There are several opportunities for students to get involved in research. The first avenue is through course credit – in particular by working with faculty on an independent study (Socy 80), a Senior Independent Study (Socy 90), or by completing an Honors Thesis (Socy 98). The second approach is to work independently as a faculty research assistant or as a Presidential Scholar.
Many faculty members are involved in ongoing research projects that require assistance. Several of our faculty have relied on a combination of paid and unpaid undergraduate research assistants for help doing literature reviews, assembling bibliographies, cleaning and coding data, and preliminary data analysis. If you are interested in working with a faculty member on their research, you should contact her or him directly to see if what opportunities are available.
The sociology department offers small research awards to students pursuing honors theses or other independent research. The awards can support any research-related activity (e.g., interview transcription, purchasing of a dataset, travel to do field work, etc.).
The Presidential Scholar Program, funded by the Office of Undergraduate Research, pairs undergraduates and faculty advisors for a two term research opportunity. Students meeting a certain GPA requirement apply for these positions in their sophomore year and work on the faculty member’s project for two terms of their junior year. Please see the OUR website for more detail.
The A. Wade Smith award will be given each fall to a student pursuing original research on racial justice or a closely related topic. The award is for up to $500 and can be used to support any research-related activity (e.g., interview transcription, purchasing of a dataset, travel to do field work, etc.).
