This 55-minute session explores questions to consider (and resources to explore) when building an undergraduate research agenda that engages the city and its diverse communities. Even before anti-intellectualism was in vogue, "research" had a bad reputation in Chicago as the result of years of colonial, extractive academic practice that reduced its residents to research subjects and Othered and vilified cultural norms based on race or class differences. Contemporary academic projects may be more critically attuned, but researchers can still struggle to develop projects that are authentically collaborative and that truly give back to the communities from whom they learn.
This introductory-level presentation offers guidelines for developing meaningful academic projects in a wide number of fields. It includes consideration of:
- Common pitfalls in developing "Chicago-engaged" undergraduate research
- Ways to make research more authentically collaborative/participatory
- Relevant resources and partners for studying the city
- An overview of supports offered by Chicago Studies for undergraduate research (in any field)
This session is strongly recommended for students considering doing Chicago-focused BA/capstone research. Supplemental resources related to this session's topics are available in the sidebar links.
Several BA thesis projects are directly referenced in this presentation. These include:
- Ruthie Dworkin, "'It’s No Compassion in These Courtrooms': Exploring the Linguistic Construction of Racial Identity in Narratives of Chicago Courtrooms" (2021)
- Maddie Anderson, "What Makes an Ideal Reparations Package?: A typological Examination of reparations for Jon Burge Torture Survivors" (2018)
- Jared Kerman, "Walking Toward Recognition: Performance, Embodiment, and the Pursuit of Recognition in the Chicago House and Ball Scene" (2020)
- Emilio Balderas, "Continuum: Time, Masculinity, and Death in Chicagoland's Mexican Street Gangs" (2021)
All were finalists in Chicago Studies' annual Chicago Research Colloquium.