On today's special episode of Retrieving the Social Sciences, we hear from the presenters at the 12th Annual Pi Sigma Alpha UMBC Undergraduate Research Conference, as well as our Pi Sigma Alpha Chapter advisor Dr. Carolyn Forestiere, Professor of Political Science at UMBC.

Visit the episode page for a list of student presenters and paper titles.  

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About The Series

Arthur T. Johnson Transfer Student(s) Scholarship

The scholarship is awarded to a student who has transferred from another college or university, is majoring in Political Science, has a minimum 3.25 UMBC cumulative GPA, and has at least 24 UMBC credits.

This year two $3,000 awards are available 

The Arthur T. Johnson Transfer Student(s) Scholarship was established in June 2008 by faculty, staff, alumni, and friends of UMBC.

https://scholarships.umbc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/538/2018/10/Arthur-T-Johnson-Scholarship.pdf

Apply Here 

Overview

The SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University invites applications for a one-year predoctoral fellowship to join the SNF Agora Academy for the 2023-24 academic year. The Academy is hosted by the SNF Agora Institute, an academic and public forum at Johns Hopkins University dedicated to strengthening global democracy through civic engagement and informed, inclusive dialogue.

Qualifications

The program strongly encourages applications from scholars from backgrounds traditionally underrepresented in graduate education, including but not limited to individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups (including individuals who identify as Black/African-American, Hispanic/Latinx, American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander); individuals from a limited-income background or an economically or educationally underserved community; and individuals with disabilities. In addition, we are looking for students who are interested in questions and topics directly related to the institute's mission. The SNF Agora Academy seeks fellows who would engage actively with and benefit from a multidisciplinary scholarly community, academic and professional mentorship, and research development opportunities.

This fellowship will provide an opportunity to nurture future graduate students' interests and turn their curiosities into research questions. Applicants should want to pursue a doctoral degree, but also be excited about being part of a community that is not simply made up of academics, whether that helps them integrate other perspectives into their scholarship, employs their scholarship to help strengthen democracy in tangible ways, or both. We strongly encourage applicants to think creatively about how their future research could interact with scholars in other disciplines and efforts to strengthen democracy in the world and, thus, support the SNF Agora mission. Getting your work into the public domain is not the same as having an impact. How do you hope to have an impact? Are there civic and political entities, including movements, parties, governmental organizations, media, etc., that you are interested in working with? Do you have ideas that could contribute to public debates around democracy as well as academic ones?  

Program Structure

SNF Agora Academy Predoctoral Fellows will be paired with two faculty mentors and one graduate student mentor. Fellows will have access to events and opportunities across campus and be expected to work/learn 40 hours per week pursuing multidisciplinary learning. Fellows will develop their own schedules, with hours divided between:

Research experience (50%)

Intellectual engagement (25%)

Scholarly preparation (25%)

 In addition to the duties listed above, they'll complete their graduate school applications with support from faculty, graduate students, and campus resources. Our goal is for each fellow to be able to enter a PhD program the following year. Fellows will receive a stipend and a modest relocation budget. In addition, the SNF Agora Institute will cover the cost of graduate school applications, sending official transcripts, the GRE (and test preparation), and English language exams for international students.

Please direct any questions to Dawn Langan Teele and Kara Piccirilli

Free Food! Awards! Live Music! 

Celebrate with us on April 20th from 4pm-6pm in UC 312 

To RSVP email Emma Sellers sellers@umbc.edu 

GRADUATING SENIORS CLICK HERE to share your accomplishments and future plans with us so we can recognize you during the event

The Women's Center will be opening late Thursday, April 13th at 1PM in preparation for our Take Back the Night. We hope to see you there!

The Women's Center will also be closed all day Friday, April 14th, but staff will be available remotely: email us with any inquiries womenscenter @ umbc.edu.

We will resume our normal hours next Monday, April 17th.

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, & Thursday from 9:30am to 5pm and Fridays from 10am to 3pm.

For any parents who need the lactation room during this time, please contact the Women's Center at womenscenter @ umbc.edu or call us at 410-455-2714 to make arrangements prior to.