Influencing the Revolution: Social Media and Digital Fundraising between the United States and Burma/Myanmar
Clarence E. Dammon Dean
Academic Year 2025
Accepted
Anthropology; STS; International Studies
The project, Influencing the Revolution: Social Media and Digital Fundraising between the United States and Burma/Myanmar seeks a part-time undergraduate Research Assistant (RA) for the 2025-2026 academic year. The RA will work closely with the Project Director, Professor Courtney Wittekind (Dept. of Anthropology), on developing and implementing this project. The RA will be responsible for reviewing, archiving, and organizing material shared on social media, specifically focusing on Facebook posts related to fundraising efforts in support of Myanmar's Spring Revolution, an anti-authoritarian movement that rejects Myanmar's 2021 coup and calls for the return of democratic rule. No prior experience with social media archiving or analysis is expected, but some training will be required.
Courtney Thomas Wittekind
Specific responsibilities include:
- Completion of CITI course methodological training;
- Archiving of posts from ten target Facebook pages focused on online fundraising for Myanmar's Spring Revolution;
- Coding of archived posts from target Facebook pages according to established themes;
- Ongoing social media monitoring of target pages relevant to the study;
- Participation in online focus groups with members of target Facebook pages;
- Drafting of a monthly reflection about the material collected as a part of the project.
Weekly hours will vary throughout the course of the project and are negotiable based on student. The student will also have the opportunity to participate in presentations at major disciplinary conferences and contribute to scholarly publications as a named team member.
Qualifications include:
1) Academic and/or work experience related to the field of research, including (but not limited to) coursework in anthropology, sociology, or another social science discipline, qualitative research experience, or prior involvement in community outreach or activism;
2) Good academic standing, as defined by the student's academic advisor;
3) Comfort with independent remote work between regular (2x/month) in-person meetings;
4) (Preferred but not required) Fluency in Burmese (Myanmar) and English.
Please submit an application via OUR Connect. This position is open to students via multiple OUR programs; students should apply once to the program they prefer. Any questions or concerns can be sent to Dr. Courtney Wittekind at ctwittek@purdue.edu.
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8 (estimated)
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