Working across different disciplines, UCLA doctoral students Claire Williams and Ryan Schaller both found transformative experiences conducting undergraduate research. For Williams, a Ph.D. candidate in astronomy and astrophysics, the opportunity to examine gravitational-wave physics using data from colliding black holes compelled her to continue studying the early universe throughout her academic career.
“Participating in research that used real signals coming from outer space was really exciting, and inspired me to continue from an undergraduate degree in physics to pursue a graduate degree in astronomy and astrophysics at UCLA,” she noted.
For Schaller, a Ph.D. Candidate in French and Francophone studies, pursuing his undergraduate honors thesis on literary narratives by second-generation Maghrebi immigrants in France and Spain, continues to inform aspects of his current scholarship.
“Though my project has changed considerably since then, I do see thematic connections between my undergraduate research and my dissertation on the impact of colonialism on contemporary culture and society, the movement of people and cultural objects across borders, and more,” he explained.
Both doctoral students will now share the research process with current UCLA undergraduates as instructors in the Collegium of University Teaching Fellows (CUTF). Hosted by the UCLA Teaching and Learning Center (TLC), the annual program offers advanced doctoral students an opportunity to propose, design, and teach a unique research-based undergraduate course. A total of six fellows will teach CUTF seminars this spring.
In Williams’ Spring 2026 course, Cosmic Evolution: The History of Galaxies through Astronomical Datasets, students will investigate and interpret astronomical data from publicly-funded space telescopes like the Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes. By guiding students as they take the data into their own hands, she hopes the course demonstrates the skills that will drive their future careers.
“I think a course that imparts research skills and demonstrates how to participate in the research process can be a bridge into further experiences,” Williams shared. “It can also help students who are deciding on their career path, because it shows what academic work in the field is really like on a day-to-day basis.”
In Schaller’s course – Old Photos, New Stories: Empire and the Afterlives of Images – students will examine works of fiction, film, and photography to consider the cultural and political impact of colonial-era imagery on the francophone world. They will choose between completing an analytical research paper or a photography-inspired creative project, an option that Schaller sees as a unique part of course-based research.
“Regardless of whether or not students wish to pursue research beyond their undergraduate program, course-based research opportunities allow students to take ownership of the material they learn about in class,” He noted. “This may give them a chance to ‘personalize’ their studies in ways not typically offered in other GE courses.”
The CUTF program offers undergraduates a hands-on way of engaging with their disciplines of study while also preparing graduate student instructors for future teaching careers.
“Collegium of University Teaching Fellows courses not only offer graduate students a unique opportunity to design and teach a course inspired by their doctoral research, but also helps UCLA inspire the next generation of researchers by offering undergraduates opportunities to build their own inquiry skills in a supportive seminar environment,” noted Beth Goodhue, Director of Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Scholar Engagement at the TLC.
Spring 2026 Collegium of University Teaching Fellows Courses
Learn more about the Spring CUTF instructors and the CUTF program
Economics of Education (Research Practice 98T)
SEM 1 (James Lee) – Tuesday/Thursday 10–11:50 a.m.
Is going to school still worth it? What can government policy do to improve the current system of education? This course is intended for students interested in learning more about education policy and/or economic research. We will discuss economics research findings related to all aspects of education, from the theory to results, spanning all the way from preschool to college. Along the way, students will practice empirical research skills by learning to code in R, working with public microdata, and writing a literature review. By the end of the class, students will submit a peer-reviewed policy proposal to increase educational attainment.
“Drop the visuals!”: Music Videos as Black Pop Feminism (Research Practice 98T)
SEM 2 (Jade Abston) – Monday/Wednesday 10–11:50 a.m.
This course examines music videos and visual albums from the MTV era from 1980s to the present-day streaming era, exploring the history and evolving aesthetics of music videos. With a focus on Black female artists from Grace Jones to Beyoncé, this course will explore how music videos are more than just a medium for entertainment and how performance, lyrics, cinematography, timing, setting, and editing, can shape meaning and create cultural values related to race, class, gender, sexuality, disability, and more. By the end of the quarter, students will submit a project—either as a paper, video essay, or music video treatment–that explores concepts from the course.
Cosmic Evolution: The History of Galaxies through Astronomical Datasets (Research Practice 98T)
SEM 3 (Claire Williams) – Tuesday/Thursday 2–3:50 p.m.
Astronomers have built an understanding of our Universe’s history from the Big Bang to the present day using observations of hundreds of millions of galaxies, from the tiny satellite galaxies that orbit our own Milky Way to ancient galaxies located billions of light years away from us at the beginning of the Universe. These observations–achieved using Hubble, the James Webb Space Telescopes, and other Great Observatories–are published and available to the public online. However, actually using and engaging with these datasets is often limited to research scientists who study astronomy full time. Together, we’ll take this data into our own hands. No prior knowledge of astronomy is expected and the course welcomes students from all disciplines. It will prepare you to undertake research projects in the future and teach you how to investigate data, critically interpret scientific claims, and effectively communicate what you learn.
Old Photos, New Stories: Empire and the Afterlives of Images (English Composition 98TW)
SEM 1 (Ryan Schaller) – Thursdays 9–11:50 a.m.
At the height of the French empire, ethnographers, artists, and other travelers created a variety of visual materials designed to categorize and produce knowledge about faraway peoples and lands. Yet these images can also be read against the grain of the imperial intentions of their creators. Indeed, since the decolonization movements of the mid-twentieth centuries, postcards, identity photos, and paintings have resurfaced in literature and film, demonstrating how images can take on lives of their own well beyond the conditions of their making. Through close study of fiction, documentary and feature film, and photography, students will develop analytical tools to interrogate how colonial-era images continue to shape culture and politics in the francophone world. Assignments will include short writing exercises and a final scholarly or creative project.
Vietnam War and Popular Culture in Transpacific Relations (English Composition 98TW)
SEM 2 (Suong Thai) – Tuesday/Thursdays 10–11:50 a.m.
This course examines the Vietnam War and its aftermath as represented in modern popular cultural productions in the Transpacific context of America, Vietnam, South Korea, Japan, and Hong Kong. Through a close analysis of film and literature (in English translation), this course shifts the focus away from state-sanctioned discourses of war, instead opening doors to viewing this devastating war in its multilayered nature: a civil conflict between Vietnamese decolonial revolutionaries, a nationalist struggle for liberation and independence, a proxy war in the Cold War geopolitical order, and a transnational theater of power operation, negotiation, and resistance in Asia-Pacific. This course is designed to build your critical thinking and writing skills, train your ability to approach and evaluate a subject from multiple perspectives, and advance your ability to analyze cultural works with historical sensitivity and ethical responsibility.
Climate and Energy Technology: Creating Environmental Justice Frameworks (English Composition 98TW)
SEM 3 (Garret May) – Monday/Wednesdays 4–5:50 p.m.
This course will introduce climate technology and other energy innovations, create a framework for how to analyze the impact of these technologies on the communities where they are implemented, and show how both science and policy can be leveraged to make that impact more equitable. Students will review engineering case studies, sustainability projects, energy policy, and emerging technologies in the field of materials science and engineering. Students will complete a quarter-long investigation of a climate technology of their choice through three short papers totalling 15-20 pages of revised prose for technical and non-technical audiences, and practice presentation skills. Satisfies engineering ethics requirement. Restricted to Materials Science and Engineering Majors).
Undergraduate enrollment opens for the Spring 2026 CUTF course offerings starting February 9 (MyUCLA priority pass enrollment appointments) and February 12 (MyUCLA first pass enrollment appointments). Please review the Registrar’s Office for additional details on course enrollment.