Term: Spring 2024 (Soc 320, Section 094)
Status: CLOSED
Contact: Please contact Matthew Zinsli at zinsli@wisc.edu. It is available for 2-3 credits.
Description: How are food system and agro-environmental governance shaped by understandings of technical expertise and scientific knowledge? How do global and local actors contest notions of authoritative knowledge as they define food standards? I address these questions in an ethnographic project concerning the implementation of coffee standards on the Galápagos Islands.
This position will involve assisting with Spanish-language interviews conducted with coffee farmers, café owners, and traders on the Galápagos Islands. Interviews address coffee production, supply chains, and relations to the environment.
Duties: I used an AI-assisted transcription software to transcribe recordings of interviews in Spanish. The transcriptions must be reviewed and edited for accuracy and clarity. I have about 20 hours of transcriptions to review. Each hour of transcription takes approximately three hours to review.
The research assistant will be expected to listen to interviews while making corrections in the transcription. The assistant will also attend ‘lab meetings’ every other week to discuss the work in progress and for professional development.
Requirements:
- Fluent or near-fluent in Spanish, emphasis on listening and writing skills.
- Completion of UW research ethics training (CITI) by start of assistantship.
- Preference for students with qualitative research experience and/or coursework.
- Preference for students interested in global development and agrofood systems.
To Apply: Applicants should submit a resume, a one-paragraph statement indicating their interest in and suitability for the position, and a short (<1 page) writing sample in Spanish. Contact Matthew Zinsli at zinsli@wisc.edu with questions and to submit materials. Students can earn research credit (SOC 320) for 2-3 credits (6-9 hours/week).