Hello! My name is Elizabeth, and I am a recent English Literature and History graduate from Northumbria University. This summer I have been working on an internship organised by Ann-Marie Einhaus on the ‘Ephemera and writing about war, 1914 to the Present’, who was always just an email away if I had any questions.
I was very interested in the internship from the moment I saw the brief, having viewed it as my last chance to complete an academic activity from an interdisciplinary approach before specialising, and was thrilled when I got the position. However, the project showed me that I can maintain an interdisciplinary approach in my work, maintaining both my love of English Literature and History (alongside reigniting my love of creative writing).
In the project, I worked closely with Ann-Marie Foster, and was offered a lot of support and help, having fortnightly meetings with her to discuss my progress. My role in the project was mining websites on the ‘Mapping the Centenary’ website for pieces of ephemera which represent minorities (which means a printed small piece of paper or object- this ranges from a newspaper clipping to a pocket watch). When I found an example of ephemera, I would link the website onto a spreadsheet, and note down all the relevant information offered (name, minority group represented, description, image, web link) for later use on the project. This allowed me to learn about a range of people and groups in the period, alongside engaging with a variety of different sources. Additionally, I was also able to create some pieces of public output of my own choice (a very exciting part of the internship!) which gave me the chance to create a multidisciplinary response. I chose one piece of ephemera (a postcard sent from Egypt) and wrote three responses to it; one History based, one close analysis inspired by an English Literature approach and one Creative response. I also crafted a twitter thread which allowed me to expand my analysis of gender history, focusing on women as munitions casualties.
“This internship was a great opportunity, and one which any student contemplating a career in academia should consider.”
As an aspiring lecturer, planning to undertake a Master’s in the 2023/2024 academic year, the work I completed gave me a great insight into how projects such as this are crafted and the roles available. I was also fortunate to be allowed to sit in on a virtual meeting with the projects team (an amazing networking opportunity!), and learn more about what was going on within the project as a whole, beyond my tasks.
My work on the internship has taught me a range of invaluable skills. It expanded upon my learned skills from my degree, like mining for sources and close analysis; however, it also taught me new ones, like interview skills and helped me expand my knowledge on technology. It has helped me build and develop my CV, and all the experience offered will be crucial in any graduate job a student wishes to undertake.
Overall, this internship was a fantastic experience, which allowed me to immerse myself in a new and interesting subject area that I otherwise would never have considered engaging with. It was an amazing opportunity, and one which I am incredibly thankful to have been offered the chance to undertake.
Northumbria Englishes 