BGInS student Katrina Valles presents her research at the Undergraduate Research Showcase
This year, five students from the Bachelor of Global and International Studies Program (BGInS), were selected to participate in the Carleton University Research Opportunity Program (CUROP). CUROP is a summer research internship which allows students to collaborate with a faculty member on a research project of their choice. It’s a competitive program. Only ten of the many students who applied this year were granted the internship.
“It was amazing to be able to delve into research about something that you’re passionate about,” said Harar Hall.
“It’s not very often that you get to do that in university, especially over four years where you’re trying to build your skills and learn the basics.”
Hall, a BGInS graduate, explored the relationship between art and activism in social justice movements like Black Lives Matter. As is common with CUROP projects, Hall’s research will continue throughout her Master of Arts, International Affairs degree at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs (NPSIA).
The event, part of the FPA Research Series, allowed students to showcase how the program facilitated their development of skills in time management, information analysis, critical thinking and networking.
Katrina Valles, who is in the Migration and Diaspora Studies specialization, said CUROP allowed her come into her own as an independent researcher.
“I was really forced to stand on my own two feet and take ownership of my project,” she said.
“Getting that experience so early in my academic career is an opportunity that students would be hard-pressed to find outside of CUROP.”
Valles studied barriers to the economic integration of migrants in Peterborough, Ont. As a result of her research, she was invited to participate in developing a new five-year integration plan by the Peterborough Immigration Partnership.
Kateryna Pashchenko, who is doing a specialization in Europe and Russia in the World and a minor in History, spent two months in the Ukraine studying 2014 school reforms. She interviewed Ministry of Education employees and secondary school teachers and analyzed the role of education policy in developing the country’s values of democracy, tolerance and inclusivity.
The deadline to apply for next summer’s CUROP group is Feb. 28, 2020. Through CUROP, FPA students can pursue a summer research project under the guidance of a Carleton faculty member with a $7,500 stipend. Students who are graduating in June 2020 are eligible for this program.
BGInS student Alfredo Porco examined how China’s Belt and Road Initiative was cementing the country’s stake in global influence.