Student Casual - Research Summer Intern: Consuming masculinity: young men's interpretations of advertising - Birmingham Business School - Grade 2 - 900342
Student Casual - Research Summer Intern: Consuming masculinity: young men's interpretations of advertising - Birmingham Business School - Grade 2 - 900342
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Job Description
Position Details
School or Department: Birmingham Business School
Location: University of Birmingham Edgbaston Birmingham UK
Grade/Band: Grade 2
Hourly rate: 12.69 per hour plus holiday entitlement
Casual contract from: 30/06/2025 6/8 weeks
Advert closing date: 11/05/2025 23.59 p.m.
Number of positions available: 2
Please note that this vacancy may be taken down early depending on the number of applications received. We advise you to submit your application promptly.
Our offer to you
People are at the heart of what we are and do.
The University of Birmingham is proud to have been a part of the City of Birmingham and the wider region for over 100 years andweare equally proud to be recognised as a leading global university. We want to attract talented people from across the city and beyond support them to succeed and celebrate their success.
We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of staff and that diversity is a source of strength that underpins the exchange of ideas innovation and warmly welcome people from all backgrounds and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is at the heart of who and what we areand how we work.
The University is situated in leafy Edgbaston and there are excellent transport links to our beautiful campus including main bus routes and a train station on campus we have a stateoftheart sports centre with pool shopsplaces to eat and drinkour own art gallery museum and botanical gardens.
Find out more about thebenefits of working for the Universityof Birmingham
Background to the internship
Birmingham Business School (BBS) is offering paid research internships for Business School undergraduates interested in gaining experience as research assistants on projects being undertaken by BBS academics. There are 8 research projects available to apply to all of which are listed on WorkLink (please visit each individual advert is see the full details of the project). You can apply to more than one if you are interested in multiple projects.
Research interns will work closely with the relevant academic(s) and will be supported to undertake a range of research tasks. Depending on the skillset of the selected students and the needs of the projects such tasks may include assisting with literature searches and literature reviews; assisting with the collection and/or analysis of primary research data; analysing data from existing data sets creating and maintaining one resources; summary project results etc.
If specific training is required for the internship this will be provided and delivered by the lead academic.
There will be additional skills/experience requirements for some specific opportunities are particularly suited to students who feel they might wish to pursue a career in academic research or are curious about academic research BBS UG students (including finalists) can apply for these are however particularly keen to receive applications from students from backgrounds underrepresented in academia.
Background to the Academic Researcher providing the project
Julie Whiteman is an experienced marketer whose professional experience spans private public and third sectors. Julie worked for several years in marketing before teaching professional marketing qualifications and completing her PhD at University of Birmingham.
Julie lectures on BSc Marketing Communications and MSc Foundations of Digital Marketing and is Programme Director for BSc Business Management with Marketing. Julie researches mediated representations of gender sexuality ethnicity age and social class and practices of consumption. Julie is also interested in intersectional theory and research methods.
Main Duties
This project is an exploratory research project aimed to build on and develop formative research into young mens interpretations of contemporary advertising. The research is timely speaking to current news popular culture and academic interest in male identity and gender politics. See for example the reports of the contemporary backlash to feminist advances personified in the popularity of selfproclaimed misogynist Andrew Tate the recent Channel 4 report into Gen Z trends citing growing concerns among young men that feminism and gender equality have gone too far Kings College report of growing gender divisions among todays youth and the recent widely discussed Netflix drama Adolescence focusing on gender based violence among early adolescents.
This research will consider the role of advertising specifically representations of masculinity within contemporary advertising in informing and shaping gender identity gender politics and gender division. This project is foundational to developing a larger research project aimed at submission for publication to the Journal of Advertising in 2026.
The student will be required to develop a comprehensive literature review on representations of masculinity in advertising spanning consumer marketing and sociological literature. In addition the PI and RA will work together to develop a qualitative methodology designed to build on and develop findings.
Person Specification
- A current undergraduate student at the University of Birmingham
- Academic writing understanding of and interest in gender media and advertising is desirable.
Support for the internship
This is my second application for the BBS Research Intern programme. My first which was successful in 2023 placed me with two recent graduates. I mentored these students with regular inperson catch ups and training sessions (data collection and data analysis) email communication and adhoc WhatsApp communications. I met with each individually and both together and with our coPI. I bring my extensive management experience to this programme (I worked in marketing prior to my academic career where I had direct line management responsibility for several years) my academic supervisory experience (UG PG PhD) and my volunteer mentor experience (The Girls Network). Together this multifaceted management and mentoring knowledge and experience allows me to work with students and graduates on projects to the benefit of them developing skills knowledge and subject insight and the research project managing the process so that tasks progress in line with defined objectives.
Coming from a nontraditional academic background myself I am motivated to develop opportunities to support underrepresented student groups. I believe I understand some of the specific challenges students from these groups face and can tailor my support to address them helping students build the skills and confidence required to meet these challenges at university and beyond.
Finally this project is based on UG student work and has been developed specifically to encourage participation in and exposure to academic research an aspect of our work which remains largely hidden from students.
For any informal queries please contact Kam Manku ()
View our staff values and behaviourshere
Valuing excellence sustaining investment
We value diversity and inclusion at the University of Birmingham and welcome applications from all sections of the community and are open to discussions around all forms of flexible working.
The University of Birmingham restricts all students to working up to 20 hours per week during term time. If your application is successful and your course does not follow the usual academic term timetable (e.g. PGT PGR or PhD student) you and your supervisor must formally agree vacation periods if this role exceeds 20 hours per week. In addition to this please be aware if you are an International student you will be required to apply to the Registry for the appropriate Authorised Absence.
You are only eligible to apply to this role if you are a current University of Birmingham student. If you are not a University of Birmingham student your application will not be considered.
To work you will need to carry out a right to work checks will need to be completed prior to work commencing.
Required Experience:
Intern
Employment Type
Part-Time
