Until fall 2017, the U.S. has been resettling about 80,000 refugees annually of whom 35 to 40% are children. (The current administration has lowered the number to 40,000.) This collaborative research course introduces students to concepts related to forced migration with a focus on the experiences of refugee, asylee, and immigrant children. In the first part of the course we will read key texts which discuss the definition of refugee vs. immigrant, refugee camp experiences, and the three permanent solutions for refugees outlined by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), with a particular emphasis on resettlement in third countries. Students will learn how the youth whom they will encounter in the service learning component of the class (see description below) experience these transitions from being a resident of their country to becoming a refugee and then finding refuge in the U.S. Youth and their families are aided by Voluntary Agencies (Volags) to ease their transition to a new society. In the second part of the course we will discuss issues that are pertinent to refugee and immigrant youth such as assimilation, acculturation, and the needs of Students with Interrupted Formal Education (SIFE). Ultimately the course will juxtapose theory and practice and by doing so, knowledge will be mutually reinforced and enriched. The class includes a mandatory service learning component. Specifically, students will choose between 3 different NGOs where they will volunteer with refugee/asylee/immigrant youth. 1. International Rescue Committee - Saturday mornings (mostly newly arrived asylee youth) 2. MASA - Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday OR Thursday evenings (Mexican American youth in the South Bronx) 3. Napela - Monday, Wednesday, OR Thursday afternoons (1st and 2nd generation West African refugees and immigrants in Staten Island)