Research Opportunities

The English department is keen to support students in their application for fellowship opportunities, and to provide opportunities for those who are eager to pursue a special interest in literary studies. 

The following programs allow students to build relationships with faculty, explore areas of interest, gain new knowledge in a topic of interest, and engage in research projects during the summer and/or academic year.

Each semester, students may apply to take an independent study session with an approving professor. The topic, point value (1-4), assignments, and grading rubric are decided by the student and sponsoring professor, subject to approval by the DUS. Students should review guidance on how to evaluate the point value of an independent study.

To apply, please complete the independent study application form and submit it to the Director of Undergraduate Studies in 602 Philosophy Hall two weeks prior to the start of classes.

Program Description 

The Senior Essay Program offers qualified senior English majors in the College and General Studies the opportunity to write a substantial piece of critical writing (of approximately 10,000 words), under the guidance of a faculty member in the English Department.  It is not a requirement of the major, but it is one way of fulfilling the major's capstone requirement.  
 

Program Deadlines

Final essay drafts will be due the first Monday in April. 

A preliminary draft (ca. 20 pages) will be due to supervisors on the first Monday in March.  

In addition, the Essay Seminar will have other smaller deadlines along the way. 

Pre-Requisites

To participate in the Senior Essay program, students must:

  • Be an English major;
  • Be planning to graduate in the year the essay is due;
  • Have taken the introductory course, Approaches to Literary Study (ENGL2000/2001);
    • If you have not yet taken Approaches to Literary Study, you may petition the Director of Undergraduate Studies, giving an explanation; the DUS will consult with the Committee for Undergraduate Education to determine if you are eligible to take the course.
    • This requirement does not apply to Trinity College Dublin Dual-BA students.
  • Have a GPA within the major of 3.8 or above.
    • If your major GPA does not meet the threshold, you may petition DUS for admission to this program.

Before writing a Senior Essay, students are strongly encouraged (though not required) to take an English course that requires a final research paper, such as a 4000-level seminar, or a 3000-level seminar that includes a longer writing assignment.

Evaluation and Credit

Senior English majors interested in writing a senior essay must enroll in ENGL3795: Senior Essay Research Methods in the fall and ENGL3999: Senior Essay Seminar in the spring. Once students have settled on topics mid-way through the fall semester, they will each be assigned an advisor with whom they will work until the essay is submitted in April. Advisors will read, grade, and return comments on essays. Essays will also be read by members of the Committee on Undergraduate Education, who will also give comments and determine departmental honors and critical writing prizes. 


Three prize-winning essays can be found here:

David Ehmcke (Hickey Prize), "Writing the Invisible:  Ariana Reines's Occult Poetics" 

Rachel Page (Bunner Prize), "White House, Chocolate City: Reading DC in the Age of Marion Barry” 

Angelo Hernandez-Sias (Barratt-Brown Prize), "Winter Chemistry: Joy Williams and the Art of Coldness" 

 

The Richmond B. Williams Traveling Fellowship

The department’s Williams Fellowship supports summer research projects requiring foreign travel, with grants of up to $6000.00.

The competition is open to any Columbia College junior majoring in English and Comparative Literature. 

Recipients of the award must undertake a significant piece of independent scholarship based on their research in the senior year – either as an independent study, or as part of the Senior Essay program. 

The application consists of:

(1) A completed application form, which includes the name of a faculty member who has agreed to sponsor the project (note: your faculty sponsor should also be, in principle, willing to advise your writing project the following year), and the names of two additional faculty who are willing to be contacted by the selection committee for further references. 

(2) A detailed proposal of no more than two pages single-spaced.  This proposal should include the intellectual rationale for the research project, the particular sites and sources that you plan to visit and consult, and a breakdown of your estimated budget. 

(3) A current transcript (including courses currently in progress, via SSOL).

(4) A completed School Sponsorship Application

(5) Applications are due by February 27, 2026.

 

Note: It is highly recommended that applicants review Columbia’s Undergraduate International Travel Policy before and during the application process.

For more information about funded and non-funded research and fellowship opportunities available to Columbia undergraduate students, additional resources include: 

  1. Undergraduate Research & Fellowships – information and guidance on a range of fellowships and research opportunities available to Columbia and non-Columbia students
  2. The Columbia College Bulletin - information about department-specific and Columbia College-specific opportunities
  3. The School of General Studies - information about General Studies-specific research opportunities