Hourly Pooled - Summer Student Research Assistantship in Regional Economic History

University of Wyoming•Laramie, WY

2d•Onsite

About The Position

Join Our Campus Community! Thank you for your interest in joining the University of Wyoming. Our community thrives on the contributions of talented and driven individuals who share in our mission, vision, and values. If your expertise and experience align with the goals of our institution, we would be thrilled to hear from you. We encourage you to apply and become a valued member of our vibrant campus community today! At the University of Wyoming , we are committed to creating a supportive and enriching workplace. JOB PURPOSE: Dr. Grete Gansauer is recruiting a student research assistant for a summer appointment supporting the “Rural Pasts, Rural Futures” project investigating the economic history of the rural Eastern Wyoming region. The position is designed for a student interested in qualitative research methods, regional development and change, economic history, public policy, rural communities, archival methods, and interviewing. This position offers excellent preparation for students preparing for graduate study or future work involving qualitative research, public policy, community development or historical analysis. The research assistant will contribute primarily to archival data collection and organization, helping to construct a historical dataset that traces how industrial and institutional change, infrastructure development and public service provision shape uneven regional development over time, from colonial settlement to today. The research assistant will also assist with interviews to understand how community leaders envision future regional development and economic pathways. The position offers hands-on training in qualitative research methods, archival analysis, historical interpretation and narrative development, with opportunities to contribute to broader discussions about rural community sustainability and regional inequalities.

Requirements

Ability to work independently. This position will mostly take place through remote work (office access in Laramie on the UWyo Campus provided).
Candidate must be a trustworthy, self-starter who can carry out tasks without supervision.
Strong attention to detail
Interest in qualitative research, interpretation, narrative development.
This position would be ideal for candidates majoring or interested in journalism, history, community development, geography, anthropology, sociology, policy analysis, public administration, or related social science fields.
Ability to read critically and identify relevant themes across historical documents.
Strong organizational skills and ability to maintain accurate records
Strong written communication skills

Nice To Haves

Previous experience with qualitative research design, methods and analysis
Familiarity with document/archival review research, coding, document analysis
Interest in Wyoming history, rural communities and/or public policy

Responsibilities

Conduct archival review of digital local newspaper records from the 1880s – present
Assemble archival database of County and Municipal public meeting minutes, resolutions by locating, collecting, organizing and cataloguing records.
Condense newspaper and public records datasets into a long-list of relevant sources for the research questions of the project, to build a timeline of major industrial events and institutional change in the region.
Extract and summarize archival material relevant to project research questions (regional industrial, institutional and infrastructural history) using internal memoing and detailed notetaking of timeline of events and trends
Identify key external policy or market shifts which influenced change or development of the region
Support qualitative and thematic coding of the archived materials
With the PI, conduct at least one field work trip to eastern Wyoming to assist in interviewing community leaders.
Additional field work travel may be required to access local archival records, or to conduct interviews (time dependent)

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