Theses and Dissertations from UMD
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New submissions to the thesis/dissertation collections are added automatically as they are received from the Graduate School. Currently, the Graduate School deposits all theses and dissertations from a given semester after the official graduation date. This means that there may be up to a 4 month delay in the appearance of a give thesis/dissertation in DRUM
More information is available at Theses and Dissertations at University of Maryland Libraries.
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Item A New Chapter...Refugee Housing: From Enclave to Hub(2020) Neugebauer Peters, Taina; Williams, Joseph C.; Architecture; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Ref.u.gee (noun): “A person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster.” 30,000 refugees were resettled to the United States in 2019. Coming from countries all around the world, refugees experience the tough reality of leaving their homes in search of a better life in a distant and unfamiliar place. With little knowledge and understanding of new customs, many struggle to establish daily routines and complete simple tasks. Resettlement Agencies also struggle to find adequate accommodations, especially in California, where the current housing crisis has led to a shortage of affordable housing. This thesis proposes an affordable housing model that facilitates refugee integration into new communities by providing housing options that meet their needs as well as community spaces that educates and promotes cultural diversity throughout the greater urban community.Item REFUGEES AND RESETTLEMENT: A QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS OF REFUGEE INTEGRATION THROUGH SOCIAL & SUPPORT SERVICES(2016) Enekwe, Blessing; McIntosh, Wayne; Government and Politics; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This dissertation studies refugee resettlement in the United States utilizing the Integration Indicator’s framework developed by Ager and Strang for the U.S. context. The study highlights the U.S. refugee admissions program and the policies in the states of Maryland and Massachusetts while analyzing the service delivery models and its effects on refugee integration in these locations. Though immigration policy and funding for refugee services are primarily the domain of the federal government, funds are allocated through and services are delivered at the state level. The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), which operates under the Department of Health and Human Services, was established after the Refugee Act of 1980 to deliver assistance to displaced persons. The ORR provides funds to individual states primarily through The Refugee Social Service and Targeted Assistance Formula Grant programs. Since the inauguration of the ORR three primary models of refugee integration through service delivery have emerged. Two of the models include the publicly/privately administered programs, where resources are allocated to the state in conjunction with private voluntary agencies; and the Wilson/Fish Alternative programs, where states sub-contract all elements of the resettlement program to voluntary agencies and private organizations —in which they can cease all state level participation and voluntary agencies or private organizations contract directly from the ORR in order for all states to deliver refugee services where the live. The specific goals of this program are early employment and economic self-sufficiency. This project utilizes US Census, state, and ORR data in conjunction with interviews of refugee resettlement practitioners involved in the service delivery and refugees. The findings show that delivery models emphasizing job training, English instruction courses, institutional collaboration, and monetary assistance, increases refugee acclimation and adaptation, providing insight into their potential for integration into the United States.Item Impact of Globalization on the U.S.-Mexico Border: Case of Grassroots Activism for the Migrant and Refugee Community(2007-04-26) Kim, Jennifer J.; Klees, Steven J.; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This qualitative case study examines the impact of globalization on the U.S.-Mexico border as it affects transnational migration and individuals who assist the poor in migration. This study begins by discussing the social, political, and economic context of the region and examines the global conditions that have led to a massive movement of people along the border. The grassroots, NGO community has been actively engaged in the issue of cross-border migration although there have been few studies examining their work. This study attempts to look at how grassroots communities have responded to the global migratory flows as they situate themselves within globalization and the U.S.-Mexico border. This study specifically focuses on Annunciation House, a nongovernmental organization that assists migrants in the sister border cities of El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua and investigates how this organization and its networks have combined social services and activism with education in their advocacy work. The findings discuss the nature of the work and operation of Annunciation House; how the organization facilitates personal and political transformation of its humanitarian workers; how short-term and long-term staff members differ in their approaches to work; and how Annunciation House compares and relates to other NGOs in the region.