Individual Studies in ENLI

As a department, we are committed to supporting active research by undergraduates, and one of the primary ways that is achieved is through advanced, semester-long individual studies.  Designed by a student in conjunction with a faculty mentor, the individual study provides an opportunity for sustained research in an area of interest.

Completing an individual study may be impressive to graduate programs if you are moving on to further study, but it is also a valuable thing to highlight on a resume for jobs, showing organization, self-motivation and discipline, the ability to work independently, and follow through for longer term projects. As the link below shows, ENLI individual studies cover an amazing variety of topics, following the interests of our students.

Students are completing advanced undergraduate research through individual studies and gaining valuable opportunities to focus and apply academic knowledge and skills.

Each semester and in summer, the Department of English and Linguistics offers juniors and seniors the opportunity to take individual studies in highly specialized courses that are designed by students in close collaboration with sponsoring faculty.

To get a sense of these high impact learning experiences, please view our current and past individual studies here.

Guidelines

  1. Individual Studies are open only to juniors and seniors and are intended to allow more advanced or specialized work by well-prepared and highly motivated students. English majors must have taken ENGL 295 and at least two upper-level courses in the major. Non-English majors must have taken at least three courses in English or Linguistics, including two at the upper-level.
  2. The subject area of the Individual Study must be appropriate for this department.
  3. The Individual Study must not duplicate a course that is listed in the catalog or a special topics course that is offered in the same semester as the proposed Individual Study.
  4. Faculty undertake Individual Studies only in areas in which these faculty feel appropriately qualified to guide and evaluate student work. Some Individual Studies may require a co-sponsor in another department. Full-time faculty will undertake no more than three Individual Studies per semester, unless approved by the Department Chair. Adjunct faculty will not ordinarily take on Individual Studies and may not supervise more than one Individual Study student per year unless additional financial compensation is provided.

Individual Study Proposal

With advice from the sponsoring faculty member, the student develops a description of the project, including a statement of objectives and list of activities that will fulfill these objectives. The work must merit 3 credits. The following information must be provided:

  • motivation and preparation for undertaking the Individual Study, including a description of previous course work that is relevant to the proposed area of study and that prepares the student to undertake the study;

  • a reading list of appropriate primary and/or secondary sources;

  • a schedule of conferences between student and faculty (at least once every two weeks), indicating anticipated subject of discussion and hence progress in the study;

  • a detailed listing of the substantial oral and/or written work to be performed by the student, with a focus toward a central project;

  • a weighting system for assignments.

    There are two steps to submitting your Individual Study for official approval once your faculty sponsor has endorsed it.

    • First, please email your proposal to Department Chair Jonathan Levin, at jlevin@umw.edu. The deadline is the end of the first week of classes each semester (Friday, 5 p.m.).
    • Second, complete the Individual Study Registration form on the Registrar’s site; this is a dynamic form that will route to your faculty sponsor (“Instructor”) and then to the ENLI chair. You do not register for an individual study through the normal process of preregistration.

    Please note: Individual study projects that have been approved, in final draft, by an ENLI faculty sponsor will be approved, although changes or additions may be requested. Please do not sign up for an additional course unless you intend to keep both it and the individual study.

    You can find sample proposals for creative and scholarly individual studies here.

    Policy revised: 4/29/08; updated 11/19/09, 4/26/10, 9/10/10, 6/1/19.