The School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies knows the importance of graduate research in the humanities, but also the vital experience of undergraduate research.
The Undergraduate Research Experience (URE) is offered through the school and one of the URE projects this fall semester was “Slavery in the Medieval World: Archival and Pedagogical Approaches”where junior Joshua Robinaugh has been assisting history assistant professor Hannah Barker.
Barker is working to create a publicly available website to aid for scholars who want to conduct research on slavery in the late Middle Ages and provide pedagogical resources for professors who want to teach a unit or an entire course on slavery in the medieval world. Robinaugh is helping her design and implement the website as well as writing introductory text for the website, finding historically appropriate images and compiling bibliographies on slavery-related topics.
The project will be a collection of primary sources which have never before been translated into English.
Robinaugh is a history major and after stumbling upon the URE page on the SHPRS website, he decided to apply and join the program.
Question: Why did you apply to your research topic? What drew you to it?
Answer: I had previously taken classes with Dr. Barker and already knew that I had a passion for the subject material and the methodology.
Q: What has your experience been thus far?
A: This experience has been priceless. I have greatly appreciated every opportunity I have been given and have experienced exponential growth in my research ability and time management.
Q: For you, what has been a highlight of conducting the research?
A: The highlight of conducting this research has been how closely I have had the opportunity to work with Dr. Barker. Having the opportunity to work this hands-on with a professor has been amazing. Specifically, though, the chance to translate real Latin texts into publishable translations has been my favorite part.
Q: Would you recommend URE to other students?
A: Absolutely I would recommend URE to others. It will be an experience they will never forget and will give them the opportunity to gain skills they otherwise may not be able to until graduate school.
Applications for the spring semester are open now until October 28. If you are interested in building your resume, gaining valuable experience and working with a professional in the field, go to the Undergraduate Research Experience website to find out what projects are available.