Contribute to cutting-edge scholarship and gain valuable research skills in a supportive community of peers and professors with the Pillars of Research Learning Community.
Become a World-Class Researcher
Open to all Schar School students, the Pillars of Research Learning Community offers the opportunity to gain hands-on research and analytic skills while contributing to topics of interest and gaining class credit. Students in the community will earn 1 credit of GOVT 399 in the fall and 1 credit of GOVT 399 in the spring.
As a part of this community, students have the opportunity to participate in the Undergraduate Research Assistant Program (URAP) conducting a hands-on research project under the mentorship of a Schar School faculty member. Students serving as an undergraduate research assistant earn 1-3 additional credits of GOVT 399.
A Community of Scholars
Students will have a wide-range of professional development opportunities, including:
- Monthly discussions on research topics with speakers, scholars, and experts;
- Facilitated coffee-house conversations around topics related to research and scholarship, including methodology, research design, data management and analysis, and working with institutional review boards;
- Skills workshops on poster design and presentations for both professional and academic audiences;
- Presentation practice sessions with peer feedback and facilitated workshopping of ideas; and
- A trip each semester to a Washington, D.C.-area research organization such as the Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress, Council on Foreign Relations, or Brookings Institution.
"I would recommend URAP to every student. It has not only taught me how to be a better researcher, but a better scholar of political science. For me, URAP allowed me to try out a realm of politics that I was interested in working in. I was able to reach a depth in understanding and see if this type of work was what I wanted to do in the future. And with the diverse interests of the professors at the Schar School, the projects cover a wide range of topics and roles, allowing you the opportunity to get the most out of your experience. URAP has inspired me to continue with research and now I am excited and eager to work on any project that may come my way."
BA, Government and International Politics
"When I first got into URAP I was expecting to conduct research on my own which was intimidating but to my surprise, I was one of a group of around seven people that would be conducting research for the project. Working in a group provided support and guidance as a new student to Mason and the Schar School. I would highly recommend URAP as it provides educational tools and skills as well as connections and professional relationships with professors and other classmates."
BA, Government and International Politics
Meet the Pillars of Research Learning Community Director
For any questions or to learn more, contact: scharurc@gmu.edu