Internship: War of 1812 Caulk’s Field Bicentennial

Internship:  War of 1812 Caulk’s Field Bicentennial

Spring/Summer Semester, 2014

Event: 

The Battle of Caulk’s Field on August 31^st, 1814 was an American victory in the War of 1812’s Chesapeake Campaign.  The engagement resulted in the death of the British Commander, Sir Peter Parker, 2^nd Bt., and 14 other British personnel, and 3 Americans.  The British subsequently retreated to the Frigate HMS Menelaus.  The battle occurred 7 days after the burning of Washington and was an important psychological victory for the U.S., as local American militiamen defeated a force of battle-hardened British sailors and marines.  

Project: 

For the 200^th anniversary of the battle, a living history exhibition will tell the story of the battle and the people who participated in and were affected by it.  This exhibition will consist of 10 different “stations,” each representing one of the five different facets of the battle (one each for both the British and American perspectives).  Each station will be similar to a room in an historic house:  individual in its function but fully integrated into the larger story of the event as a whole.  Tours of this exhibition will be led by a representative of the National Park Service and a scholar from Great Britain.  The event will be advertised in Baltimore, Washington, Annapolis, Dover, and Philadelphia and special guests may include military officers, state and federal politicians, as well as prominent scholars, as well as the general public.  The exhibition is planned as a two-day event commemorating the battle.

Assignment/Duties:

20-25 students from the History, Preservation/Planning, Anthropology, and Theatrical disciplines will assist in creating, designing, and manning a station for this event.  They will meet with representatives of the Kent County MD Office of Tourism Development, the National Park Service, and other organizations in order to research and develop their station.  Interns will engage in cross-disciplinary cooperation to achieve their goals and will be given a budget of $1000-1500 for each station.  They will meet on at least four separate occasions with the National Park Service’s Star Spangled 200,^th and Kent County Commissioner’s Office representative(s) and the event planner in Annapolis, MD, and are required to visit the battlefield at least twice before the end of the Spring Semester, meeting with representatives of the Kent County MD Office of Tourism Development in Chestertown, MD.  Furthermore, Interns will be required to attend the event on August 31^st in order to construct and man their station.  The overall project will be divided into two semester programs, the duties of which are as follows: 

 

February-May 2014:  Spring Semester Internship:  Planning

• Create Plan of Action
• Research battle/surrounding circumstances/concepts
• Each group will meet on their own time and agreed schedule to prepare short reports on assigned subject.
• Four reports on progress/research given to advisor(s) to be analyzed/perfected.
• Creates and understanding of the concepts needed to plan/execute a quality exhibition
• Report on hours/activities
• Spend Semester coalescing ideas into overall plan
• Media used
• Advertising
• Items/material(s) used
• What/how ideas will be presented to the viewing public
• “Floor Plan” of exhibit
• Budget

May-August 31^st 2014:  Summer Semester:  Execute Plan

o   New interns paired with returning interns working their exhibit

·         Interns who participate in both semesters will receive $500 stipend

§  Will help pay for transportation and lodging costs (if any) on the weekend of August 30-31^st 2014.

o   Will follow plan created in the Spring

o   Interns will coordinate with interested parties

§  Advertising, press releases, coordinate with groups, will rehearse/practice what they will do and say on August 31^st 2014

o   Gather materials/begin assembling exhibit

§  The idea is to create easy-to-assemble components that can be transported/assembled on site in a time-efficient manner

o   4 progress reports to advisors

§  Will include catalog of hours

Opportunities:

Interns will gain valuable leadership and multi-disciplinary experience.  Interns will work in a high-profile environment with local, state, national and international contact opportunities.  Success in this project will give each intern great experience and a great success to put on their resume.  Thus this event can provide great job experience and contacts for the future.

Requirements:

Applicants are required to have a Grade Point Average of 2.5 or higher and above the sophomore level in order to be accepted.  Good standing with the University is required

How to Apply:

Send a resume and a brief (1-page) letter of intent to wllmjohnston4@gmail.com.  Final deadline for application is December 10^th, 2013.