This summer, up to 12 undergraduate research fellows will be selected to participate in the Humanities Summer Research Institute. The institute provides intellectual community and regular support for students working on individual research projects in history, philosophy, literature, media, cultural studies, religion, anthropology, classics, rhetoric, modern languages, and other humanities subjects. Most participants will use their time in the institute to complete a project for the Undergraduate Summer Scholars Program, the Dean’s Scholars Program, the Honors and Scholars Program, or departmental honors. The institute is intended to give beginning researchers a sense of what it is like to join a vibrant, interdisciplinary community of scholars.
The Research Institute provides a collegial environment where ambitious students can receive guidance, feedback, and support on a regular basis. In the institute, students will discuss the ups and downs of their work, share findings and writing, give and receive feedback, study models of excellence, and practice presenting their work to other scholars. A professor in the humanities will help fellows set and meet goals, learn how to work around typical research problems, and make their findings clear to an interdisciplinary audience. Above all, the institute will offer community during a period of intense individual study.
The institute is intended to supplement and enhance, not replace, traditional one-on-one faculty supervision of undergraduate research projects. Student research fellows will continue to work closely with individual faculty mentors who are experts in their fields. Faculty supervisors will remain the primary mentor of their students’ projects, and they will continue to receive any professional expenses awarded for directing students projects.
Participation in the Summer Research Institute is free, and Research Fellows will receive $250 to support their research expenses. This award will come in the form of a bursar credit upon completion of the program.
In 2020, the Institute will meet in Oxford May 18-21 and August 17-20, allowing students to travel and conduct research during the interim period of the summer. May meetings will focus on project outlines, research organization, and trips to area research collections. August meetings will focus on research presentations and group feedback. Several online activities and research status updates will also be required during the interim summer period. To receive the $250 credit, students must attend at least 6 of the 8 meetings in Oxford.
To apply to the summer 2020 program, please fill out the following form.