The Castleberry Peace Institute and PSCI

Undergraduate Research Fellows Program

Application Due Date: February 28, 2019

The Castleberry Peace Institute and the Department of Political Science announce the availability of four Research Fellowships of $1,000 each for the academic year 2019-2020. Students who receive the stipend and successfully complete two semesters of research are designated PSCI and CPI Undergraduate Research Fellows.

Each student selected as a Research Fellow will be engaged in a well-defined research project for which there are clear expectations and responsibilities and an outcome goal. Student research projects can focus on any field in political science, such as American politics, international relations, government and politics around the world, and political theory. The Fellow must be committed to at least five hours of research per week under the direction of a UNT Faculty member and each Fellow is strongly encouraged to sign up for a directed readings course (PSCI 4900 with their faculty mentor, or PSCI 4954, the Research Capstone course). Students should expect to be assigned research tasks to carry out for their faculty mentor, while faculty mentors should expect to supervise and educate students in the research process. Each Fellow may hold the award for only two semesters during his/her academic career. Fellows who co-author conference papers with their faculty mentor will receive an additional $500 to be used to fund conference travel. Faculty who co-author with their student will receive an additional $500 in travel funds from the department.

Scope of the Work: The fellowship is designed to foster work that is integrated into the faculty mentor's ongoing research, but also reflects the students' unique interests. Successful applicants will include in their proposal a commitment to engage in at least one of the following activities during the period of the award or immediately beyond:

  • Presentation of a research paper at an academic or scholarly conference;
  • Submission of an article co-authored with the faculty mentor for publication; or
  • Presentation of a paper or poster at University Scholars Day.

Eligibility: Research Fellowships are for political science majors who have 1) earned at least 60 credit hours; 2) earned at least 12 credit hours in PSCI including PSCI 2305, 2306, 2300 and the introductory course in their area of study: PSCI 2305/2306 for American; PSCI 3810 for International Relations; PSCI 3600 for Governments and Politics around the World or PSCI 3310 or 3320 for Political Theory; and 3) have at least a 3.0 grade point average.

Fellows will be selected by a committee whose membership will be representative of the fields of Political Science and chosen by the Director of the Castleberry Peace Institute in consultation with the Department Chair. Students selected as Undergraduate Research Fellows will be notified by e-mail and provided guidance for beginning their semester of work as a Research Fellow.