In a sea of soccer fans sporting colorful jerseys and face paint stood three University of Washington students in Husky purple shirts, carrying notepads and a sign that read “Talk to us about the World Cup.”
Cayden Zhan, Joshua Boakye-Ansah and Nandita Chintamaneni wandered down the Seattle waterfront ahead of the Senegal vs. Belgium FIFA Men’s World Cup game at Seattle Stadium in early July. The three students were gathering data for their summer research projects as part of the UW’s Summer Institute in the Art and Humanities, an annual program that gives undergraduates access to research in the arts and humanities. It was created through a partnership between the Office of Undergraduate Research and the Simpson Center for the Humanities, and made possible with support from the Mary Gates Endowment and the Office of Research.
“Hi, I’m a student researcher at the University of Washington. Can I ask you some questions?” Zhan, a junior computer science and Interdisciplinary Honors student, asked a fan wearing a Belgium jersey.
Get a glimpse of the action
Check out this video from the College of Arts and Sciences to go behind the scenes with SIAH researchers as they took to the streets to research the World Cup in Seattle.
At the same time, Boakye-Ansah and Chintamaneni took notes and observed the scenes around them: the cheers along the waterfront during a goal, the kids playing soccer in Pioneer Square, the people rushing to get to the stadium on time for kickoff.
All their interviews and observations informed their research about Seattle’s World Cup experience. Because of the program, students spent their summer deep in research they might not have done otherwise. They received financial support and access to classes, faculty and the opportunity to present their project at a closing symposium in August.
This year’s 19-student cohort was led by faculty members Caley Cook, teaching professor in the Department of Communication; Ron Krabill, professor of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences at UW Bothell and director of the Global Sport Lab; and Yasir Zaidan, a Ph.D. candidate in the Jackson School of International Studies.
Many students came into the program as soccer fans. All of them left as researchers with new observation, critical thinking, collaboration and presentation skills as well as a broader outlook on the world around them.
A new type of research
For many students, research in the humanities was different from research in other STEM programs. Instead of labs and datasets, these students focused on interviewing strangers, observing their surroundings and finding creative ways to tell stories.
“Students have had to learn to think differently about what they consider research,” Krabill said.
Some students’ research turned into papers about the effects on foreign policy and immigration on local communities. Others created photo essays focused on the importance of jerseys, flags and rituals for soccer fans.
For Zhan’s group, their research turned into a visual project looking at the methods of protest at the tournament. They created a zine with stories about protests and sports, a pop-up gallery showcasing their stories and photos, and a hand-sewn soccer ball.
“After spending so much time in the field, we started to think differently about what we were seeing,” Zhan said. “Politics is so intertwined with sport.”
Skills beyond research
Zhan joined Olivia Wehr, a painting and drawing and art history major, and Layan Arrabi, a mathematics major, to create a final research project. Bringing together the students’ differing interests, academic disciplines and skills allowed for deeper work and gave each student the opportunity to learn from others.
Wehr brought her art skills into the zine production and the gallery design. Arrabi was surprised at how well her math skills helped with sewing the hexagons and pentagons around the soccer ball.
For Zhan, thinking outside of his major is familiar territory.
Zhan is working toward an Interdisciplinary Honors distinction, which encourages students to make connections across subjects and think beyond their major. They take specific courses that connect different disciplines, complete experiential learning activities and participate in critical reflection about their academic journey. Zhan is also a peer facilitator for Honors 100, an introductory course for students new to the program.
Though Zhan is a computer science student, he also loves music, linguistics and critical sports theory. He’s tried to take classes in all of those disciplines while at the UW, too.
“I’m generally a very interdisciplinary-minded person, so being able to work with so many students from different parts of the University is really interesting,” he said.
Though the World Cup research is outside his computer science major, Zhan said the course was still incredibly valuable. It taught him how to communicate, how to interview people and how to write about complex information in a direct way.
“Most likely, I’m not going to do a job that only requires computer science skills,” Zhan said. “I hope that my engagement with different areas and skills means that I’m going to be flexible.”
A challenging but rewarding timeline
The student cohort met for the first time in early June, just days before the first World Cup match in Seattle.
In those first few meetings, students got a crash course in journalistic reporting, mapping and critical sports theory. Then they were thrust into fieldwork before any of them had fully comprehended all they learned or had time to form a research question.
Most summers are a challenge for students because of how much they need to accomplish in just 10 weeks, but with the timing of the World Cup in Seattle, this year’s program felt even quicker, Cook said.
Many had never done this type of journalistic research before, she said, but after the first few field days, something amazing happened, she said. Students came back from their fieldwork with interviews, data and a newfound confidence in themselves.
“You watch the students build resilience around challenge and around failure,” Cook said. “Convincing students that it’s OK to try something and not be good at it in one day is the best thing we could potentially teach them.”
The program also gives undergraduate students the opportunity to work with graduate students in a collaborative environment. That experience gives graduate students the opportunity to develop their teaching and mentoring skills and gives undergraduates the ability to learn from a graduate mentor, Zaidan said.
Learning how to collaborate and use their individual skills to benefit the group is an invaluable lesson, Krabill said.
“That’s not only an incredible life lesson but also a good research lesson,” he said. “Research is rarely a solo endeavor.”
The final product
On his final day of fieldwork during the World Cup, Zhan looked around the thousands of people who gathered in Seattle ahead of the U.S. match against Belgium.
“It’s really humbling to be in a big crowd like that,” Zhan said. “I realized every single one of those people has a story that’s as nuanced and as interesting as mine.”
Just a few weeks later, Zhan, Wehr and Arrabi stood in the Petersen Room in the Allen Library and shared how their final project came to be — from witnessing the “People’s Match” protest in Pioneer Square to researching historical protests in sport to writing the stories featured in their zine to sewing each piece of a soccer ball.
“Play is protest,” Wehr said while sharing why the group chose a photo of a soccer game outside the Berlin Wall for their zine cover. “That idea kept us grounded throughout this whole project. Even in the face of such oppression, there is resistance in sport.”
After a whirlwind of a summer with long days in the field, hours researching and writing, and weeks putting it all together, the cohort made it to the end with a host of new skills, experiences and memories that will stay with them past their undergraduate years.
For Zhan, the challenge was the best part.
“I never want to end up in a position or in a place where I’m only using skills I already have and I’m not learning anything new,” Zhan said. “Even though learning new skills is a challenge, it’s such a rewarding challenge.”
About the Office of Undergraduate Research
The Summer Institute in the Arts and Humanities is supported by The Simpson Center for the Humanities, the Mary Gates Endowment for Students, the Office of Research and the Office of Undergraduate Research. The Office of Undergraduate Research is the central hub for research opportunities for undergraduate students, providing them with experience, scholarships and support to become passionate researchers and lifelong learners.
Donations to the Office of Undergraduate Research ensures we pilot ideas like SIAH, respond to student researcher needs in real-time, and sustain a campus where every undergrad has the chance to thrive as a researcher.
About the Honors Program
Through both Interdisciplinary Honors and Departmental Honors pathways, the UW Honors Program offers students the opportunity to dig deeper into their education with specific courses, experiential learning and critical reflection. Students who earn Interdisciplinary Honors, like Zhan, spend time connecting their education to other areas on campus and their life. Students who earn Departmental Honors dive deep into their major with specific courses, research and cohorts. Both pathways give students the opportunity to learn across disciplines and connect with peers and faculty that they may not have otherwise.
Donations to the Honors Program allows the director to support strategic program initiatives that enhance student learning opportunities through leadership, research and community engagement.