English Research Labs

English Research Labs offer a rich opportunity for students to get involved with English-related projects outside the traditional essay.  Think podcasts and publishing. Think green. Think archives and beyond. There are currently three active Research Labs: Contemporary Literary Publishing, Environmental Humanities, and Black Studies. We also invite groups of students interested in pursuing a research area or agenda not currently covered to collaborate and propose a new Lab (see below)

For more information, please see the corresponding Lab page under "Related." To get involved, reach out to the Writing and Research Advisors: 

Black Studies Lab: Sylvie Boulette, boulette@uchicago.edu

Environmental Humanities: Sylvie Boulette, boulette@uchicago.edu

Contemporary Literary Publishing: Nell Pach, npach@uchicago.edu 

Students can register for ENGL 29780 Lab Research to receive credit for their participation in the Undergraduate Research Lab of their choosing. While students will register for the 100 unit course in just one quarter of the year of their participation, the course is meant to reflect their engagement with the Lab throughout the academic year. Final Grades and credit will be given in Spring quarter by the faculty supervisor. Additionally, students who take on a leadership role in the Lab will receive an official transcript notation as the “English Department Research Lab Leader.” 

To register, students should first submit to the Student Affairs Administrator a 1-2 paragraph statement briefly outlining their interest in a specific lab, mentioning specific projects within the lab and ideas to implement into research projects, events, or other endeavors. In order to receive credit for participation in the labs, students must fulfill the following requirements: 

• Schedule and facilitate weekly check in meetings with your fellow lab participants.

• Create quarterly portfolios to demonstrate the Lab’s ongoing work. You can summarize and reflect on previous quarters’ research and how those questions have developed and plan ahead for the upcoming quarter and how the current projects may take shape. You can present the information with contextual writing and summaries, highlighting key objects, questions, and/or events.

• Plan and execute one event or book club/reading group per quarter. Students should steer the planning process, any promotional endeavors, and research required to plan.

• Present, along with fellow lab participants, your yearly work and research findings with a presentation at the BA End of Year Celebration in the Spring Quarter. This will summarize the Research Lab’s events, projects, work, and findings throughout the year.

• Students may also fulfill the requirement by applying to grants or other funding opportunities to support the work of the Lab. For more information and assistance with the process, students can consult the College Center for Research and Fellowships and use their searchable database: https://ccrf.uchicago.edu/

The grade will be based on cumulative participation and a portfolio of work. 

If a group of students wishes to propose a new research lab, please consult with the DUS or SAA for guidance. Proposals should include:

• One page description of the topic and goals of the Lab
• A preliminary schedule for the year
• A faculty sponsor (Lab Leaders should reach out to a faculty member, present the lab idea, and ask them if they would be willing to sponsor the Lab. Sponsoring involves providing basic scholarly and logistical guidance, attending events as needed, and evaluating the end of year portfolio to assign a grade/credit for ENGL 29780 and transcript notation for Lab Leaders).
• DUS approval

Please complete/acquire each of these items in the order listed above. We are excited to see the ideas and research you develop!