Cities of Refuge Research

Poster presentations at an outreach event called “Names, not numbers”

Students do research on a selected topic related to Cities and Refuge, gathering data via desk research, participant observation, quantitative and qualitative interviews with various local stakeholders.

Target field for the outcomes of students research: policy-makers and politicians.
Group size: 10

Aims

Students who have completed their Capstone:

Will know, and be able to discuss and apply, key concepts pertaining to the reception and integration of refugees in receiving countries from a variety of disciplines.
Will be able to synthesize key readings into a theoretical framework, develop a well-focused research question and a problem statement , and design a research plan
Will be able to describe various research methods, select the most appropriate method for their research and subsequently apply it
Will have conducted empirical research and analyzed and synthesized the findings in a full research paper
Will have come to acknowledge and critically reflect upon the position and role of various actors involved in the welcome and integration of refugees
Will take note of and adhere to ethical guidelines pertaining specifically to conducting research with refugees or vulnerable groups.
Will have learned how to proactively and constructively set up and carry out a research project and to work effectively individually and as a team
Will have presented their findings for a wide audience in clear, concise and engaging manner

Students ec’s for this assignment

7,5

Teacher effort (hours)

200

Final product

Poster presentations at an outreach event called “Names, not numbers”, with around 150 politicians, mayors, policy-makers and representatives from the educational and housing sector, employers and social services.

Assessment criteria

The project concerns a number of assignments for which the students are assessed. The abbreviated assessment criteria are:

Formulating research question (5%): Students are expected to present a research problem relevant to the general topic of the Capstone and describe its scientific and societal relevance. Students should state clearly their concrete research question, as well as the relevant sub-questions. This should result in a document of at least 500 w with at least three literature references.
Literature review (15 %): Students are expected to deliver a 5-10 page literature review, based on a synthesis of the main insights from the relevant literature. The sources used need to be of sufficient academic quality and to represent the different points of view pertinent to the concrete research topic.
Methodology (10%): The research method should be appropriate for answering the research question. The use of a concrete method should be thoroughly justified, including a discussion on potential limitations and alternatives. A critical reflection on the ethical considerations and principles relevant to the concrete research paper is also expected.
Full research outline (10%): The research outline should include all the relevant components (research problem, research question and sub-questions, literature review, research method used, data gathering and analysis method used). There should be a consistency between the different components of the research design and a realistic time frame for conducting the research.
Participation (15%): This includes active participation in all sessions, and particularly the expert seminars. Students can be asked to do advance reading and to prepare questions for these seminars, or to introduce the speakers. Students are also expected to respect agreements and deadlines and engage in teamwork and discussions in class.
Draft Capstone paper and in-class presentation (20%): Students need to present a final draft of their research paper including all the abovementioned research design components (for the conclusion an outline is sufficient at this stage). The results of the research should be presented in clear, coherent and captivating way and related to the existing literature.
Final Capstone Paper (7000-9000 words, 25%): The final Capstone has to be a paper of 7000-9000 words, with APA referencing. It should contain all research design components, presented in a clear and structured way. The research question and sub-questions should be answered clearly and the results of the research should be discussed in relation to the existing literature/theories on the topic. A reflection on the scientific and societal relevance of the concrete research paper and suggestions for future research are also expected. The findings have to be presented on Capstone day and at a conference with a wide range of actors from society at large.

Description of the example

“Cities of Refuge” is a VICI NWO research project exploring the relevance of international human rights law to how local governments in Europe welcome and integrate refugees.
In the spring semester of the 2017/18 academic year, the “Cities of Refuge” team of researchers offered a Capstone course to UCR advanced bachelor students. The course combined seminars covering various legal and policy aspects of refugee reception/integration, as well as research methodology. Ten of the enrolled students conducted individual research projects on the reception and integration of refugees in Zeeland, a predominantly rural province in the South-West of the Netherlands. They gathered large amount of data through desk research, participant observation and qualitative interviews with various local stakeholders. Some of the main topics of research were emergency reception, housing, work, well-being, education, the shifts in governance and the differences between the 13 municipalities in the province.

The results of the Capstone research on Zeeland were presented at an outreach event called “Names, not numbers”, with around 150 politicians, mayors, policy-makers and representatives from the educational and housing sector, employers and social services. Students had the chance to present posters summarizing their research projects and to discuss their findings with local stakeholders, offering also recommendations and innovative solutions to the identified challenges. This meeting, which was a side event of the Four Freedoms Awards that takes place in Middelburg, got widespread attention in the provincial media. As a result, the provincial parliament decided to organize a public meeting in October 2018 to discuss the labor market position of refugees, and ways of strengthening the role of the province in both reception and integration.

In addition, one of the Capstone students completed an outstanding research on the practical implementation of a very recent change in the Dutch migration law – the so called Participation Declaration that newcomers in the Netherlands must sign as part of their civic integration process. Upon completion of the course she further developed her project and co-wrote an academic paper in close collaboration with Barbara Oomen. With the support of a special undergraduate research fund provided by the University College Roosevelt, the student presented her results at the ECPR, the main European Political Science conference that took place in Hamburg in 2018. The article received a lot of interest and positive comments and will be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal.

In sum, the “Cities of Refuge” Capstone course illustrates the potential benefits of taking proactive steps to utilize student research. Our experience shows that the value of student projects can be extended way beyond the boundaries of a single course. With our support as instructors, student research can become the basis not only for advancing scientific knowledge in different fields, but also for bridging the gap between academia and policy-making at the local level.

More information / Contact

Contact: prof. dr. Barbara Oomen is based at the University College Roosevelt in Middelburg (b.m.oomen@uu.nl)
Website: https://citiesofrefuge.eu/

Media-attention to the project: https://www.omroepzeeland.nl/nieuws/105744/Zorgen-om-de-rechten-van-Zeeuwse-vluchtelingen