Share, Explore, Engage, Discover (SEED) Mini-course

This course will engage with issues and on-the-ground actions in response to anti-refugee, anti-immigrant sentiments and public/policy debates in the U.S. and globally in light of the “refugee ban” in the U.S. in 2018 targeting refugees from Muslim-majority nations, the Rohingya persecution and human rights crisis in Myanmar in 2017, and the arrival of Syrian refugees in Europe in the summer of 2015-16. Students will gain introductory background about the U.S. refugee policy and the global and historical context of forced displacement. Students will also gain foundational knowledge about organizations involved in U.S. resettlement, specifically (a) nationally-based, state-contracted organizations that implement refugee policy and (b) community-based, refugee-run organizations. Case studies and model communities will be discussed in class. Students will gain an understanding of challenges experienced by refugees, such as loss and mental health issues, and issues in and strategies for casework and clinical practice. The course will include a problem-based learning activity, designed for interactive community building among students, and to challenge students in applying knowledge and information gained from the course.