Project Description: The Virulent Hate Project, led by Dr. Melissa May Borja, uses news media to research trends in anti-Asian racism and Asian American activism during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. We identify, analyze, and map incidents of anti-Asian harassment, violence, discrimination, and stigmatization, as well as diverse forms of anti-racism activism undertaken at the local, state, and national levels. By focusing on stories reported in news media, we go beyond the big numbers to showcase the thousands of stories of how individuals and communities responded to the surge in anti-Asian racism and violence during 2020 and 2021.
 

Job Description: Virulent Hate is seeking to hire [2-3] Undergraduate Research Assistants that will assist in data collection and cleaning efforts to ensure that incidents of anti-Asian racism and anti-racism activism are ethically and accurately documented. Undergraduate Research Assistants will gain experience with digital humanities methods and data collection. Additionally, Undergraduate Research Assistants will contribute to the development of a dataset that will support future digital resources including interactive databases, visualizations, maps, and reports.
 

Responsibilities:

1. Follow protocols for verifying information in Virulent Hate’s project database. Potential tasks include:

   1. Creating and verifying citations for news articles about anti-Asian racism and Asian American activism

   2. Adding missing information to incidents records (e.g., date, location, type)

   3. Identifying related incidents in Virulent Hate’s database

2. Attend and contribute to one-on-one and team research meetings.

Time Commitment and Schedule:

1. 8-10 hours per week.

2. Undergraduate research assistants should expect to meet with the lead investigator and/or project manager on a regular basis.

3. At the start of the project, there will be synchronous, virtual training sessions (~2 hours per week for 4 weeks). The student will work with the lead investigator and/or project manager to schedule these sessions around course commitments.

4. Except for weekly meetings and training sessions, the schedule is flexible. Individual research work can be conducted on the student-researcher’s own time.

Minimum Qualifications:

1. Currently enrolled or a recent graduate from an Undergraduate program.

2. Ability to work independently and methodically.

3. Ability to read and analyze texts carefully, with an attention to detail.

4. Good communication skills.

5. Willingness to learn to use digital tools such as database and project management software.
    

Preferred Qualifications:

1. Experience studying racism or anti-racist practice.
    

To Apply:

Applicants should send their resume or CV, along with a brief cover letter or statement explaining their interest in the position to the Department of American Culture at AC.inq@umich.edu.