SOAS Careers Internship Programmes

The core academic staff in the BA World Philosophies programme wish to co-create a Decolonising Philosophy curriculum toolkit. 

This toolkit will not only be a landmark exercise in critical pedagogical practice in UK Philosophy, the creation and dissemination of this cocreated toolkit will also function as contributing to secondary schoolteacher’s Continuing Professional Development (CPD). Working alongside the Widening Participation and Outreach team, we envision creating a Zoom launch event for the SOAS Decolonising Philosophy toolkit, which will also function as a platform to receive feedback from secondary schoolteachers on the toolkit itself. 

We believe that this critical and inclusive pedagogical project empowers our students as active stakeholders in curriculum design and knowledge production, and also provides our students with a significant and very attractive experiential learning opportunity that deeply enhances their graduate prospects. 

Not only would such a toolkit underline the great extent to which SOAS’s BA World Philosophies programme as unique and sector-leading in UK HE, but co-creating this toolkit with our students also gives these students the concrete opportunity to help shape national education provision at secondary level and normalise critical, transformative, decolonial work.

Structure

This internship comes at an especially auspicious time for students at all levels of undergraduate study, considering that the current socio-political climate in the Global North is one geared towards the explicit critique of colonial and imperial knowledge production (as well as reactionary responses to a range of critical theory standpoints). 

You will work closely with academic philosophers in the School of History, Religions, and Philosophies alongside with members of the Widening Participation and Outreach Team, focusing on questions such as these: 

1. What does it mean to decolonise philosophy? 
2. What kinds of pedagogical advice should be included in a Decolonising Philosophy Curriculum toolkit? 
3. What does an inclusive Philosophy curriculum look like? 
4. How can philosophy be taught in ways that acknowledged the diversity of its historical traditions? 
5. What types of assessment should feature prominently in such a toolkit? 

You will also co-host with staff a range of feedback for students in your programmes across all three levels of undergraduate study. You will play very active roles in contributing to the development and dissemination of the Decolonising Philosophy toolkit document, which will serve as the principal output of this co-creation project.

Learning outcomes / Transferable skills

• Articulate detailed knowledge about coloniality, decoloniality, critical pedagogy 
• Demonstrate familiarity with the principles of inclusive curricula design 
• Co-produce a state-of-the-art Decolonising Philosophy toolkit 
• Effectively gather and respond to feedback from multiple stakeholders 
• Collaborate in a multi-stakeholder team 
• Demonstrate advanced research skills 
• Demonstrate advanced writing skills and the ability to communicate to a wider audience in the UK education sector 
• Demonstrate a range of digital (and non-digital) skills in marketing and promotion

Are you excited about the possibilities of artificial intelligence (AI) and how it can transform your university journey? We're thrilled to introduce you to an exciting opportunity—an internship that will not only empower you with AI knowledge but also give you the freedom to shape the internship itself. 

This project proposal outlines a unique collaboration between the Student Union and Learning and Teaching Enhancement to bring you an internship that explores the use of generative AI to enhance your learning experience. The goal is to help students like you understand key concepts, theories, plan assessments, and master time management using AI. 

But that's just the beginning. As successful interns, you'll have the autonomy to expand and shape this project according to your skills and expertise, making it a truly unique and exciting experience. In order to ensure responsible application within the academic setting, this project will also be committed to addressing ethical considerations and potential risks.

Internship objectives

AI exploration: Dive into the world of generative AI and explore its applications in helping students understand complex concepts, plan assessments effectively, and manage their time efficiently. 

Content creation: Develop educational materials, such as blog posts, video tutorials, infographics, and guides, that showcase the power of AI in university studies. This will contribute to the wider Digital Literacy project in LTE. 

Resource discovery: Identify AI tools and resources that can aid students in their academic pursuits and share them through various channels. 

Student engagement: Use your skills and passion to engage with students, offering guidance and support for integrating AI into their coursework. 

Autonomy and innovation: Take ownership of the project, shaping it according to your unique skills and interests, and explore additional AI applications beyond the initial scope. 

Ethical and responsible AI Use: Evaluate the ethical implications and potential risks of AI in educational settings, aiming to establish guidelines for responsible use. 

Project report/final presentation: Summarise the outcomes of the project in a report or presentation format.

Structure 

The internship spans 12 weeks, offering you a flexible schedule to balance with your studies. You'll dedicate time to project planning, content creation, resource discovery, and student engagement. The project plan will be determined in collaboration with your staff partners once you begin the internship, but may look something similar to this: 

• Weeks 1 to 2: internship orientation and project planning 
• Weeks 3 to 4: environmental scanning to assess need 
• Weeks 5 to 6: planning content materials and resources to be developed 
• Weeks 7 to 8: continue development of content, materials and resources 
• Weeks 9 to 10: soft launch of materials to gain feedback and implement changes 
• Weeks 11 to 12: final launch of materials, finalising project deliverables and submission of project report Your supervisors will provide guidance and support, but you'll have the freedom to shape the project according to your vision and expertise.

Learning outcomes / Transferrable skills

During this internship, you will: 

1. Develop proficiency in project planning, monitoring, and evaluation
2. Conduct skills mapping audits
3. Design guidance materials and resources to support and improve the student learning experience 
4. Maintain and expand a professional network
5. Develop insights into AI applications in academia
6. Develop technical proficiency in the use of AI for different purposes
7. Consult and coordinate with other members of the SOAS community

In Student Advice and Wellbeing, our focus is on supporting the mental health and wellbeing of our students. In line with the new SOAS Mental Health Strategy, Student Advice and Wellbeing will be developing a comprehensive wellbeing module for students which will cover a range of topics including what wellbeing is, the resources available to manage wellbeing and where to receive further support. 

Our aim is to equip our students with the necessary tools and strategies to manage their mental health and wellbeing while navigating the challenges of academic life. We believe that a holistic approach to mental health is essential, and we are committed to providing a safe, inclusive, and supportive environment for all students. 

The goal of the internship is to be a part of this creative process through researching areas relevant to student mental health, assessing outputs across the sector, and producing a draft of the module. You will work closely with the Student Advice and Wellbeing team to complete this project and will play a key part in improving student mental health at SOAS.

Structure 

With the support of the Student Advice and Wellbeing team, you will: 

1. 1. Research appropriate platforms to host the online module e.g. Moodle, Articulate etc 
   1. Create a comparison table of key programmes available and suitable 
   2. Make a decision with the Student Advice and Wellbeing team on what programme to use 
2. Assess outputs across the sector 
   1. Research what, if any, wellbeing modules exist in higher education 
   2. Summarise key areas which would be relevant to our wellbeing module 
3. Create an outline for the module 
   1. Compile a plan of key sections to include 
   2. Prepare research for each section 
   3. Write up the sections alongside Student Advice and Wellbeing 
4. Pilot the wellbeing module 
   1. Organise with Student Advice and Wellbeing and the Student Union a way of piloting the module amongst students 
   2. Gather feedback on the usefulness, accessibility and impact of the module 
5. Review module following pilot and submit for approval 
   1. Revise feedback gathered and re-draft the module accordingly

Learning outcomes/ Transferable skills 

You will learn a variety of skills by being involved in the project, such as: project management; market research; analysis and evaluation; research; communication and editing.