Internships

Internship Interview: Beth Charles

1. Please briefly describe your internship role.

My internship was as an editor for the Museum of Motherhood. As editor, my primary jobs include writing and disseminating the CFP, screening the submissions, accepting or rejecting them, doing a cursory edit, coordinating reviews, and writing an editorial letter to introduce the issue. As part of the conference planning committee, I participate in planning and executing the Museum's annual academic conference, including sending the CFP, reading and evaluating submissions, planning the schedule, and more.

2. What learning objectives or professional goals did you have for yourself while preparing for this internship? Did they come to fruition for you?

My objective was to build skills in the behind-the-scenes scholarly work of editing journals. I was hoping it would give me a front row seat to how the field is built and knowledge is constructed and disseminated within a community. I was also hoping it would help me build confidence in some of my own skills in being part of building a scholarly field. It absolutely did all these things.

3. How did your internship tie into the academic work you have done so far? What specific courses or concepts were most helpful to you during the internship?

This tied into the interdisciplinary academic work I have done in both the English and WGSS departments and through my involvement with the Museum of Motherhood's annual academic conference. The most helpful courses to this work were likely the Feminist Research Methods course and Politics of Motherhood course I took through WGSS as well as the Scholarly Research and Writing course through the English department. My years of teaching PTC also proved very useful as I developed email templates and communicated with authors.

4. In what ways can you use what you’ve learned in your internship to enhance your experience in the classroom as you finish your degree?

This internship gave me a chance to peek "behind the curtain" at the rather intensive labor involved in building relationships and scholarly community within an extremely diverse and interdisciplinary field, which will be helpful as I continue to work on my degree. It has helped me clarify some of my own professional goals, and given me a place to contribute meaningfully toward the Museum of Motherhood's overall mission. 

5. As a result of this experience, have your career objectives changed in any way?

It has helped me to continue to clarify and refine my scholarly interests and what I think might interest me in an alt-ac career trajectory. It has also reinforced that what I find mind fulfilling about academic work is being invested in communities that feel aligned with my interests.

6. Would you recommend this internship to other graduate students? Why or why not?

I would, with the caveat that the graduate student would need to feel comfortable asking for help.