Useful Resources for Conducting Research Abroad

Every Fall and Spring Quarter, the Study Abroad Office runs the Study Abroad Research Program (SARP), a small, elite pre-departure program that focuses on study abroad research. Students are invited to participate based on their background, study abroad goals, and application essays. The primary goal of the program is to encourage and prepare students to do research abroad that they can then turn into a senior honors thesis, independent study, fellowship, or postgraduate work when they return. It also gives students tools for thinking more deeply about cross-cultural learning and foreign cultures. The program reflects our broader goal in study abroad of developing stronger connections between students’ study abroad experiences and their academic work on campus. It is also a clear reflection of the Provost's directive to encourage more research projects among undergraduates and is funded in part by President Henry Bienen, who also participates as a guest speaker every spring.

Students who accept our invitation to participate in SARP are required to attend a number of pre-departure workshops and to identify and do some preparatory work with one or two faculty advisers during the quarter before they go abroad. By the end of the quarter, they complete a research project proposal, similar to the University/WCAS undergraduate research proposals. The SARP program funds a number of the most promising proposals. We hope that the SARP students proceed to carry out their research abroad, either for a course or on their own, and then, when they return, to incorporate their research into other intellectual projects. We especially encourage studets to consider doing senior theses, if this is a possibility in their departments. Soon after they return to campus, we hold a Welcome Back Workshop, where students share their experiences and we talk about the various options available to them for furthering their research. The students who have successfully completed their research abroad receive an “Award of Excellence in Study Abroad,” and we send a laudatory email to the department chairs, Directors of Undergraduate Study, senior thesis coordinators, and advisers in their majors.

Students interested in learning more about this program should make an appointment with the Associate Director of Study Abroad, by calling 847-467-6400.

For SARP Students: Resources for Conducting Research Abroad
"Face to Faith", a recent article by SARP Participant Samantha Kirby for Common Ground News Service
Link to the SARP Electronic Resources Web Page, from Librarian Denise Shorey
Turning Study Abroad into a Senior Thesis (pdf)
Turning Study Abroad into a Fellowship (pdf)
Undergraduate Research Grant Program

SARP Research Proposal Award Winners

Amanda Yentz, "The Effects of France’s Language Protection Laws on French Media" (Spring 2007)

Carrie Hall, "Are You in or Out? Exploring Reasons for Community Involvement in the NRPAP in Brazil" (Spring 2007)

Emily Eisenhart, "Displacement, Relocation and Community Restructuring of Cairo’s Sudanese" (Spring 2007)

Robbie Kett, "World Pop in the DF: The Impact of CD Pirating on Mexican Musical Culture" (Spring 2007)

Margaret Emmott, “A Cross-Socioeconomic Study of Healthcare: Where Western Methods Meet Tradition” (Fall 2006)

Lindsay Wood, “Male Influences in Family Planning Decisions” (Fall 2006)

Jonas Jacobs, “The Jewish Community in Bolivia” (Fall 2006)

Samantha Kirby, “Sufi Music and the Formation of Spiritual Community” (Fall 2006)

Adele El-Khouri, “Représentants en Mission: A Provincial Version of the Terror” (Spring 2005)

Michelle Rheinschmidt, “Civil Unions Among Homosexual Couples in France:
Assimilation and Stigmatization Perspectives Among Gay and Lesbian Couples and their Perceived Social Support from the LGBT Community” (Spring 2005)

Susan Saddawi-Konefka, “Beyond the EU: Extra Regulations for Audiovisual Media in France” (Spring 2005)

Sadie Kliner, “The Rhetoric of Marie Stopes’ Movement for Birth Control” (Spring 2005)

Shannon Valley, “Politics and Space Exploration” (Spring 2005)

Talia Stol, “Pass or Fail: Analyzing the Results of Scotland's Devolution Referenda” (Fall 2004)

Lindsey Dulin, “Educational Equity: Schools in Durban, South Africa” (Fall 2004)

Colleen Conrad, " John Singer Sargent in Paris: An American Expatriate" (Fall 2004)

Imran Oomer, “New Zealand: Differences in Maori and Pakeha Cultures as They Relate to
Motivation, Academics, and Socialization” (Fall 2004)

Jason Szanyi, "The Value of the Pound: England 's Youth and the 'Euro No' Phenomenon" (Spring 2004)

Kara Murphy, "'Positive Discrimination' at an Elite French University : Progressive Policy and the Challenges of Integration in French Society" (Spring 2004)

Devon Liddell, "Urbanization in Egypt : Tradition in the Face of Social Change" (Spring 2004)

Elizabeth Schwartz, "Finding a Middle Ground: How Support Organizations in Chicago and Cork , Ireland Help Gays and Lesbians Accept Both Themselves and Their Faith" (Spring 2004)

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