Research Oppurtunities

Intellectual Community

At Notre Dame, undergraduates are extending the boundaries of learning and transforming their experiences as students. Through research, scholarship, or creative endeavors, students, in any major, can learn beyond what is conveyed in a classroom or textbook. In the Sociology Department, students learn the basics of sociological research in their methods and statistics courses and are able to increase their knowledge and know-how through the honors track, elective courses, advanced methods courses, and opportunities to assist faculty members and graduate students in their research projects.

Sociology Undergraduates Involved in Research

To see who among our Sociology majors is doing research and to get an idea of the kinds of projects and opportunities available in the Sociology Department, click here: SOCIOLOGY UNDERGRADUATES INVOLVED IN RESEARCH

 

What is Undergraduate Research?

Adapted from: http://isla.nd.edu/undergraduate-research/forms/documents/FinalDefinitionsofUndergraduateResearch.pdf

Independent Original Scholarship or Creative Work

Such will usually consist of a capstone project, but may also include the delivery of a paper or the completion of an article or creative work that has been submitted for publication or exhibition outside of the University of Notre Dame. Specific examples include the following:

  • Senior or honors theses or capstone projects
  • Articles (as principal author or co-author) submitted to scholarly journals housed outside of Notre Dame or in-house journals with a blind or independent review process
  • Papers delivered at disciplinary conferences
  • Cinematic features, documentaries, musical scores, photographic collections, and other works of art that represent capstone experiences
  • Creative works that are exhibited outside of Notre Dame

Hands-on Involvement in a Scholarly Project or Creative Work

Such activity will normally involve sustained and material participation in a research endeavor. Examples include the following:

  • Experimental research projects undertaken with or without the supervision of faculty members at Notre Dame or elsewhere
  • Field work involving observation, participation, inquiry, and a substantive written presentation of original findings that exceeds standard course-work assignments
  • Active participation in research projects involving the gathering and analysis of primary artifacts (e.g., archeological research)
  • The gathering of ethnological data and their presentation in a generally accepted disciplinary medium (e.g., ethnography, film, article, poetry, etc.)
  • An artistic performance in a juried competition
  • An internship where a student is actively involved in the creation of art

For more information about Undergraduate Research at Notre Dame, go to: http://undergradresearch.nd.edu

Resources for Sociology Undergraduates to Get Involved in Research

From the College of Arts & Letters Institute for Scholarship in the Liberal Arts

Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP)

Facilitated by the Institute for Scholarship in the Liberal Arts, the Undergraduate Research and Teaching Opportunity Program (UROP) is an exciting initiative designed to expose undergraduate students to the rigors and rewards of scholarship.

Students work with faculty advisors to design a research project that may range from independent research to creative projects to the presentation of research at conferences. Awards include summer fellowship grants up to $4500 and research and materials grants of $1750.

Projects receiving grants in 2008 include:

  • Inspiration, Love, and Rivalry of Homeland: The Loire Valley of Muse
  • Cultural Fluidity in Europe: The People and Identity of South Tivol
  • An Analysis of Risk and Resilience in Older Adults

For more information about the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program, click here.

Learning Beyond the Classroom

Learning Beyond the Classroom Grants give students opportunities to attend cultural events and conferences and to spend summers engaging in internships. As a result of attending a performance or having occasions to spend time with artists and scholars, students can begin to formulate relevant questions, measuring what they learn in class with what they experience in these other contexts. In turn, this kind of critical engagement can help students as they embark upon future projects, plans, and research.

For more information about Learning Beyond the Classroom, click here.

To apply to Learning Beyond the Classroom, click here.

International Opportunities

Kellogg Institute for International Studies

The Helen Kellogg Institute for International Studies aims to advance investigation in comparative international studies. Named to honor the woman who donated the initial endowment for it, the Institute is a research center at the University of Notre Dame. The Kellogg Institute promotes international research by attracting faculty, students, and visitors to Notre Dame and by providing them with a supportive community of scholarship, through various activities.

For more information about the Kellogg Institute for International Studies, click here.

Nanovic Institute of European Studies

The Nanovic Institute is dedicated to enriching the learning experience at Notre Dame by supporting teaching, research, and events that inform students and faculty about the countries and cultures of contemporary Europe. Through grants, language programs and symposia, the Institute provides an interdisciplinary home for students and faculty to explore the evolving ideas, identities, institutions, and beliefs that shape Europe today.

For more information about the Nanovic Institute of European Studies, click here.

Arts & Letters Centers

Center for Creative Computing

The CCC provides leadership and resources to support digital technologies in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. Students may apply for grants as part of faculty-student teams. It also fosters initiatives in research and teaching that seek new paradigms of literacy through a critical and creative exploration of emerging forms of visual communication. True to the Catholic ideal of connecting scholarship across academic disciplines.

For more information about the Center for Creative Computing, click here.

Departmental Research and Internship Opportunities

Search for research and internship opportunities by department here.

Opportunities to Get Your Work Published

Sociological Voices: a Journal of Research by Undergraduates at the University of Notre Dame

Sociological Voices is housed in the Sociology Department where it was founded in 2003 by Prof. Russell Faeges, who continues as its Editor. The mission of this peer-reviewed journal is to encourage more students to do publication-worthy research by providing a forum for high quality sociological research and research-related work done by Notre Dame’s undergraduates. To learn more about this journal, visit the Sociology Department to peruse published volumes. To learn how to submit your manuscript to this journal, visit: http://sociology.nd.edu/journals-and-centers/sociological-voices/

The Journal of Undergraduate Research

The Journal of Undergraduate Research is a peer-reviewed, annual research publication in the College of Arts & Letters at the University of Notre Dame. The editorial staff, wholly comprised of undergraduate students, affirms the value of undergraduate research and works to provide a scholarly medium through which such work can be disseminated within the College.

For more information about the Journal of Undergraduate Research, click here.

More Information

Contact the Director of Undergraduate Studies, Ann Power, at apower@nd.edu.