Summer Research Incubator

As part of your application to the Summer Research Incubator, you will be asked to choose an area of research inquiry (as well as two back-up areas) to work on this summer. The areas of inquiry are below.

Research Inquiry 1: How do race and socioeconomic factors impact marginalized students of color in higher education?

Historical injustices, policies, and practices continue to disadvantage marginalized students of color in accessing higher education. These disparities widen the educational gaps among communities of color and their counterparts. Students of color have access to fewer resources while facing more social, structural, and financial barriers to entry and advancement in higher education. The overturning of affirmative action policy in the summer of 2023 continues to create new and pressing systematic challenges and barriers for students of color. This research inquiry will utilize critical race theories among other critical frameworks to examine and analyze the experiences of students of color in higher education and explore how to better support them to succeed and thrive. We will also consider the various institutional, social, and political issues, practices, and policies—such as the pandemic, public health disparities, socioeconomic inequities, and gender discrimination among others—that are intertwined with higher education. This research inquiry will be of interest to students studying education, political science, ethnic studies, history, gender studies, and other related fields.

Research Inquiry 2: Title: How does performance shape understandings of queerness and enable belonging?

Queerness has historically been legible through performance. From underground clubs to ballrooms, musical theatre to urban parades, these performances spaces are often where queer folks are most able to express themselves and find a sense of belonging. Furthermore, with the rise of queer representation and visibility across different mediums, belonging seems to be possible in increasingly new ways. This project looks to performance as a means through which queerness is redefined, and a sense of belonging is negotiated from the margins. We will ask how performance—an ephemeral art form where movement, feeling, and identity collide—allows for different expressions of queerness to exist freely, even if just for a moment. How do queer folks reckon with queerness through performance? How has our understanding of queerness evolved through performance over time? How do different modes of performance—concerts, performance art, street performances, drag, and more—push us to think of queerness beyond the scope of sexuality? And how do we see, or sense, queerness intersecting with race, gender, and ability? This project will thus encourage students studying literature, cultural studies, media studies, gender and sexuality, theatre and performance, history, and other related fields to explore the potential of performance for queer folks.

Research Inquiry 3: How does disability awareness shape broader social justice issues?

Disability rights have been hard fought for in recent decades, with progressive social justice movements leading to legislation such as the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many Americans came to understand the lives of isolation and quarantine that many disabled folks experience because of structural and social inequalities. Since the advent of the internet, disability advocacy movements and communities have found traction in online spaces, increasing awareness for these communities. As the number of disabled Americans increases, partly due to frequent epidemics as well as advanced medicine enabling people to live longer and survive deadly illnesses such as cancer and diabetes, disability advocacy is increasingly important for more and more of the country. Recently, social justice movements have adopted disability care practices into their best practices such as masking and planning actions in accessible spaces. Important questions arise from this dynamic. How do those without prior disability consciousness understand themselves within broader disability rights movements? How are disability advocacy tenets being incorporated into the goals and practices of other social justice moments? What role does ableism play in the structural inequities affecting all minority populations? This project is aimed at students interested in disability studies, intersectional identity formation, and interview methods, and may be of interest to students in the humanities and social sciences, particularly in anthropology, communications and sociology.

Research Inquiry 4: How do migrants establish a sense of “home” within Los Angeles?

Los Angeles stands as a critical nexus for cultural exchange, home to vibrant neighborhoods shaped by diverse immigrant populations. These spaces give rise to a rich array of restaurants, shops, plazas, and community centers that reflect the cultural traditions of their home countries. Yet, in the face of increasingly restrictive immigration policies, migrant communities have become more cautious, yet resilient. This project will explore how migrants in Los Angeles navigate the complexities of maintaining connections with their countries of origin while simultaneously fostering a sense of home and belonging in the city. By examining the physical and social landscapes of migration, students will explore how these communities create spaces of resistance, solidarity, and cultural continuity. How do migrants establish a sense of “home” within Los Angeles, and what unique strategies do they use to maintain connections across borders? How do they resist assimilation while asserting their identities and preserving their ties to their homeland?  Drawing from theoretical frameworks in anthropology, ethnic studies, geography, and sociology, students will engage with issues of migration, race, identity, belonging, and gender. This project invites students to investigate the intimate and complex ways that migrants create community, build networks, and maintain a sense of home, both in the city and across the globe.

Research Inquiry 5: What curricula, programs, and policies can schools implement to best support immigrant students?

Challenges around immigration are not new; throughout US history there have been waves of migration that have posed complex questions around belonging, membership, and community. Immigration has become even more pertinent in political and social discourse over the last two decades, particularly with the rise of right-wing extremism and the election of Trump in 2016 and the legitimized anti-immigrant rhetoric that accompanied his win. These challenges and complexities have permeated deeply into almost every aspect of society, and one such area that poses particular challenges—and polarizing rhetoric—is education and schooling. A recent increase in immigration has led to an increase in immigrant students attending schools across the country, raising pressing questions around how to best support immigrant students. And while significant strides have been made within education policy to support immigrant students glaring disparities remain, particularly around access to postsecondary education and career opportunities. Given the current sociopolitical context, and the rising anti-immigration rhetoric, what are the best approaches to support immigrant students in schools? How can schools be safe environments for immigrant students, and in what ways does the curriculum impact immigrant students’ sense of belonging? What kind of programs and policies can schools implement to end disparities facing immigrant students? This research area will be of interest to students studying education, political science, history, race, gender and ethnic studies.

Research Inquiry 6: How do the intersections of race, gender, and size oppression shape the experiences of marginalized communities?

George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, was killed during his arrest outside of a convenience store in Minnesota by white police officer Derek Chauvin, who kneeled on his neck for 9 minutes, inciting the largest global protest and a resurgence of the #BlackLivesMatter Movement that first became a rallying cry in 2014 following the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown Jr. in Ferguson. Both Brown and Floyd’s size and stature were factors in applying excessive force, not only resulting in their deaths but also used as a means to justify their deaths. Brown was referred to as “Hulk Hogan,” and Floyd, though referred to as “a gentle giant” in death, his size as a larger Black man, coupled with his medical history, was strategically used by police, lawyers, and medical examiners to justify his death. This research cluster will invite all students who are broadly interested in examining the intersections of race, gender, and size across marginalized communities. Therefore, we will grapple with the following questions: What do racial analyses of gender and size offer as analytic/s? What forms of interlocking oppression and violence might come into further view by adopting a critical or intersectional lens? This research area will appeal to students interested in race, gender, size, disability, cultural studies, history, digital humanities, and other related fields. 

Research Inquiry 7: How do we combat misinformation and disinformation as social justice issues through the use of media literacy?

Concerns around disinformation and misinformation date back over 500 years to the creation of the printing press by Gutenberg. Cold War propaganda and disinformation campaigns such as the “red scare” and “lavender scare” permitted discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community under the guise of national security. With the increased access to information, due in part to social media, concerns around misinformation and disinformation have increased dramatically. The global COVID-19 Pandemic is an example of how misinformation reached dangerous levels fueling Sinophobic attacks and anti-science mentalities. As social media changes the landscape in which people obtain information, this research invites us to consider what factors play a role in the creation of misinformation, the motivations behind disinformation, and how their dissemination should be taken as social justice issues. We will look at media literacy as an avenue to address misinformation and disinformation and pose questions such as: How can a historical understanding of disinformation and misinformation inform policy around media literacy? How does the use of AI tools such as ChatGPT complicate our understanding of media literacy and authenticity? What tools can we use to engage our communities online and offline against misinformation and disinformation? This research inquiry will be of interest to students studying education, political science, history, information studies, public health, gender studies, and other related fields.