Summer Term 2025 Research Positions

Please complete a research application and choose one of the research positions listed below (research applications available on the Undergraduate Research link or in Townshend Hall 141).  Please return your completed applications to the contact person listed for the project via email.

Below are the research projects that are available for students to work on for SOCIOL 4998 credit Summer Term 2025.  SOCIOL 4998 is one of the options that students can use to fulfill the major Experiential Learning Requirement - PLEASE NOTE, you may only count 3 hours total of research credit towards the SOCIOL-BA and CRIMINO-BA majors and 6 hours total of research credit towards the SOCIOL-BS major.  Also, remember that research experience is especially important if you are planning on applying to graduate school!

Please read the requirements for each project carefully, as some require either specific coursework or specific GPA.

The Politics of Migration Governance and Lived Realities of Afghan Migrants in the US and Abroad
Email application to Mehr Mumtaz at mumtaz.4@buckeyemail.osu.edu

The number of internally and internationally displaced people has grown exponentially over the last few decades. According to the most recent UNHCR estimates, war, violence, and persecution drove displacement to approximately 120 million. In 2021, Afghanistan had the third largest forcibly displaced population in the world, mainly due to the US military evacuation and the Taliban regime’s return to power.
 
This dissertation focuses on the politics of migration governance of recent Afghan (non) arrivals to the US to understand how US politics and policies surrounding Afghans, particularly women and ethnic minorities, (re)produces intersectional inequalities in their migration process.
 
This project will mainly employ content analysis of federal documents, which will require students to review congressional hearings and reports, presidential speeches, and press releases, that focus on politics surrounding Afghans and Afghan migration to the US, with a particular focus on women and ethnic minorities.
 
Requirements:
Students should have at least a 3.0 GPA. Preference will be given to applicants in Sociology, Political Science, Communications, Ethnic Studies or other related field. Students with previous experience or interest in content analysis of federal documents are strongly encouraged to apply.   Interested students should email me with their resume and a 200-word statement about their interest in this project.

Neighborhoods, Identity, and Mobility Among Somali Immigrants
Email application to Dr. Nima Dahir at dahir.13@osu.edu

This research project examines how Somali immigrants in Columbus, Ohio, navigate their racial and immigrant identities in relation to their neighborhoods and how these factors shape economic mobility. Using in-depth interviews and participant observation, the study explores how individuals experience and respond to neighborhood institutions, resources, and social dynamics. Undergraduate research assistants will help with literature reviews, transcription of interviews, and qualitative coding.

Requirements:
This position is ideal for students with an interest in race, immigration, urban sociology, and qualitative research methods. Preferred qualifications include some sociology coursework, especially in race, immigration, or urban sociology and an interest in / experience with qualitative data analysis. Somali language skills are ideal but not required. 1-3 students needed.