ARESTY UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY FOR 2016-2017
Rutgers Latino and Caribbean Community Memory Project
Faculty Mentors
Professor Yolanda Martínez-San Miguel
Professor Kathleen López
Professor Carlos Decena
In January of 2016, the Rutgers community was informed about the approval of the name change of the
Department of Latino and Hispanic Caribbean Studies into Department of Latino and Caribbean Studies. This
recent change of name is part of a gradual evolution of the faculty and curriculum of the department, which was
originally dedicated to the study of Puerto Ricans in the U.S. The Department wants to celebrate its present and
future by studying its origins and history. We are looking for 4-6 undergraduate students interested in helping us
research and curate the historical archive of our department and to conduct research about LatinX and Caribbean
students at Rutgers, New Brunswick and/or or New Jersey. Students working on the ARESTY team can be
majors from any discipline.
Eighteen students from the Equal Opportunity Fund (EOF) led the efforts to create the Puerto Rican Studies
Program at Rutgers in 1970. In the recently published book Rutgers since 1945 (Rutgers University Press, 2015),
Professor Paul Clemens documents Latino student mobilizations and their crucial role in the transformation of
the Program of Puerto Rican Studies into the Department of Puerto Rican Studies in 1973. Our students have
been integral to the development and transformation of our department from the 1970s until the present. As part
of the events organized to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the university, Paul Clemens and Kathleen
Lopez are organizing a symposium that will focus on the Puerto Rican student movement and the history and
trajectory of Latinos at Rutgers. This ARESTY Project will supplement the symposium by assisting us with the
process of digitizing and curating the historical archive for Puerto Rican, Latino and Caribbean Studies at
Rutgers.
We are seeking 4-6 undergraduate students to assist us with completing the following tasks:
1. Create bibliographies focusing on the origins and development of Latino Studies in the U.S., with particular
emphasis on the development of Puerto Rican Studies in the East coast.
2. Locate and scan relevant bibliographical entries to create an archive for teaching and research purposes.
3. Digitize and curate an archive for the Department of Latino and Caribbean Studies.
4. Locate relevant courses offered at Rutgers and at other nearby institutions that could be relevant to the
research project.
5. Attend and assist with the organization of the symposium on Latinos at Rutgers to be held on Friday October
14, 2016.
6. Become trained to conduct interviews and oral histories with former students, faculty and staff members
related to the development of Latinos at Rutgers.
What, concretely, will the student know about your field after the experience? What research skills will the
student acquire? How will the student's appreciation for research develop?
This project is coordinated by three faculty mentors: Carlos Decena, Kathleen Lopez and Yolanda Martinez-San
Miguel.
The team will meet for one hour every other week for a total of 6-7 meetings per semester.
The ideal candidate would be a junior, sophomore or senior interested in one (or more) of the following areas of
study: Latino Studies, Caribbean Studies, Ethnic Studies, American Studies, and History. Knowledge of Spanish
language a plus. Faculty mentors will train students in the following skills:
1. How to craft a productive interdisciplinary research question. This project combines Caribbean, Latino,
Ethnic and American Studies, History and Higher Education.
2. How to conduct bibliographical research to produce a working bibliography.
3. How to curate a digital archive of relevant materials for the institutional history of Latinos at Rutgers.
4. How to conduct interviews and oral histories.
Students can undertake the ARESTY project in combination with 595:497: Senior Seminar in Latino and Caribbean
Studies, to complete 6 credits while conducting historical and archival research.
Students with financial aid needs can combine the ARESTY work with work-study hours.
Project Details
The commitment expected from the student: 5 hours per week, for two semesters
The compensation for the student: 3 credits and work study hours based on financial need.
The campus location: Multiple locations
The building: Lucy Stone Hall and Alexander Library. Possible work in libraries in Newark, NJ and New York
City, depending on student availability.
Timelines
The first date to apply to this project: March 10, 2016.
The last date to apply to this project: April 7, 2016.
The date the research will begin: September 2016.
The date the research will end: May 2017.
The duration of the project: Academic Year
To apply, go to:
https://aresty.rutgers.edu/research-assistant-program-applications-open-2016-03-10
