Undergraduate Research Awards

Call for Proposals:

Center for Iranian Diaspora Studies Undergraduate Research Award (IDS) 2022-2023

Deadline for submission: Friday, March 29, 2022 5 PM  

Email: iraniandiasporastudies@sfsu.edu all materials in a PDF attachment

Application information can also be found on the Center’s website: www.ids. sfsu.edu; questions should be directed to persiskarim@sfsu.edu (Center Director)

Award amount: $4,000 ($3,000 to student, $1,000 to faculty mentor)

Timeline: Awardees will be notified by April 15, 2022. The Fellowship begins in Fall 2022 and extends through Spring 2023.  Research will primarily take place during the Fall 2022 semester.

This award supports research and creative activity conducted by undergraduate students in partnership with a faculty mentor; research must involve some aspect of the Iranian diaspora (anthropology, communications, journalism, art, cinema, literature, history,etc.). Recipients of the award will be part of a cohort of Fellows engaged in programming that supports research throughout the course of the fellowship; the goal of the fellowship is to support and foster new research about the Iranian diaspora. This fellowship opportunity is aimed at undergraduates interested in working closely with a faculty member to develop, complete, and present a research project.

Students from a broad range of backgrounds and experiences are encouraged to apply. These fellowships aim to enrich student learning rather than to reward past performance.

Student Eligibility:

• Students must be undergraduates who are majors in LCA.
• Students must be enrolled during both the Fall and Spring semesters of the 2022/2023 academic year.

Faculty Eligibility:

• The faculty mentor must be a tenured or tenure-track full-time faculty member in the College of Liberal & Creative Arts.
• The faculty member must agree to mentor the student projects across a range of research or creative activities relevant to the area of research  including project development and presentation of results.

Project Requirements and Expectations:

• Receiving Units:
  • Projects may be in conjunction with or independent of existing, scheduled coursework.
  • If independent, then the project may lead to course credits (e.g., 699 units).
  • If in conjunction with a course then the project must involve significant activity beyond the course requirements

• All recipients of this IDS Fellowship are expected to participate in the following activities:
  • An orientation event with the center director, Persis Karim
  • Periodic meetings among the Center Fellows, faculty mentors, and program coordinator
  • A recognition event near the end of the 2022/2023 academic year
  • A featured article for the Center newsletter about the area of study and research findings

• Student recipients are expected to attend at least one conference to present their work; this may be a student research conference such as the LCA Undergraduate Research Showcase, or a student section of a professional conference.

Preparing a Proposal:

1. Interested students should approach a faculty member with a project in mind and ask whether the faculty member is willing to serve a mentor for the project. Students should provide the faculty member with this document at the first meeting.

2. The student, under the guidance and supervision of the faculty mentor, will prepare the proposal for submission. Keep in mind that proposals may take several weeks to develop and complete.

3. The faculty mentor will submit the proposal on behalf of the student, in one pdf file attached to an email to iraniandiasporastudies@sfsu.edu by the deadline.

4. Components of the Proposal:

The pdf document containing the research proposal will be written in Times 12 font, single-spaced, and with one-inch margins. The document should contain the following parts labeled according in the bolded print:

1. Title of the Project: The title of the project should describe the project succinctly.
2. Research Question or Project Goal: (1 sentence)
3. Abstract: (100-150 words)
4. Personal Statement: This section includes the student’s academic interests and goals and any personal information the student and faculty mentor think would be useful to convey to the review committee. (maximum 500 words)
5. Project Proposal Narrative: In this section, the student introduces the project, states the research question, describes the methods that will be used, and explains the value of the project (maximum 1,000 words)
6. Timeline: This section provides a proposed timeline for the project from beginning to end, including mentor meetings, tasks associated with the project, and completion dates for the various activities. (maximum 1 page)
7. Bibliography (optional): Provide a list of sources referenced in the proposal in the format and style expected in your discipline.
8. Unofficial Transcript: For SFSU coursework only.
9. Course status – Is the project independent or part of a course? (If yes, then in one paragraph identify all of the activities that are beyond the course requirements)
10. Other similar grants and awards – please list other awards and scholarships you are receiving or applying for (e.g., the CSU Pre-Doctoral Program)
11. Faculty statement: This section is prepared by the faculty mentor and explains the merits of the project, the likelihood the project can be completed in the timeline provided, describes the mentoring plan (e.g., frequency of meetings), and other information the faculty member thinks reviewers might find helpful (maximum 500 words)

Criteria for Proposal Evaluation:

1. overall quality and clarity of the proposal
2. realistic scope of the project and likelihood of completion
3. potential impact on student, the value of personal outcomes
4. clear evidence of a student-initiated project
5. level of faculty collaboration, as described in the timeline and faculty statement
6. student preparation, evidence of the training necessary to conduct the activity