The Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University is accepting applications for undergraduate interns for the spring 2020 semester. We want creative, motivated, and committed students to join us in the defense of the freedoms of speech and the press. You’ll get to contribute to ground-breaking First Amendment research and litigation and to help us in the early stages of building an exciting new free-speech advocacy and research organization.
About Us
The Knight First Amendment Institute works to preserve and expand the freedoms of speech and the press in the digital age through strategic litigation, research, and public education. Our aim is to promote a system of free expression that is open and inclusive, that broadens and elevates public discourse, and that fosters creativity, accountability, and effective self-government.
What You'll Do
Your primary responsibility as an undergraduate intern will be to support our research and public education programs. You’ll work alongside the Institute’s staff and legal interns on all aspects of our programs, including research, data management, document preparation, and communications. Our current projects span a wide range of issues, including free speech on social media, government surveillance, intermediary liability, government transparency, the rights of whistleblowers, the right of journalists to protect their sources, encryption, and machine speech.
Qualifications
The undergraduate internship is open to Columbia University students who will have completed the first year of their undergraduate degree before the internship begins. Applicants should possess excellent research, writing, and communication skills, and have a strong interest in human rights principles and the freedoms of speech and the press in particular.
The internship is for up to 15 hours/week and we’ll give preference to those who can commit to a ten-week term. The pay rate for the internship is $15.00/hour.
How to Apply
Send the following to [email protected] by December 13, 2019:
- a cover letter (one-page maximum) explaining your interest in the internship, including a description of any relevant work or personal experience,
- a resume,
- an official or unofficial transcript, and
- one or two writing samples (preferably research papers).