CU’s Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP)
The purpose of UROP is to be a source of funding for undergraduate research. Lots of students assume this only applies to assistants in science labs, but that’s a misconception. Students in Arts & Humanities can design their own research projects and apply for funding from the university. Start by taking a look at their website, especially the “Individual Grants” tab, since that’s the category most of our applications will fall under. You do need to find a faculty mentor to help oversee your project. Note that you can apply for summer funding or academic year funding. Also note that you can sometimes get funding that would go along with a for-credit independent study class. Summer “Individual Grants” are $3,000, while Academic Year “Individual Grants” are $1,500. The deadline for applications for both summer grants and grants for the following academic year is usually in mid-February, so if you’re interested in this, you should probably start thinking about your project by the end of the fall semester.
Present Your Work as a Poster Presentation at an APA (American Philosophical Association) Conference
The American Philosophical Association puts on three big conferences per year, one for each of its divisions (Eastern, Central, and Pacific). By submitting a short abstract, undergraduates can apply to present their work (usually something like an honors thesis or some other original project) in the form of a poster at the conference. Aside from getting to present your work, this is a great way to get a sense of how philosophy is done at major professional conferences. To apply to submit your work at a 2022 APA conference, see the information here. The deadline this year to submit an abstract is November 15 (for all three APA meetings).
Present Your Work at an Undergraduate Philosophy Conference
There are lots of conferences nationwide that focus on undergraduate work. Presenting your work at one of these can be a great way to get your work out there and meet other young philosophers. One way to find undergraduate conferences is to go to philevents.org and search for “undergraduate.”
CU’s Professional and Academic Conference Endowment (PACE)
The purpose of PACE is to provide funding for undergraduates who are presenting their work at conferences. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, but you should apply for funding before your presentation. If you are going to present your work at the APA or at an undergraduate philosophy conference, you should also apply for PACE funding.
Independent Study
For information on signing up for an independent study, see the page on our website here.
Honors Thesis
For information on pursuing Honors in Philosophy, see the page on our website here, as well as the Honors website here.
For more questions about any of this stuff, feel free to contact the department’s Director of Undergraduate Studies.