Undergraduate Research Opportunity Programextending the boundaries of learning

Institute for Scholarship in the Liberal ArtsUniversity of Notre Dame

isla.nd.edu/for-undergraduate-students

Paige GesickiMajor: American Studies

Minor: Gender Studies

Project Title: “The Evolution of Romantic Relationships in the Deaf Community”

Gesicki embedded herself in the deaf community at Gallaudet University to analyze communications and the way they might differ from those of hearing communities. She then researched the potential communications difficulties in the romantic relationships of “mixed” couples.

“My experience in Washington, D.C., at Gallaudet was exciting because I was more fully immersed in sign language than I imagined I would be. … I plan to keep learning more until I am fluent—and next want to explore a different area of deaf culture: the marketing of deafness, e.g., the sales of sign language courses online, sign language videos for hearing toddlers, interpreting classes, etc. I would also like to look at marketing within the deaf community, including issues such as how cochlear implants are promoted to parents of children with hearing loss.”

Completing a proposal and applying for a grant

serves as a valuable experience in itself. It will help

you clearly articulate your project objectives, pertinent

background information, methods of study, the

schedule for the project’s completion, how you will

work with the faculty adviser, and how large a budget

it will take to accomplish the project’s goals. In so

doing, you will hone your planning and presentation

skills, an additional benefit to the students whose

scholarship UROP supports.

The Application Process• No extensive research experience is required. All

interested undergraduates pursuing a major or

minor in the College of Arts and Letters who are

in academic good standing—your most recent

semester’s GPA must be at least 2.0—are invited to

apply. Graduating seniors in their final semester are

eligible to apply but must submit their proposals

before their final semester actually begins.

• Before applying, you will need to secure an Arts

and Letters faculty member with similar interests

to serve as your adviser, whether you want to work

on one of the professor’s projects or embark on an

independent endeavor.

• After determining what type of award might be most

appropriate, you must submit a project proposal

consisting of:

– cover sheet

– summary statement sheet

– budget

– project description

– letter of endorsement from the supervising

faculty member

• UROP has three deadlines throughout the year. The

first is in the late fall for grants to be used during fall

and winter breaks. The second is in late winter for

use during the spring semester, including break. The

third is in early spring for use during the summer.

• You will find the common application for UROP

funding at http://urapply.nd.edu and will need your

net id and password to begin.

Which Projects Get Funding?The student scholarship made possible by the Undergraduate Research

Opportunity Program (UROP) is as far-ranging as the many disciplines in

the College of Arts and Letters.

Working on sound effects for a major motion picture …

studying the financing of Ugandan education … presenting at

professional conferences … studying Hellenistic pottery in Athens …

writing a play—these are just some of the pursuits of our recent UROP

award winners.

No specific major is required to study a particular topic; rather, UROP

exists to nurture the passions of College of Arts and Letters students no

matter what their formal fields of study.

Stephanie DePrezMajors: Film, Television, and Theatre; Music

Project Title: “The Cult of Whedon: The Persistence of the BuffyVerse”

DePrez traveled to Southern California to make a documentary about the fan bases of writer/director Joss Whedon, creator of shows such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly. She also investigated whether dedicated followers of television shows can influence the development of their favorite programs.

“While cutting my film, I realized documentary filmmaking is basically writing a paper in which you are only allowed to quote other sources. I have to organize interviews, tapings of panels, and B-roll into a flow that is both educational and interesting. Not only have I discovered through my research that my topic is relevant and new, but I’ve been able to push myself technically as a writer and editor.”

Josef KuhnMajor: Program of Liberal Studies

Project Title: “Authority, Abandon, and Awe: Transposing The Bacchae to Modern America”

Kuhn studied Euripides’ well-known tragedy The Bacchae and translated its message and relevance to American culture of the 1960s and 1990s, specifically tackling the issues of politics, drugs, and religion. He even began

composing his own novel depicting this modern-day interpretation.

“The thesis lets you see just how much there is behind one little book or notion. The Bacchae is a short play, but by digging into it, I found out how much can be packed into one cultural artifact. It’s like a small gateway into a vast, complex world—you begin to see how everything is related. I was struck by certain similarities between the character of Dionysus and several other characters from 20th century literature, including Dean Moriarty in Jack Kerouac’s On the Road, Randle P. McMurphy in Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and Ken Kesey himself as portrayed in Tom Wolfe’s The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test.”

Extend the Boundaries of Learning

Can media tactics employed by John F.

Kennedy in his 1960 bid for the presidency

help the next Catholic candidate?

Why has violence so often

been a political tool of choice in

Northern Ireland?

These are just some of the questions undergraduate

students have chosen to explore—and that have

taken them around the world to seek answers.

The Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program

(UROP) enhances your undergraduate experience,

allowing you to transcend classroom learning

alone and engage in hands-on research projects.

Administered by Notre Dame’s Institute for

Scholarship in the Liberal Arts, UROP facilitates

this experiential learning by providing grants to

individual students.

The program is open to any student pursuing a major

or a minor in the College of Arts and Letters, whether

your interests will immerse you in a creative project

or research that seeks to answer a difficult question.

UROP gives you the opportunity to design all aspects

of your project, from a description of what you

intend to do if you receive funding to a budget that

justifies the amount of money you are seeking. Each

student is then guided by a faculty member through

the completion of the project—a form of one-on-

one interaction that can elevate the student-teacher

relationship to that of colleagues working together

on a subject of mutual interest.

In all these respects, UROP gives the students in

the College a unique opportunity for scholarship

they might not otherwise encounter during their

undergraduate years.

Do dominant tamarin cotton-top

monkeys repress the reproductive

development of other monkeys?

•Conference presentation grants (CPG) support travel to

conferences for students who are authors on a presentation (paper

or poster). A letter of support from an adviser who is a regular

faculty member in the College must accompany the application.

—up to $1,500

• Research and materials grants (RMG) support materials required

for research activities such as books, payment of participants,

software, travel, and meals. Funds cannot be used for equipment

such as tape recorders, video, or computer equipment. A letter

of support from an adviser who is a regular faculty member in the

College must accompany the application.

—up to $1,750

•Senior thesis grants support research conducted to fulfill the

requirements for a thesis. To be eligible for this grant, students

must be in their junior or senior year. Seniors must apply by

October 1 of their senior year if they intend to graduate in May.

— up to $2,250• Summer grants furnish monthly stipends

so students can focus on their research interests and not have to

balance them with a summer job.

—up to $4,500 for three months of study

A copy of the final project, paper, thesis, or presented material

supported by UROP must be submitted to ISLA within 30 days of

the project’s completion.

Types of Awards

Want to Learn More?For details about the application process, visit our website at isla.nd.edu/for-undergraduate-students. Or search “Notre Dame undergrad research” to find us on Facebook.

Matthew CoyneMajor: English

Project Title: “A New Look at the Origins and Early Writers of the Cold Mountain Review”

Coyne conducted research at Appalachian State University to examine the origins of Cold Mountain Review, a still-published literary journal created in the 1970s by three former students at the university. He wanted to expand the academic conversation about the influence these founders had on each other as well as literary society as a whole.

“My research asks what I consider to be important questions about how residents of Appalachia relate to the region: How do they shape their identities? What does that mean for the future of the region? As someone who grew up in West Virginia, this is something incredibly important to me.

“Regardless of what I end up doing and where I end up doing it, I am committed to encouraging conversation in and about Appalachia. I hope that my work will contribute to this purpose. ... It was also an exciting experience to know my work was filling in a gap in a field that means so much to me.”

Questions? Contact:Amy Williams

UROP and LBC Undergraduate Assistant

Institute for Scholarship in the Liberal Arts

101 O’Shaughnessy Hall

574.631.1135

urop1@nd.edu

Pat Base

Senior Administrative Assistant

Institute for Scholarship in the Liberal Arts

101 O’Shaughnessy Hall

574.631.5730

urop1@nd.edu

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