Fulbright R esearch Proposal Writing Workshop

1. Fulbright Research Proposal Writing Workshop Sandra Zupan, Assistant Director College Center for Research & Fellowships Website: https://ccrf.uchicago.edu Email:szupan@uchicago.edu Phone: 773-834-3182 Office: HM 501 (West Tower)

2. Outline Part 1: - Developing a project Part 2: - Feasibility of the proposed project Part 3: - Writing Part 4: - Cultural competence and engagement

3. Part 1:Developing a project

4. Initial steps • Build upon your academic interest and preparedness • Develop a more precise research project idea • Determine a country that is a relevant choice for the project • Familiarize yourself with the host country profile: • Type of award • Field of study preferences or restrictions • Language proficiency • Affiliation: • Professors can help you contact appropriate people in the host country • Your affiliate needs to be able to support the research, provide access to required resources and/or advise you during the grant period

5. Validity of the proposed project Indicate why the project must be carried out in the host country Research goals are explained in concrete and practical terms Discuss how resources of the host country will be utilized and maximized Researchand engagementadvance mutual understanding Language preparation and plans for further study A clear connection to your personal and future career goals Compelling projects are creative, innovative, timely and relevant

6. Part 2:Feasibility of the proposed project

7. The logic and structure of research proposals A clear, precise, succinctplan for a proposed research project: What is it all about? Topic and aims What do we already know about the subject? Literature review What does the research need to find out? Research questions How will we get the necessary information?Methods What will it cost and how long will it take?Planning and resources Is the research socially acceptable? Ethics What are the benefits?Outcomes

8. What makes a research proposal feasible? Fully developed project plan: Who, what, when, where, why and how Detailed and sound methodology: Clear question and methodology Adequate data collection procedures and the data analysis techniques Realistic timeline: Project can be completed in 9-12 months Access and resources: Access and ability to collect data Can be completed with the resources made available by the affiliate Preparedness: Requisite academic background and research skills Language ability and adapt to living in the proposed environment

9. Ethical requirements • Socially acceptable research: • Participants and researchers do not suffer harm as a consequence of their involvement in the research • The research project is likely to lead to good quality findings • Ethics approval: • Research projects that involve human subjects must receive Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval • UChicago sources: • Social and Behavioral Sciences Institutional Review Board, https://sbsirb.uchicago.edu/ • Office of Clinical Research Institutional Review Board, http://bsdirb.bsd.uchicago.edu/

10. Part 3:Writing

11. Audience and style Non-disciplinary audience with extensive country expertise: Demonstrate rich place specific knowledge and cultural sensitivity Avoid discipline-specific jargon Complex ideas are explained as clearly as possible Citations and footnotes are not required Absence of loaded or biased language (cultural ambassador) Stylistic elements: Well written, dynamic, carefully organized, straightforward and concise Thoughtful, clear and precise ***Tip: Start writing early, seek feedback and revise multiple drafts

12. Opening paragraph “The Politics of Resettlement: Assessing the Political Impact of Palestinians in Chile” Home to the largest population of Palestinians outside of the Middle East, Chile offers an excellent opportunity to examine and contextualize the debate surrounding Israel and Palestine; understand the broader effects of resettled populations on their host countries; and reimagine the nation as an inclusive rather than exclusive entity. [relevance of the country for the project] With the support of a Fulbright, I propose to research the political ramifications of Palestinian resettlement to Chile as a member of the University of Chile's Center for Arabic Studies (CAS) Migration and Culture research team. [aim and affiliation] My research will consider two major questions: What factors have contributed to the increasing support within the Chilean population and government for a Palestinian state? How and why have resettled Palestinians informed Chilean attitudes toward Israel and Palestine? [specific research questions]

13. Research gap and significance of the proposed project Existing research largely focuses on the history and identity of Arabs in Latin America. Supported by this knowledge, I will consider the unexplored relationship between resettlement and politics [research gap] through a case study of the Al-Tanf refugees, who have yet to be studied. [rationale for the case study choice]Immigration and assimilation theories identify certain political, economic, and social factors as influences on the political reception of resettled peoples. In Chile, such factors may include whether a Palestinian lobby was responsible for Chile's resettlement sponsorship; the refugees‘ roles in the Chilean economy; to what extent Chile's history of exile under the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet has informed Chilean attitudes toward displaced people; and religious identities (Chile has a Jewish minority of 75,000). I hope to identify which of these have been most prevalent in the formation of Chilean attitudes regarding Israel and Palestine.[relating theory to the country] The salience of my proposed research lies in its contextualization of the relationships between resettled populations and their hosts across the globe… [significance]

14. Methodologyparagraph My research will take place between March and December of 2013 and will utilize this diverse plethora of contacts in an interview-based investigation of the Al-Tanfresettlement. [timeline, data collection method] During the first three months, I will conduct filmed interviews with Al-Tanfrefugees in colloquial Palestinian Arabic,which I studied intensively in the West Bank and Damascus over the last two years. I will also create a diverse sample of Catholic and Jewish Chileans, whom I will interview in Spanish, a language that I have studied from a young age and developed through volunteer work in the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, and Mexico. [demographics, language skills, cross-cultural experience] During the second three months, I will interview members of the Chilean government, the UNHCR's Chilean branch, and La Vicaría Pastoral Social y de losTrabajadores, the Chilean organization that helped resettle the Al-Tanf refugees. My interview questions will gauge respondents' feelings toward a Palestinian state, opinions on Chilean foreign policy, exposure to resettled Palestinians, and understanding of Chile's history under the Pinochet regime. I will compile personal narratives from a selection of those interviewed.[type of data, analysis]

15. Part 4:Cultural competence and engagement

16. What is cultural competence? The ability to understand, communicateand interact with people across cultures respectfully and effectively Dimensions: Sensitivity - an individual’s capacity to comprehend and appreciate unique, defining characteristics of populations Awareness - the ability to understand how culture affects thinking, behavior and interactions Skills - reflected in effective communication and intercultural interactions

17. Culturally competent research Does not assume the cultural perspective of the majority: Participants’ socio‐cultural reality is not being negated Research does not perpetuate inequalities or stereotypes Takes into account the culture and diversity of a population: Research design, implementation and mutually aligned endeavors Adequate analysis and interpretation of results The target population’s social, cultural and linguistic needs: Research process can be adapted to meet the population’s needs and remove barriers to participation, e.g. mistrust, perceived harm, language Participation of diverse individuals as study subjects: Recruitment, obtaining consent, communication, interaction and retention of research participants depend on cultural competence

18. Working with difference Positionality: Researcher’s identity - race, gender, class, age, education, dress etc., as well as that of research participants, impacts the process of research E.g. if you’re an educated Western white male studying midwifery in sub-Saharan Africa, how might your identity and privilege impact the research? Formal and informal gatekeeping: Entry into the community is fraught with challenges, e.g. power, control Navigating gatekeeping is crucial to a research project,i.e. access to data Poor cultural awareness can lead to community denial of research privileges Language: Researcher, interpreter or bilingual approach Care in translating between different languages and cultural contexts

19. Host country engagement Goals: Embrace opportunities to interact with the local community Complements your project and/or capitalizes on your interests, skills etc. Reflects US society, while being feasible for the host country Doable and realistic, but also sufficient for increasing mutual understanding Examples: Volunteering with a local organization Building a sports facility at a refugee camp A book club/book to movie club/screening films with Q&A Theater as a tool for cultural and linguistic exchange Art/mural projects

20. College Center for Research and Fellowships (CCRF) Harper Memorial Library, 5thFloor, West Tower Fulbright US Student Program Advising: Arthur Salvo, Assistant Director, ncmorris@uchicago.edu Nicholas Morris, Associate Director, aksalvo@uchicago.edu Sandra Zupan, Assistant Director, szupan@uchicago.edu Website: https://ccrf.uchicago.edu Listserv: https://ccrf.uchicago.edu Appointments: http://ccrf.uchicago.edu/contact-us