Funding Options

The Sociology Department does not have a special budget to support student research. But don’t let that stop you! There are several options for you.

Undergraduate Research Office

Through the Undergraduate Research Office, contact Lisa Gates, associate dean for fellowships and research, at lgates@middlebury.edu to learn more about the following:

  • Senior Research Project Supplement (SRPS): Up to $1,600; applications for $350 or less reviewed on a rolling basis; three deadlines for amounts greater than $350 (October 1, late January, April 15). Applications must be submitted before work occurs.
  • Hoskin Research Fund: Provides up to $3,000 for in-country work in developing or rapidly changing countries outside of the U.S.; applications due October 1, late January, April 15. Applications must be submitted before work occurs. Committee review process.
  • Kellogg Fellowship: Provides up to eight grants ($5,000 each) for senior work in the humanities and areas of humanistic inquiry. Applications due in March. Committee review process.
  • Academic travel fund (ATF): Supports student participation and presentations at academic conferences relevant to their major/minor. Funds up to $350 for participation; $1,000 for presentation.
  • Summer research assistant program: Supports faculty research during the summer. Depends on faculty needs and interests.

Rohatyn Center for Global Affairs

Through the Rohatyn Center for Global Affairs, contact Charlotte Tate, associate director of RCGA, at tate@middlebury.edu to learn more about the following:

  • RCGA Summer Research Grant: Provides funding for international research during the summer before senior year, for juniors preparing to write senior theses. Provides up to $4,500. Applications due at the end of March.
  • RCGA Study Abroad Research Grant: Provides funding for research either during a study-abroad program or immediately following the program. Typical awards range from $1,000 to $2,800. Applications due at the end of March and in mid-October.

Please note that if you are doing research with human subjects, your project needs to be reviewed by the Institutional Review Board.

Library and Technology

Student Advisory Council

The Sociology Student Advisory Council (SAC) exists in order to advise the Sociology Department about faculty appointments and the curriculum, and anything else that comes up. It’s a way to give sociology majors a voice in their department, and an effort to make what is often a disciplinary hierarchy into a collaborative democracy.

Typically the SAC meets during winter term and during the spring semester, but it can also meet as sociology students wish. When the Sociology Department is working to recruit or promote its faculty, the SAC meets with candidates and makes an informal recommendation to the Sociology Department. Additionally, when the department has an external review, the SAC meets the external review committee to express student views and concerns.