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Description of research project:
Broadly, this project is interested in how societies respond to multiple forms of violence. In the aftermath of the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi, Rwanda’s leadership continues to prioritize gender-equality through creating laws against gender-based violence (GBV), instituting gender quotas resulting in a higher percentage of women in parliament than any other nation, and initiatives to increase women’s representation in economic and educational spheres. Yet despite these progressive initiatives, GBV continues to persist. Drawing on interviews, laws and policies, and ethnographic observations, this project looks at how international, national, and local beliefs and values intersect when responding to gender-based violence in Rwanda. A particular focus of the project will be working on data with couples who completed a relationship education course on conflict mediation and alternative dispute resolution as part of a public scholarship project with a Rwandan NGO.
No prior knowledge is required for this project, but RAs should be comfortable working with data directly involved with sexual- and gender-based violence and genocide. Before the RA begins, we will discuss best strategies to work with emotionally difficult data.
Description of work that will be assigned to research assistants:
Research assistants will play an active role throughout this project and duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to: 1) collecting and analyzing documents such as laws, policies, and NGO reports; 2) clean and organize interview transcriptions; 3) draft analytic memos and synthesize information from interviews with lawyers and document analysis.
Supervising Faculty Member: Dr. Paige Sweet
Graduate Student Contact information: Please email Jacob Caponi (caponi@umich.edu) with your resume and a one-page statement of interest that explains why you are interested in this particular project and what you hope to gain from undergraduate research experiences.
Average hours of work per week: 6-12 hours
Range of credit hours students can earn: 2-3
Number of positions available: 3
