The International Relations Program mentors dozens of interns annually, of which probably most leverage the experience to publish papers, speak at conferences, enter graduate or profession school, or acquire full-time jobs. Faculty-led research projects seeking interns will be posted here.
Dr. James McGann:
Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program
The TTCSP runs a small, highly selective internship program for students (grad and undergrad) and recent graduates interested in gaining first-hand experience in public policy research in domestic and international affairs.
Candidates must be highly motivated and able to work independently in a demanding research environment. The research intern positions require excellent research and analysis skills as well as data collection and project management skills. Candidates must be proficient in both oral and written English. Knowledge of Chinese, French, Spanish and Arabic is a plus but not a prerequisite for most projects. Internships are unpaid and based on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania. Virtual internships can be arranged on a case by case basis. We do our best to match the qualifications and interests of our interns with research and consulting projects to which they can contribute most.
This is an excellent opportunity for those students who are planning to attend graduate school in international relations, public policy, law school and/or work in a think tank or international organization. Ideal for IR, Political Science, English, Environment, and Global Health and Development majors. While the program focuses on think tanks and policy oriented NGOs the skills acquired can be applied to the fields of business, law, international affairs and consulting.
Research interns work independently and in teams; interns meet on Friday afternoons (usually 3-5PM) to review progress and discuss career oriented issues and other topics of interest. The duration of the internship is 16 weeks and the time commitment ranges from 8 to 10 hours per week for a part time internship. Students seeking a more in depth experience can work on major research projects and serve as a project lead for a research project, publication or conference. These internships require a minimum of 25 to 30 hours per week.
If interested, please send an email to jmcgann@sas.upenn.edu and include a copy of your resume with a brief statement of purpose outlining what you expect from an internship and what you would bring to TTCSP. Also provide a short statement outlining how the internship fits into your career and educational plans. Please indicate, in rank order, which projects you would like to be considered for. Acceptance to the Program will be made on a rolling basis until all positions are filled.
Dr. Bruce Newsome:
Game Designer
Summary: Dr. Bruce Newsome, lecturer in international relations at the University of Pennsylvania, requires interns to help design counter-insurgent, counter-terrorist, counter-intelligence, security, development, aid, and reconstruction scenarios based on events in Afghanistan since 2001.
Project title: Afghan Simulation.
Activities: Historical research into organizations, events, activities. Mapping. Scenario design. Instructional design.
Benefits: Training in research and scenario and instructional design skills; leading potentially to paid employment.
Application: Apply by email: attach your curriculum vitae, to Dr. Newsome at brucen@sas.upenn.edu. Rolling recruitment; no deadline.
Research Assistant
Summary: Dr. Bruce Newsome, lecturer in international relations at the University of Pennsylvania, requires research interns to research the performance of democracies at war.
Project title: Democracies and War.
Research Question: Do democracies fight differently?
Research background: Democracies are comparatively likely to win their wars. Democracies are powerful, ally with other powerful states, avoid wars with other democracies, and pick on weaker states. Power clearly helps explain their victories, but do democracies fight more efficiently? Many historians have assumed that democracies must have fought “better” and a few political scientists have deduced incentives for democracies to fight “better.” However, theories of democratic victory remain rare and poorly validated, while evidence for democratic fighting efficiency remains weak.
Research case: An empirical problem is that the large-n datasets are contested and contain no correlates of fighting behavior, so we are creating a new dataset of fighting behaviors for the years 1900-1950. Interns will collect evidence for a chosen behavior or a chosen state during the period 1900-1950.
Research activities: Historical research, data collection and analysis, writing.
Intern qualifications: Undergraduate or graduate students from any university are welcome to apply.
Benefits: Training in research and analytical skills. Participants in rigorous social scientific research projects could leverage their experience and Dr. Newsome’s support to author papers, present at conferences, secure research funding, and secure a full-time job.
Application: Apply by email: include a brief statement of interest; and attach your curriculum vitae. Email Dr. Newsome at brucen@sas.upenn.edu. Rolling recruitment; no deadline.
Universities as Sites of Citizenship
Research Assistant positions
