Description
This is a limited term position for 1 year with a high probability of continuation. This is a grant funded position and is not eligible for severance pay.
The Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life prepares students in all fields of study for lifetimes of active citizenship, promotes new knowledge in the field, educates Tufts students and beyond for a life of active citizenship, and applies our research to evidence-based practice in our programs, community partnerships, and advocacy efforts. Tisch College's work is central to Tufts University's mission. Tisch College offers several opportunities to engage Tufts students in meaningful community building and other civic and political experiences, explore personal commitments to civic participation, and take on active and effective roles in public life and to engage faculty in expanded active citizenship research and teaching. Tisch College also seeks to influence higher education in the US and abroad to embrace active citizenship mainly through its work via our Institute for Democracy in Higher Education (IDHE).
IDHE is the nation's leading research center and advocate for college student political learning and engagement in democracy. We strive to inform and shift college and university priorities, practices, and culture to strengthen democracy and advance social and political equity.
IDHE conducts both quantitative and qualitative research on college student political learning and engagement. Core to IDHE's work, the National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement (NSLVE) ("n-solve") is a large database of combined enrollment and publicly available voting records used for research. IDHE also conducts qualitative case studies to assess an individual college or university's campus climate for political learning and engagement. The team works with clusters of campuses, guiding them through a process of self-assessment of their political climates. This research is used to help colleges and universities design programs and activities for political learning, discourse, equity, and participation. Over the next year, IDHE's qualitative research team will embark on a new set of case studies, examining institutional climates for closing equity gaps in political participation.
Reporting to the Director, based on the Medford/Somerville Tufts University Campus. The researcher will conduct qualitative research and provide research administration and oversight to a series of qualitative case studies on political equity in U.S. higher education. The work includes coordinating site visits; overseeing transcription, data storage, coding, data analysis; working with the qualitative research team to draft publications; maintaining data from past climate studies; conducting literature reviews and background research. In addition, the researcher will be responsible for working with and assisting colleges and universities to improve their campus climates for political learning, discourse, equity, and participation.
