Undergraduate Research FAQ

Point of Contact:

Amrita Ibrahi, Director of Undergraduate Studies, ai372@georgetown.edu.

Philosophy of research:

Research in Anthropology – or more specifically, Cultural Anthropology – is based heavily on ideas of qualitative fieldwork and participant observation. We direct our research towards cross-cultural comparisons and meaning, and use standard anthropological methods, theories, and insights, as well as methods, theories, and insights drawn from history, medicine and health studies, linguistics and language studies, museum studies, and other related disciplines.

How to get started:

Typically students encounter their first mini research-based project in the survey courses, Introduction to Cultural Anthropology. The more extensive research-based projects are part of the junior or senior seminar Doing Anthropological Fieldwork, in which students combine fieldwork (primary) and theoretical (secondary) research as part of their seminar assignments. This model was severely disrupted during and since the COVID pandemic, as students were constrained in their abilities to conduct any meaningful in-person research/fieldwork.

Since returning to campus and in-person learning, the department has been considering restructuring the order of our core courses to better reflect changing challenges and methodologies in anthropological training. In addition, students have been asking for this restructuring for some years now. In this new model, students would encounter theoretical frameworks for research earlier (ideally in their sophomore year) so that they can conduct more thorough primary research during their junior year and potentially finish a research paper or thesis in their senior year.

This would be similar to the American Studies model of a yearlong senior thesis, or that of Women and Gender Studies or Film and Media Studies, among others, in which students write a senior capstone paper during their spring semester. This restructuring might also allow us to consider non-traditional thesis formats (not simply a written thesis or paper) for students, which would reflect changes within anthropology more generally where scholars are exploring multimodal and transmedia formats to reach wider and more diverse audiences.

We also have a writing guide, developed by Professor Laurie King, which we are in the process of updating to include visual methods and non-traditional assignments and how to include and deal with AI challenges in student research and output. View the work-in-progress document.

How to get connected with a faculty mentor:

Students usually start off being mentored by the DUS. Research or a thesis in their senior year is not a requirement of the major or minor in the Anthropology department.

If they express interest in a research project and/or to write a thesis, students usually start independent meetings with a faculty member in the department in whose class(es) they developed the idea. Alternatively, they talk to the DUS about their ideas and are recommended a faculty member who would be a good fit for them. This faculty member may be a core member of the department (either TL or NTL) or may be an anthropologist in another department or school (SFS, for instance).

Earning credit for undergraduate research:

Students currently only earn credits for research through standard course credits for classes taken.

Getting paid for research:

Faculty select research assistants on an ad hoc basis and pay them through their research budgets.

Thesis or capstone research:

At the moment, a thesis or capstone paper is not a requirement to major or minor in Anthropology. However, in the future, we would like to be able to offer a more robust structure to students to enable research in one of these two forms, with traditional (written) or non-traditional thesis/capstone formats.