G.R.O.U.P. Research Team

The G.R.O.U.P. (Geballe Research Opportunities for Undergraduates Program) Research Team provides undergraduates in the humanities the opportunity to gain the skills necessary for independent research projects.

Research Teams are made up of two faculty members from different departments, as least eight undergraduates, and two graduate students. Faculty members define the project, establish specific goals for the semester, assemble the team, and supervise the research activities and outcomes. The project is highly collaborative, approached from a multidisciplinary perspective, and emphasizes fresh ways of drawing on the resources of the campus, the Bay Area, and beyond. Undergraduates receive course credit for their work, but, more importantly, they gain valuable research skills, build relationships as team members, achieve a better understanding of scholarly teamwork, and develop an appreciation for the insights that an interdisciplinary approach can bring to a single subject.

2007-2008 Team

The Research Team for 2007-2008 is Human Rights and the Cultures of War, led by Catherine Gallagher (English), Alan Tansman (East Asian Languages and Cultures), and Thomas Laqueur (History). The team will work on the first phase of a larger project (to develop a campus-wide inter-divisional undergraduate concentration in human rights) by investigating one particular human-rights topic: the status, rights, welfare, experience, subjectivity, and culture of civilians in countries at war, primarily during the last 100 years.

Students should apply directly to the faculty sponsors.

Questions about the program may be addressed to Program Coordinator Harris Kornstein at 510/643-9670 or harriskornstein@berkeley.edu.