The deadline to apply for the Hopkins Semester D.C. – Global Migration and Refugees has now been extended to November 1st! See below for more information about the program:

Applications are open for Hopkins Semester D.C. (HSDC)Spring 2025, this year’s theme is Global Migration and Refugees.

ABOUT HSDC:

Hopkins Semester D.C. (HSDC) is a unique, residential program for all undergrads with either a major or minor in Krieger School of Arts (KSAS). Explore life in the U.S. capital for a full semester! In this immersive and engaging semester, students will take KSAS courses, conduct an independent research project, and complete an internship-all while residing in Washington D.C. and utilizing the new, state-of-the art JHU Bloomberg Center Building.  As well, students will participate in a cap-stone trip to the U.S.-Mexico border.   

SEMESTER REQUIREMENTS:

This semester’s coursework will explore important and timely questions and debates relating to global migration, refugees, and empire across the Middle East, Latin America, Africa, Asia, Europe, and the United States.

Students will be required to take all of the following three courses:

1. Applied Practitioner and Scholar Seminar (Dr. Rina Agarwala, 3 credits) This course introduces students to the cutting-edge research and debates on global migration and refugees. Students will explore immigration and emigration to highlight the global nature of the theme and directly engage leading guest speakers from the policy and scholarly communities.    
2. Research Seminar (Dr. Julian Lim, 4 credits): This course builds students’ research, writing, and analytical skills by guiding them through an independent research project in a collaborative classroom environment. 
3. Applied Experience Course (Dr. Lauren Reynolds, 3 credits) This course builds students’ professional, networking, and career planning skills by exploring their experiences in their internship, volunteer, or other immersive experience and engaging practitioners in related professional fields. such as law and social work. 

Students will also be required to take at least one of the following seminars: 

Seminar 1: Migration and Empire/Imperialism (Dr. Sabine Mohamed, 3 credits) Given that we inhabit a world after European colonialism, some would argue that empires are an artifact of the past. Yet, imperialism continues to shape our contemporary multipolar world. In this interdisciplinary seminar, students will explore topics ranging from transnational anti-colonial worldmaking projects to (post)colonial infrastructures, to the politics of citizenship and race, contested border regimes, and the rise of far-right movements to focus on the modalities of (im)mobility, subject formation, and how difference and belonging within these often-fraught imperial settings have been both defined and defied. We will also attend to non-European imperial varieties and decenter a Eurocentric perspective on migration and empire.

Seminar 2: Refugees, Human Rights and Sovereignty (Dr. Ilil Benjamin, 3 credits)

What is the difference between an asylum seeker and a refugee? How has the refugee category been redefined and contested by international bodies since 1951? How are the ambiguities of real-life violence and persecution simplified in asylum adjudication interviews that require clear, factual narratives? This seminar draws on literature from sociology, history, anthropology, and international refugee law in order to understand the capacity (or lack thereof) of human rights discourses and declarations to contravene state sovereignty in the name of protecting the rightless.

Apply by November 1st at 5pm : Hopkins Semester D.C. Application Form

Priority consideration will be given to applications received on or before  the original deadline date of Oct 25 so that we can make sure this incredible opportunity makes it to as many potential students as possible.

INFORMATION SESSIONS

Online Information Sessions:

Meet Dr. Reynolds to hear about the program’s offerings, research opportunities, internships, and how you can get involved. Sign up for pizza and the session here: RSVP

Online Information Sessions:

Mondays & Wednesdays
🕡 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM
📍 Zoom ID: 519 522 0577

Tuesdays
🕗 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
📍 Zoom ID: 519 522 0577

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Questions? Please contact Drs. Lauren Reynolds([email protected]) or Rina Agarwala ([email protected])