Internship Sites


Internship sites change from quarter to quarter. Here are a few or our recent opportunities.

To apply, please see our application page.



Museum of Social Justice

The Museum of Social Justice & Education Center are home to a series of diverse Public Programs and Education Initiatives. Revolving Exhibitions showcase the history of Los Angeles and social change from the perspective of the poor, minorities, and other marginalized groups. This is an excellent internship for students interested in education as it pertains to history.

Activity

Internships will focus on the following two areas, which can be adjusted according to student interests and learning objectives:

  1. Museum education projects. Students will develop remote learning modules to accompany our exhibitions. An intern could choose a previous or upcoming exhibition that interests them and develop a project that educators could use in their classrooms. These projects can range from creative artistic explorations of the topic to more traditional worksheets, scavenger hunts, etc. Prospective interns can check out educational materials developed as part of previous exhibitions to get an idea of what they’d be doing. The website is www.hmuseumofsocialjustice.org. See especially the exhibition pages for the Thai El Monte, New Black City, and Goodwill exhibitions. 
  2. On-line resources. The Museum attempts to offer helpful information on our website and social media platforms on ongoing social justice struggles. An intern could choose an issue that is important to them, research and curate resources on that topic, and offer them in a useful way to our followers. For instance, a previous intern has focused on talking with children about racial justice and the Black Lives Matter movement.
  3. Interactive exhibition design. On-site interns will help design an interactive component for the upcoming exhibition Deported Veterans. This would be an on-site interactive component that’s part of the physical exhibition, something targeted at youth to help them better understand the issues raised in the exhibition. 

Contact

Website: https://www.museumofsocialjustice.org/

 


Sherman Grinberg Film Library

The Sherman Grinberg Film Library is the world’s oldest and largest privately held film archive. The library has over 20 million feet of film with content that ranges from 1897 to 1957.

The Sherman Grinberg Film Library is home of the famous Paramount newsreels “Eyes of the World” (1927 – 1929 the silent newsreels) and “Eyes and Ears of the World” newsreels (1930 -1957 the “talkies”). The Library also has the entire American Pathé newsreel library, the oldest American newsreel collection starting in 1895 and extending to 1956.

Activity

Interns will receive training in safety procedures as well as the handling of nitrate and acetate film, sorting, assembling, and splicing methods. Interns will work with a team researchers, preservationists, and film professionals on some or all of the following tasks:

  • Assembling film reels in preparation for digitization.
  • Researching index cards, one-sheets, and film subjects for creation of metadata and digital collections.
  • Processing and describing the Grinberg’s collection.
  • Assisting archivists in developing new programming in connection with private and public organizations.
  • Assisting in establishing working relations with known media and entertainment companies for distribution and access.

Note: This internship requires interns to work at the Sherman Grinberg vaults and offices.

Contact                                                  

Website: www.shermangrinberg.com

21011 Itasca St. Unit D
Chatsworth, CA 91311


Holocaust Museum LA

Founded by Holocaust Survivors in 1961, Holocaust Museum LA is the oldest museum of its kind in the United States. The founding Survivors insisted that everyone be given the opportunity to learn and no visitor would ever be turned away because of an entry fee. Through programs that value intergenerational dialogue and artifact- based learning, Holocaust Museum LA continues its mission to commemorate, educate, and inspire.

Archival Internship:

The preservation of historical documents and artifacts is a crucial practice in understanding, teaching, and learning from history. Holocaust Museum LA is committed to the preservation and retention of artifacts in both physical and digital format. The Museum strives to make its collection accessible online, transitioning and maintaining a catalogue of primary sources on a digital platform, and providing free public access to this platform as a resource for scholars, teachers and students. The Museum’s online archival database provides digital access to these important resources and receives visitors from around the world.

The Museum’s internship program invites qualified candidates to learn about the Holocaust, as well as the way in which a museum operates, specifically related to the archives. Working virtually or in person, interns will learn and assist with the various methods and steps required to process, digitize, preserve, and catalog artifacts in an environment dedicated to Holocaust history and education. Interns will have the opportunity to work research, organize and catalog both newly donated artifacts, as well as those within the museum’s existing collection.

Duties:

  • Record and digitize new acquisitions for the Museum’s collection
  • Assist staff in various tasks related to the administration and cataloguing of the physical records relating to the Museum’s archive and collection
  • Provide research assistance for Museum exhibits and social media postings as needed

Internship Qualifications:

Required:

  • Enrollment in undergraduate or graduate program, preferably with a focus in history, library studies or museum studies
  • Interest in archival methods and research
  • Strong written communication skills, including a knowledge of editing and composition
  • Ability to work both independently and as part of a team
  • Strong computer skills, including Microsoft Word and Excel

Preferred:

  • Interest in Holocaust and 20th-century European history
  • Social media skills
  • Fluency in: German, Polish, Dutch, French, Russian, or Hungarian

**Please note, a writing sample is required for this internship: excerpt from a paper written in college**

Contact

Website: holocaustmuseumLA.org

100 S. The Grove
Los Angeles, CA 90036


Boyle Heights Community Partners

The mission of Boyle Heights Community Partners (BHCP) is to protect the community of Boyle Heights from the continued dismissal and demolition of who we are, how we have come to where we are, and the future of our historical preservation with community stakeholders, organizations and groups. Innovation in architecture is extremely important, but preserving and restoring our historic homes and buildings in Boyle Heights is also important because these are monuments that reflect our history, to help us understand, and respect people who lived in different eras with different habits and traditions, and helped to mold Boyle Heights in the rich and cultural community that it has always been.

BHCP works towards a number of community-orientated goals, including

  • Leading the path for Historic Preservation by Landmarking places of significance, and the growth of our Cultural Arts in our beloved and treasured Boyle Heights.
  • Working with our community on our Historic Preservation Overlay Zones, which have already been recognized by the City of Los Angeles Office of Historic Resources Department.
  • Creating workshops for stakeholders to learn, understand the process of filing a Cultural Historic Monument Application, and the importance of Historic Preservation.

Activities

Student interns will participate in developing Historical Preservation Landmarking applications. This will involve researching the history and significance of a historic building or home in Boyle heights, drawing on archival resources, and writing up the application. Students will take ownership of protecting a historic space from demolition. This internship is a good fit for students interested in urban planning, historical preservation, and issues around gentrification and community activism.

Please note: While this internship takes place remotely, students should be located in Los Angeles and able to travel to Boyle Heights for site visits. These will take place outdoors and social distancing protocalls will be maintained.

Contact

http://boyleheightscommunitypartners.com/


History Education Internship, University Prep Value High School

University Prep Value High School is a small charter high school in inner city Los Angeles. Located in the Pico Union community west of Downtown Los Angeles, they teach in accordance with a values-based practice in a whole-school, whole-child approach. For more information, please see: http://www.upvhs.valueschools.com/

This remote internship is with the social studies department and will involve:

  • Developing teaching materials on the histories of local communities
  • Helping present lessons
  • Mentoring high school students
  • Learning about the the social studies teaching field and benefiting from being mentored by an experienced history teacher

Center for the Study of Political Graphics

The Center for the Study of Political Graphics (CSPG) is an educational and research archive that collects, preserves, documents, and exhibits posters relating to historical and contemporary movements for social change.  Using its more than 90,000 human rights and protest posters and prints, CSPG creates traveling and online thematic exhibitions, and publications. CSPG is advancing the power of art to educate and inspire people to action.

Activity:

This is an archival internship. It is anticipated the the internship will take place in person. CSPG’s Intern will receive training in some or all of the following tasks:

  1. Create and update folder-level archival descriptions of CSPG’s political posters to improve accessibility of CSPG’s online finding aid. This includes analyzing, organizing and recording details about the posters, such as main topics, keywords, and creators.
  2. Research artistic and social justice issues as they relate to works in the collection.
  3. File and store historical posters using basic preservation methods to ensure their long term protection.
  4. Minimally catalog collection items in the collection management system, to prepare the materials for digitization.

Contact: https://www.politicalgraphics.org/


Secure your own Internship

In addition to interning with our institutional partners listed above, students can secure their own internships and receive HistoryCorps credit. If you have applied for your own internship, please contact the Center for Community Learning directly to enroll in HIST 195CE. Requirements and the enrollment process are outlined here.


Summer Internships

We do not run HistoryCorps during the summer. However, many students apply for and secure their own internships.

Can I get credit? Yes! Please apply directly to an institution for the internship. If you are accepted, you can enroll in 195CE to get academic credit. The enrollment process is managed by the Center for Community Engagement.  Click here for further details.


Special Programs and Paid Internships

The following opportunities may be of interest to history students. They are not administered by or affiliated with the UCLA History Department.

Getty Marrow Undergraduate Internships

Aiming to encourage greater diversity in the professions related to museums and the visual arts, the Getty Marrow Undergraduate Internship program in Los Angeles supports substantive, full-time summer work opportunities for college undergraduates from backgrounds that have traditionally been underrepresented in the arts. Since the program began in 1993, 161 local arts institutions, including the Getty, have hosted over 3,300 interns, exposing students to career possibilities in the arts.

More information here.

Teach For America Opportunities

More info here.

  1. Full-time employment after graduation (Deadline February 10):  https://engage.teachforamerica.org/recruitment-brochure
    1. Full-time teaching, salary + benefits, alternative path to a teacher certification, all majors welcome, combat education inequity
  1. Virtual part-time employment for the Spring or Fall (Deadline December 18th):  https://tfaignite.org/
    1. Part-time tutoring, 3-5 hours a week, 100% through Zoom, 3rd grade reading or middle school math, 12 weeks, $1200 stipend upon completion, all majors and years welcome, combat learning loss
  2. Want us to send you these applications or stay updated on paid summer fellowship opportunities or fall opportunities? Sign up here (you can unsubscribe at any time): bit.ly/UCLAContactMe

 If you have any questions or want to set up a meeting with a recruiter contact: elizabeth.pohl@teachforamerica.org