Please complete a research application and choose one of the research positions listed below (research applications available on the Undergraduate Research link or in Townshend Hall 141). Please return your completed applications to the contact person listed for the project via email.
Below are the research projects that are available for students to work on for SOCIOL 4998 credit Autumn Semester 2024. SOCIOL 4998 is one of the options that students can use to fulfill the major Experiential Learning Requirement - PLEASE NOTE, you may only count 3 hours total of research credit towards the SOCIOL-BA and CRIMINO-BA majors and 6 hours total of research credit towards the SOCIOL-BS major. Also, remember that research experience is especially important if you are planning on applying to graduate school!
Please read the requirements for each project carefully, as some require either specific coursework or specific GPA.
(Il)legitimacy in Contemporary US Politics
E-mail application to Dr. Eric Schoon at schoon.1@osu.edu
From baseless accusations of widespread conspiracy to documented cases of voter suppression, questions about the legitimacy of US elections have grown increasingly common over the past decade. Part of a larger book project, the purpose of this research is to analyze accounts claiming that the November 2020 US election was illegitimate. The analysis will explore how these accounts are framed and how (il)legitimacy is defined. Students will participate in collection and analysis of news and social media data.
Requirements:
Completion of a course on sociological research methods is strongly preferred. 1-3 students needed.
Queerying Columbus: Space and Place among LGBTQ Residents
E-mail application to Mo Woods at woods.858@osu.edu
Columbus, OH has been increasingly recognized as an (unlikely) queer destination. While the city has long been a “hidden gem” in the Midwest, it has been gaining prominence as it became a smart city and its potential to be a “great city” is increasingly recognized. Despite this increasing prominence, Columbus is still underrepresented in (queer) urban sociology. This qualitative dissertation study seeks to understand queer communities, spaces, and experiences of Columbus and whether and how the city is welcoming or hostile to these queer communities.
I am looking for 2-3 students. Students assisting me with this project with help with transcribing and anonymizing interviews. We will have brief check-ins via Zoom as needed but you are otherwise free to complete transcriptions on your own schedule as long as the work is done before the end of the term.
Requirements:
Students should have at least a 3.0 GPA, have completed a course on sociological research methods (or research methods in a related social science), and ideally have some experience working with qualitative interview data. Interest in LGBTQ communities and the city of Columbus is strongly recommended. Interested students should email Mo Woods (woods.858@osu.edu) with the following information: (1) your major and expected graduation date, (2) your GPA, and (3) a brief 200-word statement about your interest in this project.
From Bars to Barriers
Email Application to Marquianna Griffin at griffin795@osu.edu
Incarceration adversely affects the physical and mental health of formerly incarcerated adults. The challenges of reintegration into society can be overwhelming and contribute to ongoing mental health struggles. Using in-depth semi-structured interviews, this project will investigate how formerly incarcerated people navigate the challenges that impact their mental health post-incarceration. It will also assess whether racial differences emerge with respect to mental health management post-incarceration, and if the life course stage during the timing of reentry is consequential.
Requirements:
Interested students should have at least a 3.0 GPA, an interest in criminology and have completed a research methods course. Please contact Marquianna Griffin at griffin.795@osu.edu with your resume and a brief explanation describing your interest in this project.
How Hip-hop has Addressed Health, 2012- 2022
Email application to Kyra Rost at rost.30@osu.edu
This project will examine how Hip-hop can be a source of information for health care professionals and policy makers to understand Black American health. This will be a mixed methods project that leans mainly on qualitative methods with some statistical analysis. Specifically, this project will involve analyzing 1,000 hip-hop songs from 2012-2022 using NVIVO, running basic statistical demographic characteristics of artist and songs, and creating analytical memos using music videos.
Requirements:
Students should have received a passing grade in the appropriate research methods course in their discipline and be in good academic standing with the university. Those interested in media, mental health, Hip-hop culture, social determinates of health, and general health should consider applying, although this is not a requirement. I hope to have 2-3 undergraduate students to help with this project. Please reach out to me via email rost.30@osu.edu to answer the following a) introduce yourself- major, year, interest b)why you are interested in being a part of this project and c) any goals or things you would like to gain from working with me on this project.
ALL POSITIONS FILLED: Examining how Federal Policies Shape Housing Processes for Women with Domestic Violence Experience
Email applications to Madeline Carrola at housingresearch@buckeyemail.osu.edu
This project examines how federal policies aimed at protecting victims of domestic violence (i.e. Violence Against Women Act) shape the processes through which individuals are connected to housing. Housing individuals with intimate partner violence experience involves a range of intermediaries, those who act as important gatekeepers to resources.
This research will be based on in-depth interviews with individuals working in the area(s) of victim services, information systems, and community-level referral processes, all of whom play a role in housing individuals with domestic violence experience. Our work will highlight the important consequences that federal policy may impose on women’s abilities to be visible and understood within the social services landscape – an area that is increasingly responsible for housing people. By examining the connections between being understood and receiving support, our work has important implications for how domestic violence victims are (dis)connected to housing interventions.
We are seeking one to two undergraduate research assistants for Fall 2024 to primarily help with interview transcription. The research assistant will work with three graduate students. This position would be a great opportunity for those interested in housing, domestic violence, gender, and federal policy.
Requirements:
Applicants should be responsive, detail-oriented, able to work collaboratively and independently, and have a growth mindset. A GPA of 3.0 is preferred but not required. Prior research methods training and experience are NOT required. Non-Sociology majors are welcome to apply. Please email housingresearch@buckeyemail.osu.edu with a copy of your resume and completed research application.
Feel free to reach out with any questions!
After Obergefell: Queer Young Adults’ Perceptions of and Desires for Marriage
Email applications to Shelby Frye at frye.1148@buckeyemail.osu.edu
This project examines young adult members of the LGBTQ+ community about their perceptions of and desires for marriage. While marriage remains an influential institution in our society, its meaning and significance has changed over time, especially for queer people who were long left out of the institution and were only recently legally granted the ability to marry. Currently, there exists little research on how young queer adults see the institution, whether they want to get married one day, and what factors influence these perceptions and desires. This study fills this gap by exploring the feelings, thoughts, and experiences of young LGBTQ+ individuals. Research assistants will assist with interview transcription, data analysis, and helping prepare the manuscript for defense/publication.
Requirements:
If you’re interested, please send Shelby Frye an email frye.1148@buckeyemail.osu.edu with a brief message addressing the following information: (1) your major and expected semester of graduation, (2) your cumulative GPA, and (3) a brief statement why you’re interested in this project. One student is needed for three credit hours.
A Content Analysis of Transgender Representation in the Media
Email applications to Jack Wippell at wippell.1@osu.edu
Mass media plays a central role in shaping attitudes towards minority groups, and recent years have seen increased scrutiny of the transgender community. This project will involve content coding all Fox News national broadcasts that referenced the transgender community between 2012 and 2023, to identify the themes and frames utilized and how these have changed over time.
Requirements:
There are no strict requisites for this position, but familiarity with qualitative research methods is a plus. Please send a CV and short statement of interest in your application.
A Comparative Case Study of the “Stop the Sweeps” Movement
Email applications to Alex Kempler at kempler.4@osu.edu
This project is focused on understanding contemporary movements for housing rights through a comparative case study of unhoused encampments in Los Angeles and Seattle. Specifically, this project will explore the national movement pushing to end encampment sweeps across the country. Through in-depth interviews with three respondent groups—encampment residents, housing rights activists, and encampment sweepers—this study will assess the place-specific elements that shape the trajectory and outcomes of mobilization against encampment sweeps. Research assistants will assist primarily with transcription and analysis of these interviews.
Requirements:
It is recommended that students have taken a research methods course or have previous research experience, although it is not required. Interest in unhoused populations, housing inequality, or social movements is a plus. If you’re interested, please send Alex Kempler an email at kempler.4@osu.edu with a brief message addressing the following information: (1) your major and expected semester of graduation and (2) why you’re interested in this project. Two students will be needed for this project.
Understanding Refugees' Experiences with Employment and Job Training Programs in King County, WA
Email applications to Mehr Mumtaz at mumtaz.4@buckeyemail.osu.edu
Students should have received a passing grade in the appropriate research methods course in their discipline and be in good academic standing with the university. Those interested in topics surrounding sociology of immigration, work, organizations, and labor, should consider applying, although this is not a requirement. I hope to have 1-2 undergraduate students to help with this project. Please contact Mehr Mumtaz at Mumtaz.4@osu.edu with your resume and a brief explanation describing your interest in this project.
Examining the Effects of Proximity to Whiteness on Non-White People
E-mail applications to Evangeline at warren.651@osu.edu
Across the United States, there have been emphatic calls to expand research concerning racial disparities in health and to understand the critical mechanisms that shape these inequitable outcomes. Much of the prior work on this issue has compared racial groups to each other, emphasizing differences between racial groups rather than within racial groups. This serves to flatten our scientific understanding of how race operates, describing monolithic experiences across a group rather than illuminating the variety of experience within a group. As a result, the existing health disparities research does not typically investigate the gradations of experience non-white people have with respect to their health and wellbeing, particularly as it pertains to the role of whiteness in shaping key outcomes Through in-depth interviews with 75 non-white individuals of diverse backgrounds, this project will examine the effects of proximity to whiteness in three social domains (individual, interpersonal, and institutional) on the health and well-being of non-white people. Specifically, I am interested in embodied proximity to whiteness (through ancestry or appearance), familial proximity to whiteness (through intimate or household relationships), and structural proximity to whiteness (through schools or workplaces).
Students joining me on this project will assist with participant recruitment and compensation and with the transcription and anonymization of interviews. Students will develop skills in qualitative data management and will be asked to acquire basic knowledge about the social construction of race in the United States. Our work will be conducted remotely. Other than a weekly team meeting on Zoom, students will have flexibility in completely their assigned tasks.
Requirements:
Students should have at least a 3.0 GPA and should have passed a research methods course with a qualitative component. Preference will be given to applicants in Sociology and Public Health. Interested students should email me with a completed SOCIOL 4998 Application Form and a 200-word statement about their interest in this project.