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Research Opportunities

The School of Journalism actively encourages its students to become involved in scholarly research. Through engaging in curricular and extra-curricular research projects, journalism students establish a close professional relationship with faculty members and work on projects that may lead to a senior thesis, publication in a peer-reviewed scholarly journal, or presentation at a scholarly conference. Sound research skills are also an invaluable asset for any student thinking about graduate or professional school.

At Butler, journalism students are given two opportunities to present their research-The Undergraduate Research Conference and the Butler Summer Institute. The Research Conference, which is held every spring, brings together approximately 600 students from over 30 Midwest colleges and universities to share their research experiences. At the conference, undergraduate students present summaries of their work in sessions organized by topics via a brief oral presentation or poster presentation format.

The Butler Summer Institute provides an opportunity for "the best and the brightest" of Butler's students to work one-on-one with a faculty mentor for nine weeks during the summer on a scholarly research project. Students are provided housing on campus for the duration of the program and receive a stipend. In addition to conducting their projects and presenting their findings, students participate in luncheon seminars and other activities.

Recent journalism students who have presented their research at the Undergraduate Research Conference or Butler Summer Institute include:

Monica Freeman, Report from Baghdad: The Ethical Concerns of Journalists on the Front Lines (URC 2009)

Robert Herman, A Comparative Analysis of the 2008 Presidential Campaign Coverage in Two Indiana Daily Newspapers: Are Voters Well Served? (URC 2009)

Jacqueline Koumpouras, Facebook and Employers: The Truth (URC 2009)

Jenna Widmann, The Quest for Equality: Portrayal of Women's Suffrage in The New York Times, 1919-1921 (URC 2009)

Reid Bradley, The Ethics of Fox News Channel's Iraq War Coverage (URC 2008)

Patricia Geary, Hardly "Beyond Petroleum": A Glance Into BP's Deceptive Marketing Tactics (URC 2008)

Cassie Krisher, An Ethical Analysis of Clinton-Lewinsky Coverage in Print Media (URC 2008)

Kelly Patrick, Blurring the Lines: An Ethical Analysis of Advertorials (URC 2008)

Tyonka Perkins, When Advertising Crosses the Line: Examining Racial Sterotypes in Advertisements (URC 2007, BSI 2006)

Gabrielle Poshadlo, The Shape of Things to Come: An Analysis of Teen Magazine Cover Models and the Feminine Ideal (URC 2007)

Hannah Werntz, A Fresh Look at Face-ism: Biases in News Photographs (URC 2007)

Marcy Wilhelm, Hazelwood to Hosty: Censorhsip and Student Journalists' Rights (URC 2007)

Tori Hyman, Expressive Association & the First Amendment: Protection for Discrimination? (URC 2006)

Julie Rupprecht, Order in the Courts - A Reporter's Privilege (URC 2006)

Allison Martin, The NASA Challenger and Columbia Accidents: A Crisis Communication and Public Relations Analysis (URC 2004)

Noelle Myers, Signals of Change: The Introduction of Cable TV to Bhutan (URC 2004)