CENTER FOR LATINO AND LATIN AMERICAN STUDIES UNDERGRADUATE-FACULTY RESEARCH GRANTS

Purpose

This program seeks to enrich the undergraduate experience, and to encourage meaningful research, by funding collaborative projects involving faculty associates of the Center for Latino and Latin American Studies and undergraduate students. Funding will be provided to applicants who can present a program of meaningful collaborative work toward completion of a research project in Latino or Latin American Studies. Examples include scholarly papers, essays, poems, works of art, videos, maps, or other commonly recognized forms of scholarly expression. Applicants can also apply for support for longer-term research projects, with final completion dates beyond academic year l998-9, as long as they present a convincing means of reporting their accomplishments during the award period. Examples include substantial progress reports or rough drafts, or detailed inventories with notes and bibliography.

Eligibility

Eligibility is limited to tenure track faculty and full time undergraduate students with at least a 2.0 GPA overall and a 2.5 GPA in their major.

PLEASE NOTE THAT EITHER THE FACULTY MEMBER OR THE STUDENT CAN PROPOSE A RESEARCH PROJECT TO A POTENTIAL COLLABORATOR. FACULTY ASSOCIATES ARE LISTED IN THE CENTER BROCHURE. THOSE INTERESTED IN APPLYING CAN RECEIVE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION OR CLARIFICATION OF GUIDELINES BY CONTACTING PROFESSOR MICHAEL GONZALES AT 753-1531 OR AT GONZALES@NIU.EDU.

Course Credit

Projects should be independent of regular or extra credit course assignments. However, projects can carry special study course credit if they meet departmental requirements and applicants complete the necessary registration process with departments. Courses approved for special study credit can also count toward completion of the minor, with the approval of Professor Gonzales.

Application Process

The application can be composed jointly or by the faculty member alone, if the student collaborator has read and approved the application. Applications should provide the following information in 1,000 words or less.

  1. Briefly state the goal of the research project.
  2. Specify the research the student will be assigned, and how it relates to the larger project.
  3. Present a plan for inter-action between faculty member and student (e.g., number of meetings during the week in the faculty member's office, in the library, laboratory, or other venue). Both faculty and students must be willing to make the necessary time commitment to assure the successful completion of the project.
  4. Specify where the student's research will be done, and the availability of resources of the project (e.g., computers, books, manuscripts, survey data, artefacts, studios, etc.).


APPLICATIONS ARE DUE IN THE CENTER OFFICE, 419 ADAMS, ON NOVEMBER 11, 1998, NO LATER THAN 4:30 P.M. AWARD WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED ON NOVEMBER 18, 1998.

Completion and Submission of Results

The research team must submit their project on or before April l5, l999. At that time, the team must also submit a 100-300 word statement of their collaborative research experience, which will be published in the Center newsletter Encuentros.

Upon completion of the project, the Center will award $500 to the student collaborator. The faculty collaborator can also receive, on request, a $l50 commodity credit that can be used to purchase books, computer software, or other materials necessary for research or teaching.

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