The GWIKS Undergraduate Research Fellows Program encourages outstanding undergraduate students to conduct research on Korea by providing essential resources and mentoring for their study. Selected students will connect with GWIKS faculty members and policy experts to participate in a mentoring program, research workshops, and the GW-IU (Indiana University) conference throughout the academic year. This is a great opportunity to work on your research paper for any class or senior thesis paper. Also, it is highly recommended to submit your research paper to an undergraduate or graduate journal for publication.
Fellows Program Benefits
- Participate in four workshops throughout the year where students will learn research skills and will work to develop their research projects. Each student will produce a 15-20 page research paper (excluding bibliography) on a Korea-related research topic. This is a great opportunity to work on a research paper for any class or senior thesis paper.
- Receive close academic mentoring by the GWIKS Postdoctoral Fellow who will lead the research workshops and conferences.
- Receive feedback and mentoring from GWIKS Core Faculty members. Each student will be assigned a faculty mentor based on their research interests.
- All students will be invited to participate in a “mini-conference” at the end of the program where they will present their research to their peers.
- Faculty members will select the top 5 students at the end of the program who will be invited to participate in the GW-IU Exchange conference next spring at Indiana University’s Institute for Korean Studies. The cost of the trip will be covered by GWIKS.
- Receive publication support services to publish research papers in undergraduate and graduate academic journals.
- Gain experience in conducting research on Korea. Connect with other undergraduate fellows and serve as discussants for other research papers.
- Network with students interested in Korea across the university. GWIKS provides various opportunities to meet with other students throughout the year and meals are provided at GWIKS workshops and conferences.
- Volunteer and participate in the GWIKS events.
- Optional – This program can be considered as the Independent Study course provided at the Elliott School of International Affairs and other schools. Registering for this course is optional. If you plan to register for this course, you are required to register for the Fall semester and your paper shouldn’t be submitted to other classes. Paper length and credit numbers are up to the student. If you don’t participate in this course, you are required to finalize a minimum 15-page paper. Learn more about the course eligibility at the Elliott School’s website.
Please submit a complete application with the following materials to gwiks@gwu.edu with the subject line: “Last name, First name_2024-2025 URF Application”.
Please be sure to send the following materials in PDF or Word Document form:
- One page research statement – the research statement should briefly summarize the Korea-related topic that the student plans on researching and their plans for conducting research. Students should have a specific research topic in mind when applying for the program, though topics may change over the course of the program.
- One page personal statement – the personal statement should describe the applicant’s motivations for participating in the URF program and their interest in Korean Studies.
- An unofficial GW, Spelman, or Morehouse College transcript
Application Deadline (EXTENDED!]
Friday, July 26, 2024 at 11:59 PM EDT
Fall 2021 Undergraduate Fellows Movie Night
