The current opportunity is available for current Manchester Met students, to apply you must be based in the UK for the duration of the role.
The main purpose of this role is to provide research support to Dr Amy Chambers (Film and Media Studies) on her project ‘Women Make SF: Gender is not a Genre’, by assisting with researching women-directed films, creating a simple database, setting up and developing a project website and migrating existing materials, and generating an annotated bibliography under the supervision of Dr Chambers.
This would be an ideal post for a L5 Film and Media Studies or English and Film Studies student to develop knowledge in science fiction and women-directors and conduct the research for an L6 Critical Project (supervised by Dr Chambers). It also offers an exciting opportunity to gain valuable transferable/employability skills including research experience, project management, and digital humanities experience.
Project Summary:
Science Fiction (SF) filmmaking is often seen as a male space both in terms of creation and reception; women filmmakers not only have to navigate a competitive industry, but they are also forced to challenge the stereotypes and misinformation that suggest that women lack ambition and interest in SF. ‘Women Make SF: Gender is not a Genre’ (WMSF) will delineate the place, impact and expertise of women SF filmmakers. WMSF challenges the way we think about women filmmakers and SF, moving away from thinking of women-directed genre films in terms of gender categorisation and instead recognising women SF filmmakers as a valuable and necessary part of film history and the future of SF and the industry more broadly. This first stage of the project will include the cataloguing of every SF feature film directed by those who identify as women including transwomen and non-binary creators (c.100 films). WMSF will draw upon analysis of women-directed SF media properties and interviews with their creators to investigate women’s voices in SF, the challenges they face, and the trends in industry and wider culture that dis/enable women SF creators.
Currently hosted at: https://amycchambers.com/womenmakesf/
Dates: 3 February 2025 - 31 May 2025
Hours: 12 hours/week, flexible
Key Tasks
Research Activities
The successful candidate will be required to work closely with the project lead to carry out their main responsibilities of:
Producing an annotated bibliography of scholarship and relevant materials (incl. interviews) related specifically to women/non-binary SF filmmakers and their work.
Developing and populating a searchable database for use on a website collating information on the production of women-directed SF using existing film databases and cross-referenced with film credits.
Establishing, launching, and managing the project social media and website (migration of current materials to a new site) including: formatting and publishing film reviews and research updates; creating podcast mentions; generating and updating lists of current and forthcoming women-directed SF film releases; writing and publishing social media posts.
Plan and prioritise own work and resources, within research project framework, in order to determine the most effective way to achieve agreed research objectives.
Write up own research and prepare for presentation to research lead and publication on new website.
Contribute to the production of research reports (literature review); set up and developing a project website, migrate existing materials, and contribute to publication of findings.
Use initiative and judgement to develop appropriate techniques in order to facilitate research work and resolve problems affecting the achievement of objectives and deadlines.
Liaison and Networking
Present research to the team and reports for publication on website.
Participate in internal and external networks in order to aid the dissemination of research findings, to share best practice, and to enhance the reputation of the University.
Service Provision
Proactively and effectively engage with quality assurance procedures to ensure that University standards are upheld.
Collaborate with academic colleagues on research development and future direction.
Team Working
Work closely with the project lead to develop and lead on the set up of a new website including generation of a database, publish reports, and migration of material from existing website. Support launch of new website and develop online presence through social media.
Introduce potential new starters to the area, giving training on basic skills and activities to assist their induction to the team.
Miscellaneous
You have a legal duty, so far as is reasonably practicable, to ensure that you do not endanger yourself or anyone else by your acts or omissions. In addition, you must cooperate with the University on health and safety matters and must not interfere or misuse anything provided for health, safety and welfare purposes.
You are responsible for applying the University’s Equal Opportunities Policy in your own area of responsibility and in your general conduct.
Such other relevant duties commensurate with the grade of the post as may be assigned by the Manager in agreement with you. Such agreement should not be unreasonably withheld.
You have the responsibility to engage with the University’s commitment to Environmental Sustainability in order to reduce its waste, energy consumption and carbon footprint.
You have the responsibility to engage with the University’s commitment to delivering value for money services that optimise the use of resources and therefore should consider this when undertaking all duties and aspects of your role.