Term: Academic Year and Summer
Expected Duration of Research: Ongoing project will last several years.
Rearch Area: Immigration and Economic History
Eligibility: Students with good grades and an interest in the topic are encouraged to apply. Applicants should submit the following information via e-mail to Professor Richardson at garyr@uci.edu. 1. Name and contact information (phone, address, and e-mail) 2. Answers to the following questions. a. Why do you want to be a research assistant (that is, what will you gain from working for me)? b. Are you thinking of applying to graduate school in the future? If so, what will you study and where would you like to attend (list choices 1 through 5)? c. Are you thinking about working after graduation? If so, what type of job would you like to have and what firms would you like to work for (list choices 1 through 5)? 3. Lists with the following information a. Five things you don't want to do as a research assistant. b. Five things you would like to do as a research assistant. c. Language skills. d. Social science courses that you have taken and grades. e. Computer courses that you have taken and grades. f. Writing courses that you have taken and grades.
Comment: Description of Project Chinese immigrants came to California in enormous numbers during the later half of the 19th century. As a percentage of the population, more Chinese men worked in the labor force a century ago than during recent times. Our project studies the history of these Asian Americans. Why did they come? Where did they live? For whom did the work? Where did they go? Those are a few of the questions we will answer by building several detailed databases. The first is a complete list of all ships bringing carrying Asian men and women across the Pacific Ocean. The second is a complete list of all Chinese men and women entering the United States through the customs house in San Francisco. These lists contain a great deal of information about Asians immigrating to the United States including age, occupation, birthplace, and additional biographical and physical information. Description of Tasks Student volunteer assistants will work on all stages of the research project: entering data, analyzing evidence, presenting results, applying for funds (used to pay you), and writing papers. What and how much you do depends on your knowledge, abilities, and efforts. The principal task performed by everyone (including me) is transferring data from microfilm to computerized spreadsheets. Most of your time during the first quarter of work will be spent doing this. The second task involves analyzing the data in simple ways such as creating charts, tables, and graphs with Microsoft Excel. The third task performed by everyone is the presentation of results at the Undergraduate Research Symposium during spring quarter 2001. Students who wish to become more involved, and who have the time and ability to do so, may help with the writing of grant applications (UROP for example) and research papers. Benefits All students working on the project register for Economics 199, the independent research course, and receive 1credit hour (with an A grade) for every 20 hours of high-quality work performed during the quarter. That's an average of 8 hours each week if taking the course for 4 units. We'll keep track, so you can work extra some weeks when life is slow and work less when exams approach. In addition, all students receive (I am certain) a UROP fellowship. The award has little immediate monetary value. The cash they give us is just enough to cover expenses and purchase books. But, they look great on your resume'.
Contact Information:
Gary Richardson
3187 SSPA
Phone: 824-3189
E-mail: garyr@uci.edu
Web: http://orion.oac.uci.edu/~garyr/welcome.html
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