for the fellowship is fixed at £750 per researcher. 

Person specification: 

  • An early career historian (PhD or post-doc) 
  • An interest in disability, history and pedagogy  
  • Excellent research skills 
  • Excellent communication skills 
  • Ability to work independently and with minimal supervision 
  • Excellent organisation and project management skills 
  • Attention to detail 
  • Experience of surveys and focus groups  

Due to the nature of the project, we are particularly interested to receive applications from people researching/teaching disability history and/or who consider themselves a disabled historian. 

To apply: Send a short CV (1-2 pages) and cover letter to the project lead Dr Sarah holland (sarah.holland@nottingham.ac.uk

In the cover letter you should explain why you are interested in the role, how you meet the person specification, and what you will bring to the project.  

The deadline for applications is Friday 17 May 2024 at 5 pm.  

History UK fellowship – history skills passport mapping exercise

History UK is launching a new initiative to develop a history ‘skills passport’. This project will provide a framework for translating the skills that students develop on history courses into the skills language recognised by employers. The aim is to provide history academics and students with a series of resources that will support the embedding of employability within curricula in discipline-specific language. During the first phase of the project we will conduct a mapping exercise, which will involve surveying existing resources on History skills and on employability in History in the UK and abroad, cross-referencing with other disciplines, and identifying gaps.

History UK is seeking a postgraduate student for a short-term fellowship to support the first phase of this initiative. The History UK fellow will conduct desk-based searches of websites, blog posts, and social media for relevant case studies, reports, and other practical guides. They will write clear and concise summaries of their findings to help inform the resources that History UK will produce and curate. They will write at least one blog post for the History UK website on a topic of their choosing (relevant to the initiative), and may also be asked to assist in planning for the next phase of the skills passport project.

The fellow will be expected to do 30 hours work on the project in July, working flexibly at times that suit them. The renumeration for the fellowship is fixed at £500.

Person specification:

  • A postgraduate student (MA or PhD) in History, or a related discipline, based at a higher education institution in the UK;
  • Strong research skills;
  • Excellent written and oral communication skills;
  • Ability to work independently and with minimal supervision;
  • Excellent organisation and project management skills;
  • Attention to detail;
  • Experience of writing reports (preferable);
  • Interest in employability (preferable).

To apply: Send a two-page CV and a one-page cover letter to historyuk2020@gmail.com. In the cover letter you should explain why you are interested in the role, how you meet the person specification, and what you will bring to the initiative.

The deadline for applications is Weds 23rd June at 4pm.

History UK Pandemic Pedagogy fellowship

At the beginning of June, History UK launched a ‘Pandemic Pedagogy’ initiative to help support historians move out of the ‘emergency’ phase of online teaching and start planning for a remote and socially-distanced campus in the Autumn. The aim is to produce short, user-friendly, and practical guides than can inform planning, including:

  • An overview of tools for online teaching – an annotated list introducing various digital tools people may have heard of but not used
  • An introduction to various ways of staging digital small-group interactions
  • A page on tools and strategies for collaborative close ‘reading’ and annotation of ‘texts’

History UK is seeking a postgraduate student for a fixed-term fellowship to support the initiative. The History UK fellow will conduct desk-based searches of websites, blog posts, and social media for relevant case studies, reports, and other practical guides. They will write clear and concise summaries of their findings to help inform the resources that History UK will produce and curate, and attend virtual team meetings. They will be encouraged to write a blog post for the History UK website on a topic of their choosing (relevant to the initiative), and may also be required to assist in the organisation of an online ‘Pandemic Pedagogy’ roundtable.

The fellow will be expected to work flexibly for 50 hours in total over four weeks, starting on Wednesday 17 June, or soon after. All work needs to be completed by Wednesday 15 July. The renumeration for the fellowship is fixed at £750.

Person specification:

  • A postgraduate student (MA or PhD) in History, or a related subject, based at a higher education institution in the UK
  • Strong research skills
  • Excellent written and oral communication skills
  • Ability to work independently and with minimal supervision
  • Excellent organisation, project management skills, and attention to detail
  • Expertise and interest in pedagogy (preferable)
  • Experience of writing for the web (preferable)

To apply:

Send a CV of up to two pages and a one-page cover letter to pandemicpedagogy2020@gmail.com. In the cover letter you should explain why you are interested in the role, how you meet the person specification, and what you will bring to the initiative.

The deadline for applications is Thursday 11 June at 2pm.

Applications will be reviewed by the team working on the Pandemic Pedagogy initiative: www.history-uk.ac.uk/2020/06/03/history-uks-pandemic-pedagogy-initiative-starts-today and the successful candidate notified by the end of Monday 15 June.