Student Opportunities
The ITPS strives to provide and empower Iona students with a variety of pre-professional, scholarly, and hands-on learning experiences. Inspired by the work of Thomas Paine and in support of the Iona University mission of intellectual inquiry, community engagement, and an appreciation for diversity, the ITPS offers students opportunities in the fields of digital humanities, public history, and archival studies. These opportunities take the form of internships, particularly those that focus on digital and museum studies as well as data science; curriculum like the forthcoming Public History and Digital Humanities minor as well as the “Revolutions” ICT; and research collaborations across disciplinary and professional lines.
The Departments of English, History, Philosophy, and Political Science offer a 15-credit, interdisciplinary minor in Thomas Paine Studies. Students who minor in Thomas Paine Studies will:
- Understand the political ideas originated and developed by Paine.
- Connect Paine’s political ideas to the philosophical, historical, and literary context of the early American republic and the transatlantic circulation of ideas in the eighteenth century.
- Situate Paine within American political history and the American political tradition.
- Apply Thomas Paine’s ideas to the political problems and issues of contemporary American and global society.
- Develop their writing skills across disciplines
- Improve their critical and problem solving skills by applying them to Paine’s writings.
Interested students should contact Dr. Slonimsky at nslonimsky@iona.edu.
Students from a wide array of disciplines can gain experience of working with the faculty and staff of the ITPS on projects using the TPNHA collection and digital initiatives. These opportunities fall into three primary categories: archival research, digital humanities, and social media. Interested students should contact Mr. Berton at gberton@iona.edu.
The McNeil Center Consortium
In the fall of 2017, Iona University and the ITPS joined the consortium of the McNeil Center for Early American Studies. Based at the University of Pennsylvania, the McNeil Center is an interdisciplinary community that studies the histories and cultures of North America before 1850. It supports a wide range of scholarly endeavors, from seminars and conferences to fellowships, published works, and public history initiatives.
The McNeil Center Undergraduate Research Workshop (URW)
The McNeil Center URW extends the benefits of the McNeil Center to undergraduate students enrolled at consortium institutions by holding a workshop for advanced (junior or senior) undergraduates writing an honors thesis or research paper in early American studies. Each Spring semester, a select group of students are accepted to become a part of the McNeil Center’s intellectual community. Participating in the URW includes: touring Philadelphia’s archives, attending the prestigious Friday Seminars, presenting one’s research at a conference at the University of Pennsylvania, and support along the way by peers, graduate student mentors, and faculty from the participants’ colleges. Application information for the 2019 URW will be available in the Fall of 2018. If you have any questions, please contact Iona’s faculty advisor and McNeil Center research associate Dr. Slonimsky at nslonimsky@iona.edu.
Upcoming Conference Involvement
Students interested in paid opportunities to work at the 2018 ITPS conference should contact Mr. Berton at gberton@iona.edu.
