Apply Now for STRAP Fellowship
What are the program goals?
Duke Sociology offers this intensive, 3-week training program to prepare undergraduates, especially sociology majors, to join faculty research labs, write senior honors theses, prepare for graduate school, and build skills needed for careers in data analysis.
What is the program structure?
To gain high-demand quantitative and qualitative research skills in 3 weeks, Fellows participate each week in 4 hours of in-person workshops, 4 hours of self-paced tutorials, and 2 hours of practical lab work designed to produce tangible portfolio deliverables. Dr. Hamil facilitates the program and will lead the weekly workshops.
If you are in Durham for the Tuesday/Thursday evening sessions, meet in the sociology department’s office on the 7th floor of Erwin Square, 2200 West Main Street.
Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2-hour async tutorial | 6 – 8 pm face-to-face or Zoom workshop | 2-hour async tutorial | 6 – 8 pm face-to-face or Zoom workshop | 2 hours self-directed lab | 10 hours per week |
What will Fellows learn?
Over three 10-hour weeks, you will build a professional portfolio through hands-on practice. Week 1 (August 17-21) covers research design and ethics. During Week 2 (August 24-28), you will learn to use Stata for survey data management and statistics. Week 3 (August 31-September 4) teaches you qualitative fieldwork and analysis using NVivo. Find a more detailed description of program content below.
What will Fellows produce?
Students will create a portfolio containing:
- Literature review: Zotero library with 2-page literature matrix
- Institutional review board package: CITI Training Certificate and Informed Consent Form
- Quantitative lab notes: Executable Stata script that cleans raw dataset, runs regression analysis, and outputs an ASA-formatted table
- Qualitative lab notes: Interview guide, anonymized transcript, and qualitative codebook exported from NVivo
What are eligibility requirements?
- Open to undergraduate Duke sociology majors and minors.
- Preference for applicants who have taken courses in research methods and/or statistics.
What are benefits of being a STRAP Fellow?
- $750 stipend upon completion
- Fast-track your application for paid RA positions
- High-demand methodology and software skills
- Dual-method expertise in qualitative (NVivo) and quantitative (Stata) programs
- Jumpstart on senior honors thesis
- Enhanced readiness for graduate school and data-related careers
What can I expect to learn and do each week?
Week 1: Aug 17-21How to Ethically Engage in Academic Research | ||
| Asynchronous Tutorials 4 hours | Face-to-Face Workshops 5-7 pm TTH | Applied Lab Assignment 2 hours |
| Video modules on research life cycle & database search algorithms. Setup Zotero reference manager. CITI Training Modules: Social and Behavioral Research. | Intro to sociological research. Reading and synthesizing academic literature. Writing literature reviews. Research ethics and IRB protocols. | Zotero literature matrix, Informed Consent Form, CITI certification. |
Week 2: Aug 24-28Survey Data Management & Statistics in Stata | ||
Asynchronous Tutorials | Face-to-Face Workshops | Applied Lab Assignment |
| Orientation to Stata interface, do-file syntax, importing data, missing values, bivariate tests (tab, chi2, ttest), and regression models (regress, logit, esttab). | Data cleaning in Stata, Likert scales, descriptive & inferential statistics, interpreting coefficients, hypothesis-testing, p-values, confounders, model diagnostics. | Executable Stata .do file, Cleaned .dta file, exported ASA-style regression table in PDF format. |
Week 3: Aug 31-Sept 4Qualitative Fieldwork & NVivo Analysis | ||
Asynchronous Tutorials | Face-to-Face Workshops | Applied Lab Assignment |
| Video modules on qualitative interview design, active listening, AI-assisted transcription. NVivo tutorial on importing transcripts, coding, running matrix queries. | Designing and conducting qualitative interviews, reflexive field notes, grounded theory, inductive coding, inter-coder reliability, creating codebook. | Anonymized interview transcript, exported NVivo codebook with node definitions and quote excerpts. |
How do I apply?
Submit your application by August 10. The short form asks for your contact information, research experience, and why you want to be a STRAP Fellow.
Contact Dr. Hamil with questions (jenifer.hamil@duke.edu).
