The Humanities Institute at the University of Connecticut held an information session over Zoom regarding their 2024-2025 Humanities Research Fellowships on Friday, Feb. 2. Elizabeth Della Zazzera, the head of communications for UCHI and a history professor, outlined the application for fellowships and answered student’s questions
Zazzera described the fellowship as a “chance for students to spend a whole year researching something they’re passionate about.” For these projects, students must find a professor to act as their advisor to help them along in their research and keep them on track. Fellowships are worth six credits for the entire academic year, earn a desk at the Humanities Institute located at the Homer Babbidge Library and a $2,000 scholarship.
While the types of projects undergraduates decide to pursue can vary greatly, they mainly have to adhere to some form of humanities, Zazzera stated. Current research fellows are listed on the UCHI’s website. Some current fellows include Breanna Bonner, who is researching “‘The Space Between Black and Liberation Analyzing Black Women’s Experiences of Intersectional Invisibility Within Liberation Movements,” and Nathan Howard, a philosophy major researching “Homofascism: The Queering of Hate.” These projects can focus on vastly different topics. “Some are creative projects, and some are scientific research; there’s a huge variety and a number of potential avenues,” Zazzera said.
In response to questions by students wondering which faculty or professors they should ask to work with, Zazzera replied that any faculty member can be a supervisor. Still, an effective one would be someone familiar with your research — they don’t necessarily have to be a professor who students have had in their classes. Still, it is important to establish a relationship with them beforehand. Students should also be aware that some professors may turn them down as some cannot handle supervising a student project on top of their classes and their own research. Zazzera emphasized, “The more closely tied the advisor is to the research, the more effective they’ll be.”
While these projects vary, the application process is the same. “The goal [of the application] is to explain not just why you want to do your project but why it matters,” according to Zazzera. Undergraduate students to understand why they want to pursue their research and be able to bring their thoughts concisely to the Humanities Institute. Zazzera mentioned that the application process requires a Word document answering a few questions, a writing sample to showcase your skill, one letter of recommendation from a UConn faculty member willing to supervise your project, and your unofficial transcript.
An effective application would be “mostly about how well-thought-out the project is, how good of a sense you have in proposals, and a clear understanding of your own research,” Zazzera stated. While your application and proposal should stay centered, Zazzera acknowledged the fact that for many fellowship researchers, the end of their projects looks different from how they first envisioned it. “It’s normal for projects to change slightly over time; it won’t look exactly like what you thought it would,” Zazzera commented. To keep your project from straying too far from your original proposals, Zazzera mentioned that “advisors will have good feedback on keeping you on track.”
For how to frame your projects, students have to “make sure you’re talking to a broad audience for your project; if you are a political scientist you have to make sure you are not just writing for political science students,” Zazzera stated. “Describe it in a way that makes everyone care about it, not just a select few.” The deadline for the Undergraduate Humanities Research Fellowship is March 1, 2024. Students with questions about the process should contact Zazzera through her email, elizabethdz@uconn.edu, or the UCHI email, uchi@uconn.edu.