Independent Work

Through CBLI, students develop research projects for their independent work (Junior Papers and Senior Theses) with community leaders and share their results and conclusions with organizations and agencies in need of the information. CBLI also offers prizes for community-based junior and senior independent work

Click here to learn more about the Dean Hank Dobin Prize in Community-Based Independent Work

Derian Internships

The Derian Internship program allows students to build connections between their academic work and the world beyond campus.  Summer interns perform significant work with community organizations seeking systemic solutions to problems in housing, education, the environment, and other critical areas.  One third of their work time is devoted to conceptualizing and beginning research that performs two functions:  it becomes the basis for the student’s junior paper or senior thesis, and it also provides the host organization with much-needed research to secure funding, improve programming, and increase organizational capacity.  

Past work and research:
An Anthropology major’s work at Isles, a nationally recognized non-profit community development and environmental improvement organization in Trenton that is working to foster self-sufficient families in sustainable communities, included research and development for a new ESL program. Her senior thesis was an ethnographic study of their YouthBuild program.

2009 internships are available at Mt. Carmel Guild, Coalition for Peace Action, Isles, Inc., HiTOPS, Princeton Project 55, Stonybrook-Millstone Watershed Association, and YWCA's ESL (English as a Second Language) Program. Each 10-week position includes a $400 weekly stipend and a housing allowance. 

The 2009 application deadline is February 13, 2009. For more information about Derian internships, download our brochure or visit Tiger Tracks, where you can complete an application.

The Barfield Fund

The Barfield Fund for Community-Based Independent Work awards grants to facilitate independent research for the senior thesis or junior paper (where appropriate) in partnership with local nonprofit organizations.  

Recognizing that research collaborations with community-based organizations often result in unanticipated expenses, these grants supplement Departmental and Office of the Dean of the College funding.  Barfield grants may be used to cover costs such as travel for interviews and other research at community sites, supplies, transcription fees, making copies of the thesis for community organizations, and other similar expenses. 

Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis from students working toward their junior papers or senior theses.  To request an application, email the CBLI office at cbli@princeton.edu with a short description (no more than a paragraph) of the project, including which community organization(s) you propose to work with, the timeline, and the total amount of your grant request. 

Courses

Princeton courses from a wide variety of disciplines have incorporated community-based learning into their syllabi.

Click here to view this semester’s courses.

Students in other courses can still do a community based research project. CBLI is a support network for any community based project and helps with project planning, logistics, transportation, and training. CBLI staff are eager to consult with students on their projects. For more information email cbli.