Smithsonian’s Robert Frederick Smith Summer Internship: Whitney Plantation – Edgard, Louisiana
APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED THROUGH HANDSHAKE WILL NOT BE REVIEWED
Education Podcast
Whitney Plantation educates the public about the history and legacies of slavery in the United States.
Position Description:
In 2021, Whitney Plantation launched Tilling the Soil, a multi-episode podcast detailing the unique position of Whitney Plantation Museum, an 18th-Century sugar plantation dedicated to sharing the history of slavery in the United States from the perspective of enslaved people. Since its launch in July 2022, Tilling the Soil has amassed over 2,300 unique listeners from over 30 different countries, as well as garnered massive attention from museum and public history circles, as well as Whitney's many visitors and supporters, and the general public. In this new internship position, the Podcast intern will work with Director of Education Amber Mitchell on the planning and development of season 2 of the Tilling the Soil podcast, including serving in an assistant producer role.
The intern will serve a critical role in the continued development of Whitney Plantation’s distance learning materials, which includes the Tilling the Soil podcast, a 360 tour, audio tour, teacher curriculum materials, and guided virtual engagement – all currently in process. Tilling the Soil allows Whitney Plantation staff to expand on the histories told onsite and encourage critical thought on the process of doing history for and within the public eye.
Sample of Intern Duties:
• Work with Director of Education and other Whitney staff on scoping of episodes for season two, themes, possible guests, and discussion questions
• Serve as the primary scheduler for guests and recording schedule, reaching out to guests with details, answering questions
• Act as assistant producer, assisting with episode and marketing strategy, contacting potential guests, creating recording schedule, timelines, and developing scripts and/or discussion questions
• Assist in developing the marketing materials and plan for distribution in collaboration with the
Director of Education and Marketing staff
• Research slavery-related topics for possible episode ideas and topic experts
• Create a work plan for podcast planning and marketing
• Draft discussion questions for episodes
• Prepare a manual for future podcast interns, with ideas for potential topics and content
Learning Outcomes:
• Understand how to translate complex historical topics into a radio-style storytelling format for a general audience
• Learn to perform the administrative aspects of podcast and program management.
• Understand the History of Slavery at a Louisiana Sugar Plantation and its legacies and impact
• Understand how to create marketing plans, approach partners and collaborators for projects
• Understand how to manage projects, meet due dates and expectations, and communicate needs in a business setting
• A portfolio, including reports on completed projects, supervisor feedback, and examples of work products, including experience in using Asana, Slack, Microsoft Office Suite, Captivate, and sound editing software for future career use
Prerequisites:
• Demonstrated interest in African American history and culture
• Valid U.S. driver’s license
Transportation:
• Whitney Plantation is located about an hour outside New Orleans, LA and not accessible by public transportation
• Additional funding may be available to offset rental car expenses if needed
• Neither NMAAHC nor Whitney Plantation can arrange or fund personal travel expenses directly
How to Apply:
Apply: https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/0b0c935607ec41a29d4271e15cac0fb5
Fill out the application form completely and upload the following documents, including both letters of recommendation by 11:59 p.m. February 15, 2023.
- Cover letter (no more than 2 pages) detailing your past and present academic history and other experiences which you feel have prepared you for this internship and an outline of what you hope to learn during this internship.
- Resume
- Statement of interest in African American History and Culture (no more than 250 words)
- Unofficial transcript(s)
- 2 academic and/or professional letters of recommendation. Letters of recommendation must be submitted by the intern applicant along with all other application materials.
Label all uploaded documents as: Full Name_Document Type (e.g. "Jane Smith_Cover Letter" or "John Doe_Transcript").
Mandatory orientations for selected interns on Saturdays, April 29 and May 6 at 1 p.m. Eastern
More Info:
COVID-19 Vaccine Requirements:
COVID-19 Vaccine is strongly encouraged but not required