Junior Plan
All juniors who wish to enroll in the Educ 400 Senior Research Seminar next academic year MUST attend a meeting on Tuesday Feb 25th 2025 from 12:15-1:15 PM in the McCook 200 conference room. (If you are studying away, email Prof. Jack Dougherty to request the link to his Zoom room.)
Ed Studies faculty will describe steps you need to complete this spring in order to receive permission to enroll in Educ 400 next year. Read the materials below before our meeting and bring ideas about your potential research project to discuss.
After your Junior Plan is approved, the Ed Studies faculty will give you a PIN and assign you to one of the two sections of the Educ 400 Senior Research Seminar next year:
- Fall 2025 with Prof. Speciale on MW 10-11:15am
- Spring 2026 with Prof. Castillo on W 1:30-4:10pm
Submit your Junior Plan to receive permission to enroll in Educ 400:
1) Open the Junior Plan Google Document 2-page template, then go to File > Make a Copy, and write your responses.
2) Change your Google Doc settings to Share > Anyone with the link > can Comment. This allows any Ed Studies faculty member to write feedback on your Junior Plan.
3) Schedule a meeting with Prof. Jack Dougherty to discuss and clarify your ideas. We want to help you succeed! Also, feel free to consult with other Ed Studies faculty and Trinity staff who are willing to assist you,
4) Email the link to your SHARED Google Doc to Prof. Jack Dougherty by Thursday March 27th 2025 by 4 PM (the week we come back from Spring Break). Professors Speciale and Castillo will review your Junior Plan before Advising Week, and either approve it (and send you a PIN) or require you to make revisions. If you are late or need substantial revisions, you may not receive your schedule preference.
Read additional resources to plan your thesis:
- Sample Junior Plans from prior years:
- Recent Senior Research Presentations:
- Ed Studies Senior Projects in the Trinity College Digital Repository
- Coordinate with another student researcher: Some students may wish to coordinate their independent research with another Ed 400 student’s project. For example, two students could work on separate research studies, but pool together interview questions to collect data from the same population. Furthermore, some seniors may wish to coordinate their Ed 400 research project with a thesis in their other major, by conducting two distinct studies on a related topic. To propose a coordinated study, add a section that explains the relationship between your Ed 400 project and work by other students or for other classes.
- Coordinate with thesis in your second major: Students are double-majoring and doing a thesis in each major may wish to coordinate their research projects to concentrate their time and energy. For example, you could ask two different research questions about a similar topic, and write two different theses that may have overlapping literature reviews. Be sure to obtain written permission from your faculty supervisors in both majors.
- Community Learning Research Fellows: If your study involves a Hartford-area community partner, ask a faculty sponsor to support your application to become a CL Research Fellow. Additional 0.5 credit class (usually in Fall semester) and modest research expense funds for projects conducted with a community partner.
- Summer Research Funding: Apply to the Summer Research Program to start working on your research with a participating faculty member during the summer, and receive a stipend plus housing. Also, apply to the Public Humanities Collaborative to work on research for a participating faculty member and a participating community partner, and receive a stipend plus housing.
