The Benjamin A. Quarles Undergraduate Scholars Program

Welcome Prospective Undergraduate Scholars!

Overview: Each year, the Quarles Humanities and Social Science Institute will select up to ten undergraduates from disciplines in the humanities and the social sciences for its summer Undergraduate Scholars Program in Interdisciplinary Perspective on the African-American and African Diaspora Legacy. This year, the program will take its guiding theme as Baltimore's pandemic - asking what has been lost, gained, and learned as a result of the local impacts of this global phenomenon. The Program will engage students in rigorous training in qualitative interdisciplinary research and the effective integration of research literature and primary and secondary data resources. During the month of June, the program will be a hybrid program with accommodations made for the in-person component. In addition to working with the summer faculty leaders, students will be paired with Liberal Arts faculty members who will guide them in continuing research after the in-person program. The Program aims to develop in students a passion for scholarship and research and prepare them to be the next generation of Ph.D. holders by assisting them with the graduate school application process.

Funded Fellowship Activities and Requirements: Quarles Undergraduate Fellows will examine and conduct qualitative research which may include research literature, archival, and other resources focused on African American and African Diaspora life and culture. Fellows will develop research questions, and literature reviews, and initiate research projects to be continued during the ensuing academic year. Fellows, with the assistance of faculty advisers, will develop the project into a senior capstone research project. They will present their research findings to Morgan’s Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium, at the Quarles Institute Annual Conference, and at discipline-specific national academic meetings.

Summer Fellows will receive a $2,000 stipend for completion of the four-week program. Additional support, including research and materials, will become available as students continue to work with faculty mentors beyond the four-week program and during the academic year. Continuing students will be required to attend a research symposium, which will be covered through the program. Fellows will also receive funding and training to prepare for graduate school application and entry.

Eligibility: High-ability rising and current seniors, who have demonstrated interest in research and expressed commitment to attending graduate school in the humanities and/or humanistic social sciences. Curiosity is essential!

Selection Criteria:

• Major in Art, English History, Philosophy, Political Philosophy, Religious Studies, Sociology (Anthropology);
• Achieve an overall grade point average of 3.0 or above;
• Demonstrated interest in research and in entering and completing a doctoral program in a humanities or social sciences discipline.
• Possess strong written and oral communication skills;
• Completed or enrolled in advanced (300 or 400 level) humanities and social science courses;
• Interested in African American and African Diaspora life and culture;
• Recommended by the department chair and 1 or 2 faculty members

Application Deadline: May 1, 2024

Notification: TBA