UROP Research Mentor Project Submission Portal: Submission #960

Research Mentor Information
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Primary Research Mentor Name: Benjamin Dodds
Research Mentor Preferred Pronouns: he/him/his
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Contact Email (FSU Email if affiliated): bdodds@fsu.edu
Position Title: Faculty
FSU College (if applicable): Arts and Sciences
FSU Department or Non-FSU Organization Affiliation: History
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Additional Research Mentor(s)
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Overall Project Details
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Title of the Project: Spanish bandits
Project Keywords: history, Spain, bandits
Are you currently looking for research assistants?: No
Number of Research Assistants Needed : 2
Relevant Research Assistant Major(s):
History, Spanish but also open to all majors

Project Location:: On FSU Main Campus
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Please select the choice that most accurately describes your expectations for the research assistant(s):: Partially Remote
Approximately how many hours a week would the research assistant(s) need to work?: 6
Roughly what time frame do you expect research assistant(s) to work?: Flexible schedule (Combination of business and outside of business. TBD between student and research mentor.)
Overall Research Project Description:
The full title of this project is "In the footsteps of bandits: an alternative history of Spain." The idea is to use stories about real and imagined bandits from the Roman period until the present to explain the history of Spain. For example, the Roman conquest of Spain is explored through the story of non-Roman bandits who resisted the conquest. Likewise, the consolidation of General Franco's dictatorship is explored using popular and politicized versions of stories about bandits.

Research Tasks:
Research will involve the collection of information about bandits in Spain. This will include identifying bandits who operated in different periods, assembling historical information about them as well as fictionalized stories about them and exploring the relationship between that information and the history of the period in which the bandits operated. Many different sources will be used from scholarly articles to novels, movies, images and even records of oral testimony.

Skills that research assistant(s) may need::
Reading knowledge of Spanish is required. 

Mentoring Philosophy:
My experience of mentorship has been that it is most effective when it is based on mutual respect. Although I have the benefit of experience, I have always found that mentees have much to teach me. This is because they bring their own different experience, their different perspectives and their own ideas. I believe that mentees work best when given the opportunity not just to gather material but also to analyze and interpret that material, devising their own methods of doing so. Scholarship can be lonely, and so regular contact is very important. Making mistakes is important too - I have made many myself - so both mentor and mentee will learn from mistakes along the way. Overall, I believe that mentoring is a collaborative process in which mentor and mentee learn from each other. 

Please provide a link to your publications, a video clip, or a website for your research project (if applicable):: This early article gives some examples of the types of work being undertaken currently: https://fsu-flvc.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01FALSC_FSU/1pc67ru/cdi_proquest_journals_2562535628 
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Are you interested in participating in the UROP Research Mentor Roundtable?: Yes
Roundtable times and Zoom links:
Tuesday September 3 1-1.30pm https://fsu.zoom.us/j/5738006031
Wednesday September 4 2-2.30pm https://fsu.zoom.us/j/5738006031
Thursday September 5 1-1.30pm https://fsu.zoom.us/j/5738006031

Roundtable Info:
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UROP Program Elements
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Mentor Handbook, FAQs, and Communication: Yes
UROP Performance Evaluation: Yes
Materials Grant: Yes
UROP Poster Presentation: Yes

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Year: 2024
update url: https://cre.fsu.edu/urop-research-mentor-project-submission-portal?token=aIkJDnY7g8bFfOBHBt2ELIurNhZE8ktVVIEbErSHlWc