On April 17, 2018, I gave my final research presentation for Professor Daniel Esser and Ambassador Sally Shelton-Colby. The first criticism of my presentation they had was the title, and Professor Esser explained that it was unclear by whom the victims were ignored. In addition, he said that the title was misleading, for it appeared to be referring to refugees as victims, while my project focuses on host countries. A second criticism was with the clarity of my research question. Professor Esser could follow my research and understand my findings, but the wordiness and vagueness of my research question made the start of my presentation confusing.

Ambassador Shelton-Colby expressed a similar concern with the title, and she suggested rephrasing some of the ways I present my research. For example, I said countries were “being given identities,” which fails to capture the fact that identities are constructed through discourse and not merely assigned. Professor Esser also recommended I change some of the wording in my topic. He pointed out that when I said, “western Europe is dominant,” I was stating an obvious fact. Instead, I should be clearer that I am referring to dominant discourse, rather than state hegemony. Finally, both praised my presentation for being easily accessible and well presented.