Border Studies Program (HUBXC433) – Call for Interviews
CFD is currently accepting interest forms for the 2025 iteration of the Border Studies Program. Please submit the below interest form by November 29th, 2024.
Why is the US-Mexico border so crucial to the national imaginary and political scene? How can we at Boston University make sense of challenges at the border and design projects that address them? The “Southern Border” is regularly cited as a “crisis” in the popular press, and border security and immigration policy are furiously debated but rarely changed. Each of the two main political parties in the US uses the border to advance its agenda, and activists sling slogans like “secure our borders,” “build the wall,” and “fight ignorance not immigrants.” US policies and practices at the border may contribute to human suffering, the rise of political extremism and bigoted nationalisms, and racial and class-based inequities. At the same time, border communities are unique and vibrant cultures, full of possibility, creativity, and hope for the future.
“Border Studies: A Cross-College Challenge at the US-Mexico Border” provides an expansive, interdisciplinary introduction to the US border regime. Migrants and asylum seekers are supported by networks of nonprofit organizations that intersect with state and federal agencies. Students will have an opportunity to meet with service providers and practitioners during a weeklong trip to the Rio Grande Valley. After learning about their work, experiences, and challenges firsthand, students will develop projects to address a problem they identify with our partner, Rio Valley Relief Project.
Please note: The course, supported both by the BU Hub Cross-Challenge Program and the Center on Forced Displacement, includes a spring break travel learning and service experience to the Texas-Mexico border in the Rio Grande Valley area during Spring Recess from March 8-16. An interview and department permission required to be registered for this course.
To schedule your interview please fill out this interest form by November 29th, 2024.
This course fulfills a single requirement in each of the following Hub areas: Creativity/Innovation, Teamwork/Collaboration, Oral and/or Signed Communication, Research and Information Literacy.
T 12:30-3:15pm