You may request permission to enroll in LIN 591 Directed Reading or LIN 592 Directed Research to pursue research-related activities under close supervision of a faculty member. You are of course free (and, in fact, encouraged) to pursue these activities without enrolling in DRs. But if the proposed work cannot be reasonably reconciled with the default class load of 9 credits, DRs provide an option to do so.
In order to enroll in a DR, you need permissions from:
Every faculty member uses their own judgment in determining whether to grant their permission. However, no faculty member may require you to sign up for a DR in order to do research with them and/or meet with them on a regular basis.
Directed Readings focus on reviewing existing literature, while Directed Research is for conducting your original research. Both are expected to result in an academic write-up: The outcome of Directed Readings typically includes a literature review, whereas the outcome of Directed Research typically includes an original research paper. In both cases, you are responsible for actively designing the structure of the course, with the faculty member serving in a mentoring role to guide and support you, rather than dictating specific tasks or approaches.
DRs can be approved by GPD if all of the following requirements are met:
Even if these criteria are met, there may be additional factors to consider that cause a DR request to be denied (e.g., the student has been put on academic probation). If these criteria are not met, DRs are approved only given exceptional circumstances.
DR requests take some time and require talking to multiple parties. Make sure to give yourself ample time. Below is the suggested order of steps to take, but instructors and advisors may differ in how they want things done: