By Melissa Huang
From examining homeless blogs’ potential influence on civic policy decisions to investigating digital media applications in theatre design, students in UBC’s Faculty of Arts are breaking new ground in research. Each day, Arts students participate in academic conferences, design and implement catalytic experiments and explore politically and socially affecting issues through every medium imaginable.
The contenders of the 2010/11 Russ Patrick Award were no different. This past round of award applicants included Arts Undergraduate Research Award (AURA) research assistants Honours Psychology student Ashley Whillans, Music student Roydon Tse, and Honours Sociology student Amanda Cheong. The award, presented annually to an Arts undergraduate student who has demonstrated excellence in research writing, is one of many UBC initiatives that highlight the importance of research in the Arts.
For Whillans, who discusses the effects of prosocial spending on physical health in her winning paper, “From Doing Good to Feeling Good: The Health Benefits of Prosocial Behaviour”, the opportunity to witness and contribute to a research project from its inception has been a “privilege”. She credits her respect for research to her experiences as an AURA recipient.
“This [AURA] study has benefited the lives of those who participated,” said Whillans. “As such, this study has shown me the potential of research to make meaningful contributions at both an individual and a societal level.”
Whillans is indeed privy to a meaningful process; once data collection for the AURA project is complete in April 2012, the research results could serve as a springboard for suggestions on improving the overall health of aging adult populations.
Apart from the practical, worldly benefits generated by Arts research, student researchers also gain critical skills through their involvement with intensive academic projects. For Cheong, the research experience she gained while investigating the relationships between Russian NGOs, supranational institutions, and domestic human rights practices in “Russian Human Rights Activists and the European Court of Human Rights” has confirmed her interest in an academic career.
“I will be applying the theoretical, methodological, and analytical skills gained throughout my undergraduate years to my senior honours thesis on stateless Chinese-Bruneian immigrants in Vancouver,” said Cheong. “My [undergraduate research] experience has equipped me with the self-confidence needed to formulate and answer my own research questions on my journey to earning a PhD in Sociology.”
Despite the broad scope of research activities undertaken in UBC’s largest academic unit, Arts students across the board are unified by their positive research experiences. Tse, whose undergraduate research project “Arranging and Orchestrating Music for Bassoon” focused on expanding existing repertoire for the woodwind instrument, describes the experience of editing and transcribing musical works as “eye-opening” for a student composer.
“Learning to write for bassoons is a must for any aspiring composer,” said Tse. “I’ve benefited hugely from this project.”
For these AURA scholars, research is integral to the undergraduate experience. To the Arts students ready to begin their own research journey, Cheong advises that they take initiative by connecting with the experts around them.
“Don’t be afraid to approach professors about getting involved,” said Cheong. “Taking your education beyond the classroom and applying it to real-life situations through research is the most valuable learning experience you can have in university.”
Arts students seeking research opportunities can explore the following options:
- Arts Undergraduate Research Award (AURA)
AURA provides funding support to professors to hire undergraduate research assistants.
- Research-intensive courses
UBC Arts courses that fulfill the research requirement of a degree
- Honours specialization
Students in an Honours specialization complete an undergraduate thesis under the supervision of a faculty member
- Arts Co-op Program
Look for a paid research opportunity through the Arts Co-op Program
- Community-Based Experiential Learning
Students apply their knowledge toward the resolution of complex community-based challenges - Departmental conferences
Annual conferences that showcase research in a particular department
eg. Psychology Undergraduate Research Conference, Geography Spring Research Symposium - MURC (Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Research Conference)
Undergraduate students showcase their research at a large-scale conference
