STRC Undergraduate Research Fellowship Seminar Faculty Opportunities

The Social Transformation Research Collaborative is seeking applications from LAS full-time faculty interested in teaching the STRC Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) seminar.

Faculty will 1) teach this 5-week course in interdisciplinary humanities research methods for six STRC Undergraduate Research Fellows during Summer Session I 2025; and 2) oversee the completion of the projects of all six fellows over the subsequent Autumn Quarter and early December 2025.

SURF students will be rising juniors or seniors who have been nominated by faculty for the course; they will develop a research project related to the historical trajectories, legacies and/or cultures of people of color. Students will receive a stipend and free tuition for the summer course as part of their fellowships.

The SURF seeks to support students (especially students majoring or minoring in African and Black Diaspora Studies, Latin American and Latino Studies, or Global Asian Studies) to prepare to enter graduate school and the academy by introducing them to key research tools and experiential learning activities. It is designed to foster the connections that studies have repeatedly shown lead to success in college and beyond: a strong network of faculty and staff advisors and mentors, friends and peer mentors, and an intellectual community.

Description of the Student Fellowship
The Course: Research Methods in the Interdisciplinary Humanities

This Summer Session I course is an on-campus, 5-week, 4 credit-hour seminar in interdisciplinary humanities research methods taught by two faculty. During the class, students will:

• develop a viable research question;
• build a bibliography of secondary and primary sources;
• develop a plan of work;
  
• write an abstract;
• draft a 3-5 page prospectus for a 10-12 page research paper.

Ongoing Project Mentorship

Students will spend the rest of their summer independently researching and drafting their research paper according to their prospectuses. They will meet once with the faculty mentor in late July/early August to report on their progress; they will submit rough drafts of their papers on/around August 30. After receiving feedback on their drafts in early September, they will work with the faculty mentor to develop a poster presentation about their research project for the STRC Symposium in late October. They will continue to revise their research paper through fall quarter and submit a final version to the faculty mentor for a grade in early December.

Application Timeline

The application timeline for SURF faculty is outlined below. Interested faculty should review the FAQ and direct additional questions to the directors of the STRC, Julie Moody-Freeman (jmoodyfr@depaul.edu) and Bill Johnson González (bjohns58@depaul.edu).

Application Preparation

Applicants for the Undergraduate Research Seminar Faculty Lead opportunity should review the Application Guidelines packet, which outlines in detail the key responsibilities of the Faculty role and all materials that must be submitted through the online application.