UROP Project | Center for Undergraduate Research and Academic Engagement

Sexuality, LGBTQ+, U.S. South, Life History, Qualitative Research

Research Mentor: Ms. Hailey McGee, She/Her
Department, College, Affiliation: Sociology, Social Sciences and Public Policy
Contact Email: hmcgee@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:

Looking for Research Assistants: No
Number of Research Assistants: 2
Relevant Majors: Sociology, Psychology, History, Geography, Political Science
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required:
Remote or In-person: Partially Remote
Approximate Weekly Hours: 6,
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link: Wed 9/4 from 2:30-3:00pm and Fri 9/6 from 2:30pm-3:00pm.
Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/94352640530

Project Description

This project explores the life histories of 68 LGBTQ+ individuals who have lived in the south for at least 10 years. The sample varies in terms of sexual orientation, gender identity, and state resided in. Interviews were conducted between Fall 2021 and Spring 2022 and focused on LGBTQ+ southerners' lived experiences during the lifecourse (childhood, adolescence, early adulthood, middle adulthood). They were also asked about their perceptions of the U.S. South as a region, and if applicable how their life outside of the south was different from their experiences living in the south. This data is being used for my dissertation, which will have two analysis chapters, one focused on childhood and the other focused on adulthood. Mentees will be expected to help clean and edit interview transcripts and sort data for each chapter based on analytic themes. The goal of this project is to understand LGBTQ+ southerner’s lived experiences within the political, historical, and cultural context of the U.S. south.

Research Tasks: Cleaning and editing interview transcripts, coding for analytic themes, creating documents of passages on selected topics from the interviews.

Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Strong communication skills, proficiency in Microsoft word and/or google docs, grammar and spelling skills, auditory processing skills, document organization.

Mentoring Philosophy

As a mentor, I believe it is my duty to use my experience to help foster my mentee’s interest in research and provide them with the methodological tools to conduct their own analyses. I will do this by acquainting them with the means of qualitative analysis needed for this project that can be applied in their future research endeavors, such as line-by-line coding, transcript formatting, and analytic memo-writing. I will facilitate collaboration and teamwork while also encouraging mentees to pursue their own research goals, and can provide mentorship beyond the scope of the project by answering questions about the qualitative research process, interviewing, and graduate school. I am looking forward to building a supportive environment for students interested in the project topic and methodology.

Additional Information

Link to Publications

Return to Project Database