Undergraduate Research Assistant

St. Francis Xavier University • Antigonish, NS

5h

About The Position

Funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, this project investigates new representations of animals in contemporary French-language literature. Through the analysis of a large corpus of literary texts published since 2000, it seeks to identify and map recurring forms of animal spectrality (in relation to their disappearance amid the ongoing sixth mass extinction), while also exploring their ethical importance. The undergraduate research assistant will contribute primarily to the corpus-mapping phase of the project and will work closely with the researcher and a doctoral research assistant. This initial phase of the project will extend over approximately one year. Hours of work are flexible and will be determined jointly with the student, provided that the 400 contracted hours are completed by the end of the appointment period. The student may also have the opportunity to present part of their work, or a related topic, at an undergraduate student conference.

Requirements

• undergraduate students at St. Francis Xavier University
• strong reading proficiency in French, with the ability to read and analyze a substantial volume of French-language literary texts
• excellent attention to detail and an interest in abstract and conceptual thinking
• ability to work both independently and collaboratively as part of a research team

Nice To Haves

• academic background in French literature, literary theory, or animal studies
• experience using databases, Zotero, or similar research tools

Responsibilities

• reading and analyzing selected works from the primary corpus
• organizing data in a shared research database
• annotating significant passages and excerpts
• assisting with bibliographic research and the organization of research materials and files
• collaborating with the doctoral research assistant and researcher on data collection, corpus development, and research organization

What This Job Offers

• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed