Summer 2013 Fellowship Program

UROP provides funds to support a small number of research fellowships for students to conduct part-time research in the humanities and social sciences in at the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor campus.  The goal of the Humanities & Social Science Summer Fellowship program is to provide students with an opportunity to design an independent research project guided by a faculty mentor that could form the basis for a future honors thesis. Students already working on an honors thesis are not eligible to apply for these funds and should check with their department.   In some cases applicants will be working on a project related to his/her UROP research sponsors key area. However, the proposed project cannot be a continuation of a UROP project but needs to be an independent piece of work. The proposed project must be designed to increase your research skills and knowledge in a discipline and help you explore an area of potential interest for graduate work.  

Examples of Past Projects supported by this fellowship include:

African American Representation in Horror Films
The student conducted a study looking at the significance of how and why African American characters are used in the modern horror film, specifically looking at the use of character and stereotype within the horror film and the socio-cultural implications. This research was done by studying modern horror films (1920-present) and applying critical, cultural, and textual analyses to the films, conducting qualitative fieldwork regarding audience reaction to these films and data collection at the Charles H. Wright African American Museum in Detroit.

Young Children's Cheating Behavior
This student conducted a psychology research project addressing individual differences in young children's cheating behavior patterns. The primary objective was to evaluate cheating behavior as an index of subclinical psychopathology, with a focus on gender differences. Throughout the process I also explored how cheating relates to other variables such as temperament, parental discipline, moral regulation, parent psychopathology, family functioning, interfamilial conflict problem solving strategies, and peer liking. The project includes a literature review, viewing existing videos of cheating behavior, and development of a coding scheme to analyze the data.

Literature and Music of the African American Diaspora
Working with Professor Naomi Andre, Women Studies, the student explored the literature in African American studies and music specifically related to the African Diaspora. Specifically she looked t how important scholars have approached the different musical traditions that have arisen. The student's research included a review of literature, films, and archival materials.

Program Specifics

Stipend Award: 
$2000 for a 10 week period for part-time work (20 hrs/wk) 

Fellowship Dates: Monday, June 3 - Friday August 9, 2013

Application Opens: Monday, December 3, 2012

Application Deadline: Friday, March 1, 2013

Orientation: Monday, June 3, 2013

Symposium: Friday, August 9, 2013

Eligibility:
Current undergraduate students attending the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Campus

Program Requirements

The program has three requirements, all intended to enhance your individual pursuit of your pre-thesis projects. Since this is independent research all fellows will be expected to spend most of the 10 weeks of the program engaged in disciplined pursuit of their thesis topics in consultation with faculty mentors.

• All Fellows are expected to be active participants in biweekly two-hour meetings of the Fellows cohort, and to provide insight and support to other Fellows' work. At each session 2 fellows will share their work and challenges they are confronting and get support and feedback from in the group as part of the biweekly meetings. In addition there will be presentations on academic writing, graduate school, personal statements, and other relevant topics.
• Each Summer Fellow will be expected to make give a 15 minute oral presentation at the end of the summer on their project at a final program event on August 2, 2012 (tentative).
• Write a thank you note to the donor who supported their research work over the summer.

Information Sessions

All of the following sessions will be held in 1160 USB:

Wednesday, November 28, 2012,: 9-10 am
Thursday, November 29, 2012: 3-4 pm
Tuesday, December 4, 11:30-12:30 pm
Wednesday, December 5, 2012: 4-5 pm
Monday, December 10, 2012: 12-1:00 pm
Friday, January 11, 2013, 11:30-12:30 pm

Proposal Writing Workshops

(All of the following sessions will be held in 1160 USB)

Proposal Writing workshops will be in January and February 2013. Dates are forthcoming

All documents MUST be uploaded as a PDF AND submitted as a hard copy in the UROP Office by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, March 1st, 2013. In addition, they should include a header or footer and page numbers. The file should be saved as (First Name. Last Name 2012).

1. UROP Online Application
2. Personal Statement (MUST be uploaded as a PDF and a hard copy submitted)
   The 1-2 personal statement is your opportunity to showcase your skills and qualifications pertaining to the fellowship. A personal statement may include academic, professional and life experiences that reflect relevant outstanding personal qualifications as well as career goals, research goals, and personal characteristics. Additionally, a personal statement gives you an opportunity to explain potential hardships or drawbacks in other areas of your application.
3. Research Proposal (MUST be uploaded as a PDF and a hard copy submitted)
   The 5-8 page research proposal is a persuasive document that describes the purpose of your research, why it should be done, your methodology, your proposed timeline, the scope of the summer project, and your expected results by the end of the fellowship.
4. Recommendation Letters
   You will need 2 recommendation letters; one letter must be from your current Research Sponsor/Day to Day Supervisor, U of M faculty member, graduate student instructor, or academic advisor who can speak specifically about your academic or abilities. The other can be from anyone you have a professional relationship with. If you are applying to work on the same project you have been working on during the academic year, one of your letters should be from your research sponsor.  Each recommender must write a letter of recommendation, complete a Recommendation Form, and submit both the form and the letter of recommendation electronically (as a pdf).
5. Resume (MUST be uploaded as a PDF and a hard copy submitted)
   You must submit a PDF file as part of your UROP Application.
6. Official Transcript
   You will need to submit an official transcript from U of M and any other institutions (higher education institutions, e.g. all community colleges attended)
   
   Order online.
   Current and many former students with a uniqname and university/Kerberos password can order transcripts online through Wolverine Access. From the Student Business page, choose Order Transcript. This option is not available to those students who need rush service, have attachments which must accompany the transcript, or who last attended prior to Fall 1993

Send to:

Jenna Steiner, Student Affairs Program Manager

University of Michigan

Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP)

1190 Undergraduate Science Building (USB)

204 Washtenaw Ave

Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2215

734.615.7321 (office) -- 734.615.9971 (fax)

Transcript processing ordinarily takes two business days and is free of charge.

ALL FELLOWSHIP MATERIALS MUST BE SUBMITTED BY FRIDAY, MARCH 1st, 2013