A. Project Description
This project will further the explanatory project embarked by Wilcox in 2016 in a team effort of Wilcox, a Sociology student, and Vietor, an Anthropology student, in an online, long-distance learning graduate level research course (SOAN 523). This will use ethnographic methods including interviews in order to gain insight on the immigration of Congolese in Northeast Missouri. The focus of the research is to continue the documentation of the experiences of this group, including, but not limited to: what factors influenced them to leave their native country and migrate to the United States specifically, what the process of applying for migrant or refugee status included, and their challenges and successes of adjusting to life in the Kirksville community, and this time, its effects on the Kirksville community.
B. Tools
To collect this qualitative data, we will again use the non-probability methods of quota and snowball sampling in order to interview at least 6 Congolese people over the age of 18. We hope to have an even sampling of single and married adults of both genders, as the only available subjects in the previous research were primarily single males. To collect data, we will use a tape recorder if the interviewee gives us permission to do so. Key variables will include the respondents’ background information, their acculturative stress and assimilation experiences, and comparisons of change overtime. Additional areas of inquiry may emerge through the interview process.
These interviews will be supplemented with outside sources such as newspapers and scholarly journals to give more situational context to the geopolitical situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). These findings will be documented through individual and a joint WordPress blogs which will culminate as our final open-access research project for the Cultural-Crossroads Digital Learning Class (SOAN 523). This will allow the public to access the research as well. Please see the following links for examples of our progress thus far.
Course blog: http://xroads.coplacdigital.org/course/
Vietor’s individual blog: http://xroads.coplacdigital.org/vietor/
Wilcox’s individual blog: http://xroads.coplacdigital.org/wilcox/
Shared blog: http://xroads.coplacdigital.org/truman/
C. Work to be completed by each team member
Interviews and official ‘due date’ items will be conducted by both members of the team. Individual task designation will be delegated at a later date.
D. Timeline
| Internal Due Dates | Official Due Dates |
| October 3 – complete a first Timeline JS and a StoryMap JS about immigration moment | |
| October 5 – final learning agreement due | |
| October 31 – rough draft of website due | |
| November 16 – finish all interviews | November 28 & 30 – final presentations |
| December 11 – final project websites & write-ups due |