Graduate Assistantships: Human Rights Program

The Carter Center's Human Rights Program is seeking a qualified graduate student for the 2024-2025 session to conduct policy research and analysis related to the following research project.

U.S.-India relations. This project focuses on analyzing domestic political/economic trends in India and their impact on the U.S.-India strategic partnership. Working with the program and project director, the GA is expected to forecast political risks in the Indo-Pacific that are relevant to U.S. government and commercial stakeholders, with a focus on the South Asian neighborhood. Specific lines of inquiry concern challenges which U.S. business firms (especially technology companies) may face in India, the relevance of India’s domestic politics to its foreign policy (including its impact on ties with the U.S., Russia and China), and relevant strategies to support and strengthen Indian democracy to promote peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific.

The graduate assistant will be expected to:

Produce one or two research papers on key topics and issues, related either to trends in Indian democracy and their policy implications for various domains of the U.S.-India partnership and/or India’s foreign policy. The papers should be of sufficient quality to circulate within the U.S.-India policy community. Key benchmarks for review include the following tangible deliverables:

• Annotated bibliography and academic literature review
• Draft research proposal, including research design and literature review plan
• Annotated outline for the proposed paper assessed through weekly meetings with Human Rights Program staff
• Drafts of research paper(s)

Qualifications:

• Currently enrolled graduate who has completed at least two semesters of academic coursework
• A 20-hour per week commitment for a period of 9-12 months
• Strong research, writing, communication, and analytical skills
• Selected candidate will need to be a self-starter and should be able to work independently
• Demonstrated interest in U.S. foreign policy, South Asia, U.S.-India ties, and awareness of the current literature and key issues
• Familiarity with public debate and scholarship on Indian politics is preferred
• Ideal candidates should have completed at least one graduate course focused on South Asia and on U.S. foreign policy, and be familiar with key literature

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