Internships

Archaeological Collections Internship

Supervised by Senior Academic Curator Liz Leith, this for-credit internship is available to students interested in archaeology, curation, and museum studies. Offered every other year on a semester-by-semester basis, this internship takes the form of a 699-code independent study ranging from 1-3 credits. The internship requires on-site internship hours equating to 3 hours/week per credit enrolled (ranging from 3-9 hours/week) and culminates in an end-of-semester report. During this internship, students will be trained to use the UW–Madison-specific artifact catalog and database, learn about lithic, ceramic, and faunal artifact identification and analysis, and research the history of archaeology in Wisconsin and the greater Midwestern area. Undergraduate students who have taken Anthropology 212: Principles of Archaeology (or have participated in an archaeological field school) are especially encouraged to enroll, although this internship is open to all interested students. Internship spots are limited by availability and instructor consent. Interested individuals should email Curator Leith at ealeith@wisc.edu to inquire about position availability and fit.

Biological Anthropology Collections Internship

Supervised by Senior Academic Curator Liz Leith, this for-credit internship is available to students interested in biological anthropology, paleoanthropology, curation, and museum studies. Offered every other year on a semester-by-semester basis, this internship takes the form of a 699-code independent study ranging from 1-3 credits. The internship requires on-site internship hours equating to 3 hours/week per credit enrolled (ranging from 3-9 hours/week) and culminates in an end-of-semester report. During this internship, students will be trained to use the UW–Madison-specific artifact catalog and database, learn about hominin anatomy, identification, and cast maintenance and analysis. Students will regularly work with the teaching collections used in undergraduate courses and outreach activities. Undergraduate students who have taken Anthropology 105: Principles of Biological Anthropology (or have participated in a relevant field school) are especially encouraged to enroll, although this internship is open to all interested students. Internship spots are limited by availability and instructor consent. Interested individuals should email Curator Leith at ealeith@wisc.edu to inquire about position availability and fit.

Cultural Anthropology Collections Internship

Supervised by Senior Academic Curator Liz Leith, this for-credit internship is available to students interested in cultural anthropology, curation, and museum studies. Offered every other year on a semester-by-semester basis, this internship takes the form of a 699-code independent study ranging from 1-3 credits. The internship requires on-site internship hours equating to 3 hours/week per credit enrolled (ranging from 3-9 hours/week) and culminates in an end-of-semester report. During this internship, students will be trained to use the UW–Madison-specific artifact catalog and database and learn about proper storage and maintenance of ethnographic objects. Undergraduate students who have taken Anthropology 104: Cultural Anthropology and Human Diversity are especially encouraged to enroll, although this internship is open to all interested students. Internship spots are limited by availability and instructor consent. Interested individuals should email Curator Leith at ealeith@wisc.edu to inquire about position availability and fit.

Archaeological Methods of Curation Class & Internship

Supervised by Senior Academic Curator Liz Leith, this 1-3 credit 696-code blended class is offered once per year (traditionally during Spring semesters) and combines classroom instruction with an internship in the Anthropology Collection. During the weekly class session, students will discuss readings focusing on general museum curation methods, such as: registration, collection management, and laws and ethics, with unit exercises specific to anthropology collections. The internship requirement is determined by the number of credits enrolled. Students enrolled in 1 credit will focus the 1 hour/week internship on the class’ Community-Based Learning (CBL) project, a project performed in service to a Wisconsin community organization. Students enrolled in 2-3 credits will split their internship between 1 hour/week on the CBL project and 3-6 additional hours/week on an independent collections-based project chosen with consent from the Instructor. Upperclass students with previous coursework in anthropology are preferred, although students from other majors are welcome. Instructor consent must be obtained, provided only after personal discussion with the Curator. Due to space restrictions for the required internship projects, the course has a very small enrollment cap. Please email Curator Leith at ealeith@wisc.edu to inquire about availability and enrollment in this course.