Student Application

The CRRES Undergraduate Research Program in the Social Sciences and Humanities for research is related to CRRES’s mission to facilitate scholarship, mentorship, collaboration, and community, and serve as a platform for raising the visibility of research conducted in the areas of race, migration, ethnicity, and diversity.

The Center has been sponsoring the Undergraduate Research Program in the Social Sciences and Humanities (URP) since 2016. The objective of the URP is to allow motivated students the opportunity to experience hands-on work on a research project under the mentorship of a faculty mentor. The program is open to all faculty and undergraduate students at Indiana University, Bloomington. Project types and topics may vary across disciplines and may include either an independent project developed by the student and supervised by the faculty mentor or students working with the faculty mentor on a specific part of the mentor’s own research agenda.

Compensation:

Each student participating in the program will receive up to $1500 per semester for their work on the project. Compensation is distributed as an hourly wage and may affect financial aid. Before applying, contact the financial aid office and determine if you are eligible to work 10 hours per week without affecting your financial aid.

Participation Requirements:

• GPA: students with a GPA of at least 3.0 will be given preference in the selection process. Students who do not have at least a 3.0 GPA should provide an explanation in their essay regarding the circumstances that has impacted their overall GPA.
• Commitment to spend 10 hours per week on the research project.
• Meet at least every two weeks with your Faculty mentor.
• Attend the mandatory URP-related events such as the monthly workshops, 1-1 with the CRRES URP Coordinator, beginning of semester kickoff, and the CRRES Research Symposium.
• Attend at least four CRRES-related events per semester such as the Speaker Series (offered each semester) and/or the CRRES Social Hours.

1. Complete Application Form
2. Statement of interest (no more than 750 words) that should address:
   
   • Why you want to participate in this program
   • Your general topics of interest in the area of race/ethnicity and whether you wish to work on an independent project or on a faculty project
   • Skills that you would be interested in developing as a researcher
   • Coursework, research experience, and/or special skills and knowledge (e.g., foreign language skills, software, experiences with archives, working with microfilm, statistics, etc.)
   • Any other experiences that have helped you think about race/ethnicity. This can include, but is not limited to, academic coursework, extracurricular activities, employment, and/or personal experiences.
3. IU Student Program Transcript (in Student Center select view unofficial transcript with report type: Student Program Transcript)
4. Letter of recommendation from a faculty member who can speak to your potential as a student researcher. Please direct your references to upload their letters to the link below.
5. Project Proposal (for independent projects only)

Project Proposal Instructions

(for independent projects only)

1. Identify and invite a faculty mentor with whom to work before writing a project proposal and craft the proposal with their guidance. The faculty mentor must fill out a faculty application.
2. Write a detailed description of the project, including contributions to the field, description of data and analysis, and overview of methodology.
3. Define the components of the project will the student undertake, what research skills will they obtain throughout the mentorship relationship, and what software/programs/languages will the student learn throughout the year.
4. Timeline of when each task be completed.
5. Proof of IRB approval or IRB submission (if required)

Applicants and letter writers should upload their documents to the CRRES URP Submission Portal by March 20, 5:00 pm EST, for participation in the upcoming academic year. Applicants should attach documents as a single PDF. Questions should be directed to crresgra@indiana.edu.