Communication research focuses on processes, antecedents, and consequences of communication throughout society. A large topic one could study would be how our interactions with telephones have evolved overtime. What are the use cases of today compared to the use cases of the past? One could potentially try to hypothesize how telephones will further evolve as well.
Research in criminology tends to try to explain the causes of crime. One might also research any victims of crime. Maybe one might try looking at any trends between the two. As for criminal justice, research here will be focused more on law. How are criminals being punished? How have punishments evolved overtime? One could dive into prison corrections as well.
Department of Economics faculty members are generally willing to work with undergraduate students who have previously taken classes with them and where there are mutual interests. Interested students should contact the Director of Undergraduate for more information:
Professor Michael Allison
Director of Undergraduate Studies
402 Tower
Past participants have shared their research at UMSL’s Undergraduate Research Symposium and the Missouri Valley Economics Association (MVEA) Conference.
In addition, Sharon G Levin ERC hires undergraduate peer tutors, drawing from Economics majors.
Political science research not only focuses on politics, but as well as the smoothness at which government operates. One could compare different political systems, the various advantages/disadvantages.
The Department of Psychological Sciences has nationally and internationally recognized faculty conducting research in a wide variety of areas. Undergraduate students can get involved by working in the research labs of our faculty. A brief overview of the research interests of each faculty member can be found at the following website:
The primary mechanism for undergraduates to be involved in research is through working with faculty in our Psychology 3390: Directed Studies course. Interested students must contact an individual faculty member to get permission to enroll in the Psych 3390 course.
An example of a student's psychology research
For those that don't know sociology is the general study of everyday human society. Possible topics may include: our social behavior, social class, religion, law, gender, sexuality, and much more. These topics can also be studied in regards to how they react with one another.
Current research opportunities for undergraduates are in two capstone seminars:
Here is an example of a student's research project.
