Research Fellows
The Center for European Studies’ CES Research Fellows program is a research assistantship initiative that pairs undergraduate students with CES faculty members who are interested in working with students on current research projects. The program provides a unique opportunity for students to gain research experience while learning the research methodologies of various academic disciplines and approaches. Research opportunities with the Center are available in both the social sciences and humanities fields, allowing students from a range of departments the chance to gain experience that will prepare them for future academic pursuits whether it be the University or CLAS Scholars programs, an honors thesis, or graduate school.
Students will gain hands on research experience in one of the wide range of projects currently pursued by CES faculty. In addition, students will gain a deeper understanding of research methods, practice in public speaking through the end-of-term workshop presentations, networking skills from monthly meetings with faculty and professionals in academics, and improved analytical proficiency through reviews and critical analysis of program-related talks and panels.
CES Research Fellows program is open to students in all departments and any class standing (i.e. Freshmen, Sophomore, Junior, Senior). CES cannot guarantee that all applicants will be assigned to a faculty project.
Students will be enrolled in EUS 4911 the semester of their fellowship. The course is taken for 3 credits. A zero-credit option is available for students who wish to participate but do not wish to earn credit, but will still be expected to complete the same number of weekly hours as students receiving credit.
For more information, please see the program overview
Requirements
- 9-weekly research hours
- Regular meetings with faculty mentor to review progress
- End-of-semester research presentation
- Attendance at monthly fellows meeting
- Attendance at CES talk and written summary (see program overview)
Apply
Please submit the following materials
- Application Form
- Resume or CV
- 1-page statement of purpose including, but not limited to:
- Why you are applying for the CES Research Fellows?
- Faculty research projects of interest (if applicable)
- What you expect to gain from the experience
- Any previous research experience
Deadline for Spring 2024 Fellowship: Friday, December 8, 2023
Spring 2024 Faculty Projects
| Faculty | Research Project Overview | Research Fellow Tasks |
| Robert Emerson (Affiliate Faculty) | Professor Emerson plans to gather and analyze a data set of non-compete clauses in different countries to compare the varying approaches, often dependent on regulation, case law, business climate, and even culture and history. Non-poaching agreements, non-disclosure agreements, joint employment and independent contracting, e-commerce, and the gig economy are all part of a fluid business and legal environment in which domestic and international firms – both as franchisors and franchisees – naturally have an interest in building and protecting customer goodwill. One key element in this mix is any attempt, such as a non-compete clause, meant to reconcile the competing interests of franchisors and franchisees who are, for the present, contractual allies (in a non-legal sense, perhaps even “partners”), but certainly have numerous, significant long-term differences. Prof. Emerson views his research, although of a legal and business nature, as being part of a framework that must include the broader context, and so has always been interested in working with, and mentoring, smart, inquisitive, hard-working undergraduates from throughout the university. |
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| Agata Kowalewska | Relationship between health, food, and nutrition among Europeans; National, minority, and specific ethnic group foodway and dietary patterns; Broadly understood food safety in Europe and the European Union, from genetically modified organisms to illegal food entering the EU market and consumer-specific food safety behaviors; Food-related legislation of the European Union with focus on the Common Agricultural Policy and the Environment Policy; Effects of Green Deal and other sustainable measures on Europe’s food environment. |
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| Amie Kreppel |
Dr. Kreppel is working on a project examining oversight and accountability in the Monetary Dialogue (MD) between the European Parliament and the European Central Bank. The project explores how Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) engage in the Dialogue and how the types of questions asked varies depending on nationality and political ideology. Research Fellows would help in collecting and coding Monetary Dialogue transcripts and creating a comprehensive database for MEP interventions during the MD. |
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| Armin Langer |
Dr. Langer plan on extending research on hip-hop as a political tool among immigrants and minorities in Europe. He has an upcoming publication on an Afro-French hip-hop collective with plans on writing more articles, including one on Eko Fresh. Currently, he is looking at case studies from Germany, France, the Netherlands and Austria, but open to discuss case studies from other EU countries. In addition, Dr. Langer plans on preparing a research article on the othering of religious practices. As case studies, the article will compare the othering of Catholic practices in the 19th-century US and Muslim practices in present-day Germany. Dr. Langer will provide the primary sources for anti-Catholicism and Islamophobia. The Fellow will categorize the sources and prepare an analysis of them together with Dr. Langer. |
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| Alex Panayotov | Dr. Panayotov’s project will explore the connection between territory, jurisdiction, and international law. Jurisdiction is a foundational legal concept that is the basis of state sovereignty. The jurisdictional rules of international law prescribe how states should govern various activities within their territories. But the rules of international law also regulate jurisdictional conflicts between sovereign states. This research project will explore various mechanisms for resolving jurisdictional conflicts in the context of the extraterritorial application of national law. Research assistant should have a basic knowledge of public international law and international relations, and knowledge of French and/or German is desirable. |
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| Morgan Rich | Dr. Rich’s project examines how newly built concert halls throughout Europe are changing musical programming models, or not, to reflect the musical, cultural, and socio-economic diversity of their cities. The first three case studies are: Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie, Berlin’s Pierre Boulez Saal, and Philharmonie de Paris. All three are noted as architecture and acoustical marvels; all three to some extents have become tourist destinations; and they all featured controversy over building delays or funding. The project asks: are musical institutions – through private funding, EU support, and respective musical mission statements – programming diverse styles and reshaping concepts of “high art” concert halls in contemporary Europe. The fellow will aid in data collection on programming and code the data with Dr. Rich; collect and categorize music-related sources for analysis; or collect and categorize sources on city demographics. Fellows with a background in music are welcomed but not required. |
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| Emrah Sahin | Dr. Sahin is working on or beginning research on a wide array of projects relating to political and socio-religious themes in southeast Europe, Turkey, the Mediterranean, and the Middle East from the late Ottoman Empire to the present day. Students may also be asked to help with ongoing projects, which can be found online. Dr. Sahin will move away from daily political matters and dig deeper into original and authentic sources to produce a balanced view of the subject matter and students should be ready to critically and diligently examine various dimensions of the topic under study. |
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Contact
Asli Baysal
Assistant Instructional Professor
Experiential Learning Coordinator
3328 Turlington Hall
abaysal@ufl.edu