Prospects for Good Governance of Refugee Situations:

The Local – Global Nexus

In the past ten years, the world has witnessed a critical time period during which refugee situations have challenged established social and political spheres and affected the way in which the local and global interact with each other. It is specifically within this context that we need to critically examine and learn from some of the challenges and find opportunities to improve governance in various refugee contexts. Refugee situations are increasingly characterized by prolonged periods of exile in urban settlements rather than in regulated camps. The protracted displacement of refugees combined with their urbanization become subjects of international debate and feature prominently on states’ political agendas and in urban governance strategies. This shift in the nature of refugee situations merits far greater management and coordination between all relevant stakeholders including state and non-state actors on local, regional, national and global levels.

The Migration Research Center at Koç University (MiReKoc) will host the 8th MiReKoc International Summer School entitled “Prospects for Good Governance of Refugee Situations: The Local-Global Nexus”, which will be organized in cooperation with Hasan Kalyoncu University’s Research Center for Migration, Population, Education and Employment Studies, between the dates of 19th and 30th of June 2018 in Istanbul (19-27 June) and Gaziantep (27-30 June).

This year, the MiReKoc Summer School will explore the dynamics of migration governance at local, regional, national and global levels with a focus on state and non-state actors, processes and challenges of migration management on each level. The Summer School will consist of ten days of lectures and discussions led by distinguished international faculty members and experts in the field, including a three-day visit to Gaziantep, the capital city of an eponymous province in south-central Türkiye near the Syrian border, which currently hosts a significant proportion of the population of refugees.

We are pleased to announce that Alexander Aleinikoff, the Director of the Zolberg Institute on Migration and Mobility at The New School in New York City; Thomas Faist, Professor of Sociology of Transnationalization, Development and Migration at the Bielefeld University; Meryem Aslan, Country Director of Oxfam Türkiye; Ahmet İçduygu, the Director of Migration Research Center at Koc University; Saime Özçürümez, Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration at Bilkent University; and Rebecca Bryant, Professor at the Department of Cultural Anthropology at Utrecht University confirmed their attendance as lecturers to the program. More details concerning the program and the list of confirmed speakers will be announced soon.

How to apply?

Please click here for the application form and attach the following via “Add File” option in the end of the application form:

• A current résumé
• Proof of English (TOEFL and/or IELTS scores OR an official letter signed by relevant authority stating that the medium of education is English)
• One reference letter from employer or professor (The letter can also be e-mailed by the referees)
• Written work sample (Published or unpublished article, book chapter, thesis chapter and/or report preferably on a related migration topic)

All application materials must be received by midnight GMT on Friday, 27 April 2018. The results will be announced in mid-May.

Please contact us via miss@ku.edu.tr if you experience technical difficulties with your online application.

Tuition

• The fee for the program is 1250 Euro (covers accommodations at Koç University, Istanbul and Hasan Kalyoncu University campuses, flights between Istanbul and Gaziantep, and three meals a day).
• For the participants who wish to self-arrange their accommodation in Istanbul, the fee is 600 Euro (covers accommodations at Hasan Kalyoncu University, Gaziantep campus, flights between Istanbul and Gaziantep, three meals a day in Gaziantep, and lunch expenses during the program in Istanbul).
• All fee packages cover the expenses of course materials, field trips and social programs.

Scholarship

• A limited number of partial scholarships will be available for selected candidates. Applicants who wish to apply for a scholarship should indicate their choice in the relevant section of the application form with a short statement of their financial constraints. Please note that this is a non-profit program and the scholarships will be granted based on the availability of excess funds upon the completion of the application round.
• Students from the IMISCOE network are eligible to a scholarship of 25% for the program fee.

Other details

• The summer school seminars and readings will both be conducted in English.
• A certificate will be provided upon successful completion of the program.
• Additional requirements will be imposed on those participants who are seeking course credits (5 ECTS).

If you have any further queries, check out the FAQs guide or please contact the Summer School team via miss@ku.edu.tr.