Call for Master’s Applicants to Work with Dr. Amy Erica Smith
Department of Political Science, Iowa State University
Dr. Amy Erica Smith is seeking applications for one Master’s student position in political science at Iowa State University. The selected student will receive a fully-funded, two-year research assistantship from August 2023 to May 2025. The student should have strong interest in public opinion, be fluent in Portuguese or Spanish, and able to read proficiently in the other language. The Portuguese demands of the position are somewhat higher than the Spanish demands.
Their projects will include, at a minimum:
- Assisting Dr. Smith in writing a book (coauthored with Alberto Almeida) on changes in religion and politics in Brazil over the last two decades.
- Analysis of transcripts from interviews and focus groups on religion and climate change.
- Assistance with a new project on public responses to programs to reduce deforestation.
To apply, submit the following to aesmith2@iastate.edu by midnight on Monday, June 12:
- A cover letter, naming three individuals who can serve as academic references
- A curriculum vitae or resume
- A 250-500 word essay in English explaining why the applicant wants to pursue the MA degree and what areas or topics in political science they would like to study
- A letter of recommendation from one of the three references
- A writing sample of no more than 20 pages in English, Spanish, or Portuguese. The applicant should submit this in whichever language is their best, rather than attempting to demonstrate English writing skills if they have not previously studied in the US.
Dr. Smith is happy to answer any questions at the above email address, and she will arrange for online interviews with the top candidates.
Please note that the selected applicant will also need to be approved for admission by ISU’s Graduate College, and (if not a US citizen/permanent resident) obtain a visa for study. Note that ISU has minimum English scores for applicants from non-English speaking countries.
Dr. Smith is an associate professor of political science, as well as a Liberal Arts and Sciences Dean’s Professor at Iowa State University. In the 2020-24 academic years, she is an Andrew Carnegie Fellow. Her research examines how ordinary people understand and engage in politics. She has published four books, including Religion and Brazilian Democracy (2019) and two volumes in Portuguese, and numerous articles in journalistic and academic sources.
Iowa State University of Science and Technology is located in Ames, Iowa, and is an R-1 institution widely recognized for research on climate change, agriculture, and technology. The selected student will enroll for a Master’s degree in ISU’s Department of Political Science. Students have often gone on from the Master’s program to PhD programs at other institutions.
The graduate stipend for two semesters of a 20 hour/week, halftime research assistantship at ISU will be approximately $20,000 in 2023-2024, with health benefits for the student and a tuition waiver. A small increase in the stipend is expected in 2024-25. More information on graduate assistantships can be found at https://www.grad-college.iastate.edu/finance/assistantships/.