2020

The Roman Society is pleased to invite applications for its 2020 Museum & Heritage Summer Placement Scheme.  The following museums and organisations are willing to host placements if at all possible, but they may be postponed or cancelled at short notice depending on the situation with the outbreak of COVID-19.  Students in any country are eligible to apply, but please check for any travel restrictions.

• British Museum, Department of Greece and Rome:
  https://www.britishmuseum.org/our-work/departments/greece-and-rome
  The successful candidates will work on aspects of the Department of Greece and Rome’s collections concerning documentation of the collection both on and off display.
  The British Museum is currently closed, but these placements will be available when possible, later in 2020 or 2021 (to be arranged).

• British Museum, Department of Coins and Medals:
  https://www.britishmuseum.org/our-work/departments/coins-and-medals
  The successful candidate will assist with the sorting, identification and cataloguing of coin hoards and site-finds, or coins in the British Museum collection, working with curators and national finds advisers.
  The British Museum is currently closed, but if it re-opens over the summer, this placement will be available in September or at a later date.  

• Great North Museum, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne: https://greatnorthmuseum.org.uk/
  The successful candidate will work with Andrew Parkin, Keeper of Archaeology, on the collections and gain an insight into the varied tasks of working in a museum. 
  The Museum is currently closed, but the placement will be available during the summer if/when the Museum is able to open.

• Institute of Classical Studies: http://ics.sas.ac.uk/
  This placement offers the opportunity to gain experience in digital classics research. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to implement a small, supervised but independent piece of work related to one of the Institute’s projects, for example: a database of persons or names related to a historical source; annotating people or places in texts or images; creating a small digital corpus of documentary texts. Advanced digital skills are not a requirement, but familiarity with basic tools such as spreadsheets and database tables would be an advantage. 
  The University of London is currently closed, but if it remains closed over the summer, it may be possible for this placement to be undertaken entirely remotely. This will be discussed nearer the time with the successful applicant. 

How to apply

• The dates of the placements may be determined by consultation between the successful candidates and institutions but are usually for 2-3 weeks during the summer vacation. This year, placements may be held later in the year or in 2021.
• All Undergraduate and MA students are eligible to apply.  
• Up to five bursaries of £300 will be offered as a contribution towards travel or living expenses.
• Candidates should apply by letter setting out their reasons for wishing to undertake a placement and outlining any previous experience.  You should also provide the name and email address of a referee.  You may specify the Museum or organisation you would prefer to be based at or submit an open application.  
• Queries and letters of application should be addressed to the Secretary, Dr Fiona Haarer, and sent by email by 31 May, 2020 to: office@romansociety.org 

Reports

Read reports from previous bursary holders here.