Internships
Below are the three English Department-sponsored internships for Summer 2022. Following is another opportunity for English majors from the History department.
Deadline to apply is Friday, 15 January 2022.
English majors are also encouraged to review the entire list of USNA internships as opportunities sponsored by other departments are also open to English majors. The full list of USNA internships is available at https://intranet.usna.edu/AcResearch/USNA-Approved-Internships.php
Apply for English Department internships at this link
English Department Internship #1:
Rainbow History Project at the Historical Society of Washington, DC
801 K St NW, Washington, DC 20001
Projected Number of Midshipmen Participants: 3; block 1 only
Detailed Description of Internship:
Founded in 1894, the DC History Center maintains and provides access to materials donated by families, organizations, businesses, neighborhoods, and other communities that comprise Washington, DC. These materials are an invaluable common resource for current and future Washingtonians, to deepen understanding of the city’s past to connect, empower, and inspire. Since 2008 the DC History Center has served as the archival partner for the Rainbow History Project, a 501(c)3 non-profit educational and research organization whose mission is to collect, preserve, and promote an active knowledge of the history, arts, and culture of metropolitan Washington DC’s diverse LGBTQ+ communities. In this internship, midshipmen will contribute to the promotion of LGBTQ history and education of the public in their roles as amateur archivists for four weeks at the DC History Center. Midshipmen will learn fundamental archival principles; inventory and describe collections material; transcribe oral histories; and create access points for the Rainbow History Project and other LGBTQ collections to make them more accessible.
The Rainbow History Project/Historical Society of Washington, DC internship will offer enrichment in four areas: enhancing information technology skills, critical thinking, professional communication, and cultural awareness.
Required and/or Desired Academic Credentials of Participants:
Required: Open to rising 3/C, 2/C, and 1/C HUM/SS majors interested in LGBTQ history and culture
Funding: Participating midshipmen are responsible for transporting themselves to and from the internship site. Participating midshipmen will receive a one-time allowance for the cost of a 30-day parking pass (current rates are approx. $300/per vehicle) and reimbursement for POV mileage at government rates.
English Department Internship #2:
Colonial Players Internship
108 East Street, Annapolis, MD 21401
Projected Number of Midshipmen Participants: 2 per block; 6 total for the summer
Detailed description of the internship:
This internship will involve working with the Original Works Program to help organize and develop feedback for emerging playwrights, which would entail creating panels to provide feedback or joining panels that provide feedback for new play development. Interns would also focus on dramaturgy by researching setting, socio-economic, or specialty topics within plays that the Colonial Players plan to perform in the coming season. They would then create a packet of the materials for the production team and/or actors as such research would help inform directorial, design, or actor choices. Finally, Mids would perform tasks in the marketing department such as writing press releases, working on social promotion, developing program inserts, reaching out to local newspapers, and fostering relationships with businesses and communities whose work intersects with thematic elements of upcoming plays.
Problem Solving Players:
A midshipman participating in this internship will exercise critical thinking and problem solving skills when workshopping and both accepting/providing feedback for plays. A key component of this would be looking at things creatively, a skill that is crucial for good junior officers to be capable problem-solvers once they leave USNA. This would also involve being comfortable working with varied groups of people and accepting/acting on feedback for projects.
In working with the production team and actors, midshipmen will perform research on important socio-economic topics and gain new insights on these ideas before utilizing their findings to help inform directorial choices. Throughout, midshipmen will be forced to apply critical thinking to new, highly-relevant topics and then exercise decision-making skills that will be highly important as officers.
Participants will also practice and hone their critical writing skills as they work within the marketing department and interact with media, businesses, and communities whose work intersects with thematic elements of upcoming plays.
Required and/or Desired Academic Credentials of Participants:
Required: Open to rising 3/C, 2/C, and 1/C midshipmen interested in working with an acting troupe.
Desirables: Majors in English, history, political science preferred. Preference given to English majors, students who’ve earned a B or higher in HE301, or have participated in Masqueraders.
Funding: This internship is unfunded, all expenses will be the responsibility of the midshipmen who participate. The MIDN are able to walk downtown to Colonial Players so no out of pocket expenses are needed. The host will provide space, mentors, and office materials.
English Department Internship #3:
Park Books and LitCoLab Internship
555 Baltimore Annapolis Blvd. Severna Park, MD 21146
Projected Number of Midshipmen Participants: 3 per block; 9 total for the summer
Detailed description of the internship:
This internship will involve researching current trends in literature in order to curate sections of fiction and nonfiction that align with the current mission and vision of the community independent bookstore. Intern will be expected to communicate with publishing representatives regarding upcoming title releases, read and review advanced reader copies (ARCs) and vet in order to determine if books are appropriate for market. Close attention will be paid to equitable representation of authors, narratives, and authenticity of voice. Intern will be expected to create reports for booksellers regarding trends and controversies regarding current and forthcoming titles. Intern will analyze inventory reports to ensure the store’s current canon meets the mission and vision of the store.
Midshipmen to Determine Cannon:
A midshipman participating in this internship will learn what goes into vetting published books for collections in a bookstore and how the publication process works for authors and narratives of every variety; work with publishers and authors from all walks of life to decide which books should go in what collections; improve close reading and critical thinking skills by reading and vetting works; gain a broader understanding of what works comprise the current canon and why; and learn how to interact with the literary world in a more hands-on way than academic courses during the school year can offer.
Midshipmen participation in this internship will develop fleet-specific skills such as critical thinking, research analysis, and technical writing. Navy and Marine Corps officers must evaluate data from multiple sources and construct one, clear document outlining the situation. This internship would provide an opportunity to hone this skill by looking critically at individual books and creating a coherent collection with one unifying narrative or theme. Additionally, interns would be encouraged to develop and grow the military collection at the bookstore to reinforce their own interests and the military applicability of the project.
Finally, the collections midshipmen will curate with Park Books & LitCoLab connect with both Departmental and Yard-wide initiatives in diversity and cultural awareness. It is also important to note that the areas of critical thinking, professional communication, and cultural awareness are also topics stressed within the Education for Seapower (E4S) report. This internship directly aligns with E4S strategic objectives.
Required and/or Desired Academic Credentials of Participants:
Required: Open to rising 3/C, 2/C, and 1/C midshipmen interested in curating book collections and the publication process.
Desirables: Majors in English, history, political science preferred. Must be open to new literary experiences and bring an open mind to the curation process.
Funding: This internship is partially funded, all other than gas expenses will be the responsibility of the midshipmen who participate. Travel reimbursements from lodging to bookstore will be provided by organization.
History Department Sponsored Internship for English Majors:
United States Naval Institute (apply via History Internship Coordinator)
This internship introduces archival methods and the importance of metadata cataloging to capture information that future generations of Naval leaders could learn from in the course of their research. Throughout this process, Midshipmen interns would learn and be involved in fact checking, research, editorial decisions, web posting, social media posting, and web analytics. Midshipmen interns would also experience a Naval Institute monthly editorial board meeting where ten active duty members of the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard meet with Naval Institute staff members to discuss and approve or reject articles for Proceedings magazine. Editorial board members range in rank from senior enlisted to O-6. Deliverables may include work in support of a Midshipman’s capstone project or other degree-driven study effort or a work suitable for potential approval in Proceedings, Naval History, or a USNI Press book. Any work that is deemed suitable for publication shall be reviewed by a USNA faculty member and/or USNA Public Affairs Office.
Midshipmen participating in this internship will be exposed to Proceedings and Naval History content, archives, the USNI Library, and staff members who possess a combined experience of over a hundred years in military service and military professional publishing. This internship will enhance a Midshipman’s professional development by emphasizing the importance of the lessons of the past. They will also learn how to document current events (through photography and journals) for study by future generations.
Required: Midshipmen applying for this internship should be rising second or fist class History, Political Science, or English majors who have successfully completed one or more 300-level courses focused in their major and possess a knowledge and understanding of historical and current events. Midshipmen applying to this internship must be a U.S. citizen. A Security Clearance is not required. Midshipmen will be required to stay in Bancroft Hall. Meals will be provided by King Hall. There are no refundable items for the Midshipmen with this internship.
Desired: Midshipmen applying for this internship should be able to conduct quality independent research, be familiar with basic historical research methods, comfortable working with standard word processing, spreadsheet presentation programs, and able to express themselves clearly in writing.
