October 7, 2018
Graduate and Undergraduate Research Assistantships 2018-19
Subject Areas: Government, U.S. History, Psychology, Education, Curriculum Development, Case-writing
Harvard’s Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics is currently seeking research assistants to support a major initiative to support the renewal of K-12 civic education. After decades of decline in the delivery of civic education in the U.S., we have reached a moment of widespread appetite to renew civic education in the nation’s schools. Harvard’s Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics, through its Democratic Knowledge Project (DKP), seeks to contribute to that nation-wide process of reinvention through engagement with civic education reform at the level of individual states. In June 2018, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in the State of Massachusetts passed new state educational standards intended to extend and deepen the place of civic education in the curriculum. The standards now require a year-long 8th grade civics course. The Democratic Knowledge Project is working with Massachusetts school districts on the development of that course. We are supporting curricular and resource development, creating assessment instruments to support instructional practice, and developing professional development opportunities for civic educators.
We seek research assistants at either the graduate or undergraduate level with knowledge of and interest in any of the following areas: U.S. history, especially the early Republic; democratic and constitutional theory; history of U.S. political thought; history of indigenous cultures, history of race, ethnicity, gender and sexuality; social and cognitive psychology and/or assessment; curriculum development; case-writing. Hours and duties will vary with the background and the availability of the RA.
Most immediately, we are seeking: (1) an RA to do historical research in support of six chapter adventure videogame based on the Declaration of Independence, which we are co-developing with the educational game firm, Amplify; (2) 2-3 RAs to join our teams working directly with school districts on curricular development; this will include doing research to support development of curricular materials as well as contributing to the development, writing and production of curricular materials.
The Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics seeks to strengthen teaching, research, and public deliberation about pressing issues of ethical significance; to foster sound norms of ethical reasoning and productive civic discussion; and to share the work of our community broadly and in the public interest. Center Director Danielle Allen(James Bryant Conant University Professor) is the Principal Investigator for the Democratic Knowledge Project. RA’s would be working with Prof. Allen and theDKP team.
To apply, please submit a resumé and brief letter of interest detailing relevant experience to Michael Blauw at michael@ethics.harvard.edu by October 31st.
We will hold a DKP Research Assistant info fair on Friday October 19th, from 1pm-2pm, at the Edmond J. Safra Center (124 Mt. Auburn St., Ste 520N). If you plan to attend, please RSVP to Michael Blauw at michael@ethics.harvard.edu.