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 Spring Semester 2025. 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.
The emergence of inequality in small, task-focused groups
Email applications to Dr. David Melamed at melamed.9@osu.edu
Small groups form hierarchies. Often these hierarchies make interaction easier (ie. they are functional) but they are also often based on information that does not convey competence. Moreover, hierarchies change. If a person who is assumed to be less worthy contributes positively to the group, and it is recognized by the group, that person will move up in the hierarchy. Existing theory and methods account for these changes to group hierarchies, but implementing these methods is very labor intensive, including hand-coding the original data. This project seeks to automate coding small group interactions using Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Approaches so that we can better understand the emergence of inequality in small task groups. Student workers will work with PI Professor David Melamed and his team of graduate students. In particular, we will code data for instances of status transfer between participants. Subsequently, the team will use the coded data to train AI.
Requirements:
Students should have at least a 3.0 GPA. Preferred qualifications include some coursework in the social sciences, especially research methods. Interested students should email me (melamed.9@osu.edu) with their resume/CV, a 200-word statement about their interest in this project, and how many credit hours they would like to take.
Qualitative Research on Conflicts in the Balkans
Email applications to Anneliese Schenk at Schenk.67@buckeyemail.osu.edu
This research is comprised of two separate qualitative research studies, both needing undergraduate research assistants to transcribe in-depth interviews.
Study #1 is on the collective memory of the Bosnian War (1992-1995) among individuals who belong to the second post-war generation in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Research questions revolve around familial interactions and educational experiences within and between ethnic groups (Bosniaks, Serbs, and Croats). Options are available in future semesters for undergraduate research assistants to continue work with the project in ways such as interview coding, literature review assistance, or working on their own undergraduate thesis. Four-five students are needed.
Study #2 is on the ongoing Serbian Student Protest (which began in November 2024). Research questions revolve around what has made these protests successful and widespread, what the protests mean to participants, and generational framing among protesters. Interviews will be with both general protesters as well as organizers. Two students are needed for this project.
Requirements:
Students should have at least a 3.0 GPA. This position is ideal for students who are interested in qualitative research, political conflicts, history of the Balkans, sociology of the family, education, and/or social movements. Preferred qualifications include some coursework in sociology or Slavic studies. Ideal candidates will also have strong typing skills and excellent hearing- as they will be typing out recorded interviews verbatim. Interested students should email me with their resume/CV, a 200-word statement about their interest in one of the two projects, and how many hours a week they are looking to work over the course of the semester.