2023–24 Undergraduate RA Support Funding: Call for Proposals

PRIORITY DEADLINE: Sept. 9, 2024; applications considered on a rolling basis thereafter through Feb. 1, 2025

The Center for International Studies offers grants up to $3,000 to support the hiring of undergraduate research assistants (URAs) for the purpose of supporting faculty research.

 

PROCESS

Please 1) complete the online Faculty Research Funding form and 2) upload a budget and any corresponding documentation.

CRITERIA FOR CONSIDERATION OF PROPOSALS

Faculty members who apply for these funds should submit a research plan that reflects the concrete tasks to be performed by the URA, as well as a statement that commits the faculty member to mentoring the student(s) through this funding. Mentoring, for example, would include everything from time spent with the URA on concrete research tasks (database searches, etc.) to encouraging the URA to develop proposals for an honors thesis and/or an external grant (Fulbright, Boren, etc.) using some of the research material and tasks that the URA has been assigned. It would be ideal if the content of the research topic could form the basis for external grant proposals, securing internships, and job searches.

The URA will be paid through Workday, which the students will report bi-weekly until the fund is exhausted. CIS will work with the supervising faculty member to track accumulated hours.

Applicants who have received funding in the prior year must first submit an impact report on all categories of awarded funding before their new proposals will be considered.

Note: Due to the increased volume of faculty seeking CIS support for undergraduate research assistants, we now ask applicants to demonstrate that they have first attempted to seek funding through either the PURF (USC Provost’s Undergrad Research Fellowships) or SOAR (Student Opportunities for Academic Research) programs of USC Dornsife.

 

Please note the following conditions:

  • The minimum hourly wage is $17.28
  • Consider using the work-study program (75% funded by the federal government)
  • URAs limited to 20 hours per week
  • Faculty supervisors are expected to track and monitor the total hours worked

Eligibility:

  • T/TT/RTPC faculty of POIR with a focus on international relations and/or comparative politics, including faculty in American Politics with a clear research project with an IR/CP dimension
  • Faculty who have applied for individual research support are still eligible to apply for this additional category of support.
  • Active commitment to the CIS community; frequent participation in CIS events.

Please also note that any changes to an approved proposal must be resubmitted to CIS for review; there will be no roll-overs of unused balances. Faculty seeking funding for URA support into summer 2025 can contact CIS for further information.

 

DEADLINES

  • 2, 2024: Funding application period for 2024–25 opens.
  • 9, 2024: Priority deadline for applicants seeking to onboard students for the fall semester. Applications submitted after Sept. 9 will receive full consideration but without any guarantee we can onboard students during the fall semester.
  • 1, 2025: Last day to apply for 2024–25 undergraduate RA support funding.
  • May 15, 2025: Last day for graduating seniors to report hours.
  • June 15, 2025: Last day for students to report hours.
  • 15, 2025: For those receiving an extension, last day for students to report hours.
  • 15, 2025: Impact report due.

 

CONTACT

Email: lascis@usc.edu with any questions.

The Center for International Studies is committed to ensuring equity in its mission to support scholarship in international studies.