SISRM Workshops
Workshop Dates Summer 2025: June 16 – July 18
The Practice of Social Science Research Workshop provides students with supplemental professional skills development for students to use in and outside of the academy. Workshops include talks from UChicago faculty about their early-stage research projects, hands-on projects in academic writing, research, and research programs, and field visits to view research in practice within the Chicago area.
Workshops are open to all participants of the Summer Institute. Workshops are mandatory for students who are participating in the SISRM RA program.
I learned that interacting with the community of study helps significantly in social science research. Understanding your subjects can uncover meaning behind your findings
These images show SISRM fellows in the Summer 2022 workshop series. Images detail faculty chalk talks and excursions to the Art Institute of Chicago, the Chicago History Museum, the Argonne National Laboratory, and Mindworks: The Science of thinking
2024 Workshops
The following workshop descriptions from Summer 2024 reflect the general content of workshop programming.
Faculty Chalk Talks
Faculty chalk talks feature social scientists from throughout the University. In these talks, faculty discuss what social sciences research looks like in their research.
- Patricia Posey, Assistant Professor, Political Science
- Anthony Lee Zhang, Assistant Professor of Finance, UChicago Booth
- Wilma Bainbridge, Assistant Professor, Psychology
- Marco Garrido, Associate Professor, Director of Undergraduate Studies, Sociology
- Samuel Fury Childs Daly, Associate Professor of History and the College
Exploring the Social Sciences
These workshops provide perspectives of what it means to engage in social scientific research, and how that engagement looks at the University of Chicago.
- Panel: What do we mean when we say ‘Social Science Research?’ with James T. Sparrow, Associate Professor in History and the College, and Leslie Kay, Professor of Psychology, Deputy Dean, Social Sciences Division. Professors discussed their journeys to the social sciences, how they view their respective fields within the context of the social sciences, and the advantages and disadvantages of interdisciplinary work. Professors also provided students with important points to think about when it comes to understanding research questions.
- Social Science for Humanity: We Can’t ‘Tech’ Our Way Out of It with Paul Poast, Associate Professor, Political Science and Director, Summer Institute in Social Research Methods. What is the value of social science research? Why bother majoring in social science? This workshop explored the importance of the concept economy in solving Big Problems.
- An Introduction to the IRB and the Ethics of Research with Cheryl Danton, IRB Managing Director. This workshop provided students with an overview of the Social and Behavioral Sciences IRB office—what it is, how it came to be, how it functions, and why ethics and procedures matter in social science research.
- Data in the Social Sciences with Taylor Faires, Digital Scholarship Librarian. This workshop introduced students to strategies and resources to conduct social science research.
Library Skills and Research Tools
- The Library: Exploring its Resources with Kristy Lueshen, Student Success Librarian. In this session students explored the library: from the collections it has to the services it provides. A tour with librarians made up the second portion of the workshop.
- Digital Scholarship and Your Research Identity with Elias Hubbard from the Center for Digital Scholarship Program Manager. This workshop discussed digital scholarship initiatives in the Library and emphasized the importance of an online presence as a researcher.
- Pulling the Wool Over AI with Taylor Faires, Digital Scholarship Librarian. This workshop highlighted the importance of knowing how to work with AI.
- Introduction to GIS and Related Resources with Rob Shepard, GIS LIbrarian. Rob Shepard gave a historical introduction to GIS and shared the various resources that students have available through the library to access digital visualization platforms.
Professional Skills
Now that you have all of these skills, what do you do with them? This week we’ll talk about how to put your talents to pragmatic use, including thinking about them as they apply to future job applications.
- Entrepreneurship Workshop 101 with Brittany Wisniewski, Senior Director, STEM Programs and Careers in Entrepreneurship, Career Advancement.This workshop was a primer on all things entrepreneurship! From ideation to raising capital, it covered the essential elements of building a business. Students also learned about the vast ecosystem of UChicago programs and resources available to help you launch a venture or gain experience working with startups.
- Ask, Scale, Apply: Research Questions Part 1 and 2 with the CCRF and the Library. This two part workshop series discussed how to identify and scale research questions for independent research. Part 1 discussed how to use databases and literature reviews to narrow down your research topic and question. Part 2 explored how to turn your question into actionable items, whether that be for thesis work, funding proposals, or fellowship applications.
- Graduate School 101 with Lindsey Weglarz, Social Sciences Division. This workshop introduced students to the topic of graduate school from the perspective of the SSD’s graduate admissions program: What graduate programs are out there? Why might you wish to go (or not)? How do you prepare to put your best application forward?
- Mapping Your Career Journey: Exploration and Application with Daniel Clark, Program Director of Careers in Behavioral Sciences
This workshop addresses the process of translating professional and extra-curricular experiences into cross-functional skills applicable to a variety of roles.
