James Rogers Summer Institute for Research and Creative Work

The James Rogers Summer Institute for Research and Creative Work provides undergraduate students research and creative experiences of 8-12 weeks in collaboration with or under the supervision of Queens University faculty members.  Both the student and their faculty mentor receive a $3,000 grant to support the completion of their chosen research or creative project.  Proposals from all academic disciplines are welcome. 

Why participate in the Rogers Summer Institute? 

• Students are provided an enriching summer experience through immersion in research and creative work, akin to what they would experience in a professional setting. 
• Data consistently shows that undergraduate research combined with faculty mentoring are high-impact practices that lead to greater campus engagement as well as provide significant educational and professional benefits for students. 
• It improves teaching by invigorating a professor’s professional work and adds fresh material to the classroom; as well, it supports a professor’s research agenda, while honing mentoring skills.
• Collaborative and independent research and creative work experiences make students more competitive for graduate school admission, scholarships, and graduate fellowships. 

Goals 

• To provide opportunities and support for faculty and student research and creative work. 
• To make student research or creative projects accessible to students regardless of economic status by providing funding for on-campus or off-campus field research, use of archives, purchasing books, etc.  
• To encourage a community of learners on campus and beyond campus through attendance at professional meetings and symposia. 
• To assist in recruitment and retention of excellent faculty and students by raising the Queens University of Charlotte profile throughout academia through publication of scholarly work and presentations at professional conferences and symposia. 

Institute Design 

1. Students engage in research in collaboration with or under the direction of Queens faculty during the summer for a period of 8-12 weeks.  Research and research supervision is intended to be a priority for faculty and a significant time investment for students.  (Mentors must be Queens faculty members.)
2. Students and faculty are provided a stipend in the amount of $3,000 each.  For students, the stipend is intended to offset student expenses such as summer housing, travel, or research but may be used to pay academic year expenses. Faculty may mentor or supervise up to 4 students on projects which can definitively demonstrate the need for, or suitability of, group work to achieve project goals. There is no additional compensation for faculty mentoring more than one student. 
3. In the first half of the spring semester, students submit research grant proposals that undergo a competitive review process.  Faculty mentors/sponsors must also submit a recommendation form indicating their support of the project as proposed and their willingness to supervise the student. 
4. Projects specifically focused on “First Amendment issues, dialogue, character formation, political polarization, the value of thought diversity, and civil discourse” can apply to be a Curry Foundation fellow.

The following spring (April 2028), participants are required to present their findings in an appropriate presentation format at Day of Scholarship & Service.   When possible, students and faculty will present posters or papers at professional conferences and symposia with travel support from the Preyer Student Travel Fund.

QLIT: Queens Literary Studies Undergraduate Research Program

QLIT is housed in the Jim Rogers Summer Institute for Research and Creative Work, located at Queens University of Charlotte. The Rogers Summer Institute provides vital financial support for the work of faculty and students in the QLIT program.

What is QLIT?

The Queens Literary Studies Undergraduate Research Program offers English & Writing Studies (E&WS) majors the opportunity to enhance their literary research skills outside the classroom. From mid-summer through the fall semester, QLIT students work closely with E&WS faculty to identify a topic of interest in the discipline of Literary Studies, develop and expand their research, and present their findings at the South Atlantic Modern Language Association Conference (SAMLA).

Program Goals

QLIT students & faculty work together in a series of seminars & workshops designed to help students:

• develop transferrable, marketable skills such as digital literacy, project & information management, and audience-informed communication
• work collaboratively with faculty & peers to draft and revise scholarly research presentations
• understand and achieve proficiency in the research process
• understand and achieve proficiency in the written & oral conventions of scholarly presentations
• successfully propose their research to an academic conference and present their work to an academic audience

Recent QLIT Research Projects

• Emily Allison: “Oceans of Ash: Adaptation in McCarthy’s The Road”
• Eliza Solomon: “’Combustible Lemons’: Individualism and Record Keeping in Portal 2”
• Libby Browne: “Queer Representation and Nature Imagery in Mansfield’s ‘Bliss'”
• Omani Gaines: “Unexpected Perspectives: Uncovering Azula’s Destructive Origins in Avatar: The Last Airbender”
• Ellie Fritsch: “Gender, Trauma, & Mental Health in the Victorian Sensation Novel”
• April Markowski: “What about the Binary? A Nuanced Look at Twelfth Night’s Presentation of Gender”

QLIT Faculty

Dr. Bonnie Shishko, Associate Professor of Literary Studies
Research Interests: Victorian Literature, gender & sexualities, disability studies, medical humanities
Contact: shishkob@queens.edu

Dr. Helen Hull, Associate Professor of Literary Studies
Research Interests: Renaissance Literature, government & justice networks, urban societies, gender
Contact: hullh@queens.edu