DFW Opportunities
As a student of the Southern Methodist University History Department you can explore the many exciting internship opportunities in the Dallas-Ft.Worth area. Below is a list of resources for pursuing historical placements.
The African Film Festival is a non-profit organization dedicated to African motion pictures to serve as a platform for educative references to African Culture. TAFF was created to give the African independent filmmaker a platform to compete in the global market with established filmmakers. African films and its creators will have additional world stage, expanding the market for such films, and creating networking opportunities for seasoned and aspiring practitioners to commiserate on ideas and forge working relationships. Interns can serve in a variety of positions, including film screener, social media marketer, videographer, and video editor (spring and summer 1 semesters).
The Commit Partnership is a community navigator and connector, working to ensure that all DFW students receive an excellent and equitable education that prepares them to flourish in college and career. "The Miseducation of Dallas County" is a podcast series powered by Commit that seeks to tell the story of those students and the policy decisions that shape their journeys. Each episode looks in depth at a particular policy initiative and seeks to contextualize it within the history of education and the region.
Interns must be adept at not only digging into the past but finding the threads by which it continues to shape our present and future. Internship work will involve trawling the special collections of various North Texas libraries for documents relating to desegregation, neighborhoods, and local cultures, as well as going out on interviews to collect oral histories from current community members. It also means watching and taking notes on school board and state legislative meetings, and possibly a few trips down to Austin. For more information, you can listen to the podcast here: https://commit2dallas.org/blog?category=podcast
Dallas Fort Worth World Affairs Council
The World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth is a non-profit, non-partisan organization that brings international awareness and cross-cultural understanding to the North Texas community and presents distinguished international figures year-round for in-depth interpretations of global events. The Council presents around 100 programs annually, primarily focusing on the international aspects of business, politics, culture and foreign policy.
With the goal of connecting North Texas with the world, the Council has been educating Metroplex citizens on global affairs since 1951. Internships include member services intern, education intern, international visitor program & protocol interns, marking and communication interns, and program interns. Must apply via their website and application deadlines (March for summer; July for fall; November for spring – check website for specifics)
The Dallas Historical Society (DHS) collects, preserves, and exhibits the unique heritage of Dallas and Texas to educate and inspire present and future generations. Interns at the DHS will gain insight into working in museum education as well as hands on experience in the Society’s archives. Projects and tasks assigned to interns will cater to both the needs of the Society as well as the intern’s specific course requirements (if applicable) or individual interests. Interested applicants should submit a current resume along with a cover letter detailing preferred project, departmental, or required coursework areas (fall, spring, and summer internships).
Dallas Holocaust Museum Center for Education and Tolerance (PDF).
The Dallas Holocaust Museum offers two internship opportunities in our Education department. These interns will work closely with Education staff in our Archives and on our Curriculum Trunk Program for students. Applicants must submit a current resume along with a cover letter that specifies the preferred intern position. See position descriptions in linked PDF.
Dallas Institute of Humanities (PDF)
The Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture (the Institute) seeks an intern to work closely with the marketing team in increasing awareness of the Institute and its mission of enriching and deepening the practical life of the city with the wisdom and imagination of the humanities. The marketing intern will work closely with the Director of Marketing to implement the strategies and plans of the marketing department and to assess the effectiveness of the marketing plan. As a part-time team member, the marketing intern assists in expanding awareness of the Institute and its programs, increasing membership and volunteers, and developing community relationships. This position works at our campus in the Uptown neighborhood of Dallas. Occasionally, work may occur offsite, depending on the work assignment.
Dallas Jewish Historical Society (PDF)
The Dallas Jewish Historical Society works to collect and preserve the papers, photographs, and artifacts that illustrate the history of the Jewish community in Dallas. We strive to keep the past alive through innovative programming, community outreach, and by making our collections accessible to our patrons and researchers. Our archive includes textual documents, maps, photographs, slides, artwork, objects, textiles, and an extensive oral history collection in various formats from cassette to digital.
Programs include the Lecture Series, the Oral History Program, and Historic Bus Tours, as well as events throughout the year, in collaboration with other community organizations. Our community engagement efforts and daily tasks result in a surplus of projects that include everything from filing, data entry, or research, to occasional editing and revision of outgoing communications. Volunteers will directly report to the DJHS Archivist and Volunteer Director, but will also occasionally assist the Executive Director and Administrative Assistant with various projects or clerical tasks, as assigned. This is an excellent opportunity to learn more about archival practices and the Dallas Jewish community, while earning historical preservation experience in a nonprofit setting (summer, fall, or spring semesters).
The Dallas Museum of Art offers a number of summer internships in education (art camp and community and teens programs) in which you could apply your historical skills and gain valuable work experience. The deadline for each of these is mid March. Full details can be found on their internships page. You can arrange for academic credit for the unpaid positions, but not for the paid positions.
Graduating seniors are eligible to apply for this paid, yearlong internship: 2018 McDermott Internship Flyer
The Dallas Theater Center is the largest professional theater in North Texas, located in the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre in the heart of Dallas’ vibrant downtown Arts District. Since 1960, the nationally recognized Education Programs at Dallas Theater Center have existed to support the mission of DTC by creating experiences for young people and adults that stimulate new ways of thinking and living. We do this by consistently producing plays, education programs, and other initiatives that are of the highest quality and reach the broadest possible constituency.
Interns assist with historical and literary research for plays in production (as assigned). Interns will assist in the research and creation of curriculum study guides, program notes, and pre-show lectures. Our Research and Writing Intern will be encouraged to attend rehearsals and creative insight meetings as needed.
Deep Vellum Publishing is a not-for-profit literary arts organization that seeks to bring the world into conversation through literature. Deep Vellum's programs enhance the open exchange of ideas among cultures and to connect the world’s greatest writers with English-language readers by publishing international literature in translation, while fostering the art and craft of translation, and promoting a more vibrant literary community in Dallas and beyond. Deep Vellum interns would participate in all aspects of the day-to-day operations at Deep Vellum, including social media, marketing, sales, and editing, to learn about the ins and outs of the publishing industry (summer, fall, or spring semesters).
Old Red Museum of Dallas County History & Culture (PDF)
Interns at the Old Red Museum of Dallas County History & Culture develop a substantial working knowledge of the role and functions of the museum as well as the history and architecture of the 1892 Dallas County Courthouse that houses the institution. Each intern is assigned to work with a staff member on educational or curatorial projects, such as visitor programs, social media, exhibit content, and collections management. Applicants are required to submit a current resume along with a cover letter which specifies one or more preferred project areas. Positons include the Education and Programs Intern (summer semesters) and Curatorial Intern (summer, fall, or spring semesters).
Religion, Race, and Global Dallas Research Internship (PDF)
The religion, race, and global Dallas research internship allows students to work within a specific East Dallas community through archival and oral research methods. Students will contribute to a larger book and documentary project that explores the history of ISCKON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) movement in the heart of east Dallas. Student interns will work closely with the writer and documentarian to develop skills in archival research, community engagement, and documentary film production.
Remembering Black Dallas is a non-profit organization that preserves and promotes the African-American life, history, artifacts, and culture of Dallas and its surrounding cities. An intern with Remembering Black Dallas would participate in archival research and development, oral history interviewing, and digital preservation of photographs. (summer, fall, or spring semesters)
The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza opened in 1989 inside the former Texas School Book Depository building at the site of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The Museum’s exhibits explore the life, assassination and legacy of President Kennedy within the context of 1960s history and culture. The Oral History Intern will take part in a series of experiential learning activities as the student assists with every aspect of the ongoing Oral History Project.
As part of this experience, the intern will actively participate in various aspects of the Oral History Project including research (archival and current media); personal interactions; appointment scheduling; question development and general interview preparation; equipment handling; lighting and videography; paperwork (releases and interview logs); uploading, storage, and media production; transcription; and generating content for Museum catalog records. The culmination of this internship will result in a final project.