Summer 2022 Research Assistant Required
period: Summer 2022, but work may start earlier if candidates are available.
time: This position can be full-time (40 hours/week) or part-time (10-20 hours/week).
pay: Research assistant size, commensurate with experience and skills
area: A summary and analysis of documents and records from the German-speaking Alps experiencing climate change to examine local forms of adaptation.
Require: Fluency in German is a basic requirement; familiarity with environmental policy, sustainable development, social sciences or history is a plus.
touch: Ben Orlove, Sipa, bso5@columbia.edu
Professor Ben Orlove is seeking a research assistant Examine documents and interviews from the Italian Alps affected by climate change. Research assistants will categorize the documents, summarizing each document, noting the existence of key terms, and providing an overview. Fluency in German is a basic requirement; familiarity with environmental policy, sustainable development, social sciences or history is a plus. The specific region is South Tyrol, a German-speaking part of Italy bordering Switzerland and Austria, also known as South Tyrol and Upper Adige.
This case is one of three that Professor Olof is studying in a book he is writing. The other two are in the Peruvian Andes and North Falls in Washington state. These are small valleys or communities. In short, these communities are undertaking activities that look like adaptation to climate change because they reduce the impact of changes in snow and ice on livelihoods and resource availability, but they are not participating much in the global climate change framework. This research contributes to understanding the cultural frameworks through which communities understand themselves and shape responses to the challenges and opportunities they see. The South Tyrol case raises interesting questions about the loyalty of their place of residence to their identities as German-speaking, and their complex forms of positioning in relation to German, Italian and European identities.
The research assistant’s job will examine a range of documents, including online records from the local town council, as well as local news magazines in that part of the province. They will also examine the records of a number of local organizations – a hydroelectric power plant, mountain rescue services, and an association of people collecting World War I military items released by melting glaciers.
The work could begin in late May, or earlier. Salary is at the research assistant level, commensurate with experience and skills. Flexible hours: We can offer 40 hours/week if there are full-time candidates, but also part-time jobs (10 hours/week or 20 hours/week).
