Jessie Jern attended an internship on a research project
During 2019 and 2020, Jessie Jern attended a research internship at the School for Global Studies.
What drove you to apply for the Master’s Programme in Global Studies?
I majored in International Relations during my bachelor’s studies, and a master’s programme in Global Studies was a natural next step in continuing what I found the most interesting during my undergraduate studies. I also viewed it as an opportunity to improve my academic English.
What do you appreciate the most about your studies?
My favourite part of the programme is how close my fellow students and I have become during the two years we have studied together. I am also passionate about the topics covered in the programme like security, migration, environment, and gender, and appreciate all the interesting lectures that the researchers have given.
Why should someone pursue a Master’s in Global Studies?
I would recommend this master’s programme to someone who wants to develop their critical thinking and get tools for analysing global issues. You get the opportunity to study courses on matters of security, migration, gender, development, environment, democracy, borders, conflict, and political economy at a global level. The programme is taught in English allows for Swedish and international students to study together, bringing a mix of backgrounds. Our discussions are rewarding when knowledge from global studies, international relations, political science, sociology, regional studies, economy, history, gender studies, philosophy, and law are combined!
Tell us about your internship!
I am doing my internship in a FORTE funded project with Anja K. Franck and Joe Anderson. The project examines asylum seekers’ ability to manoeuvre the Swedish labor market after the new law on self-sufficiency requirements was introduced in 2016. The project examines both political and other actors’ motivations for the law, and how asylum seekers navigate the labor market as a result. Along with the tasks I take on in my internship, I am also writing my master’s thesis which borders on the topic that the project deals with – namely how the law has affected the relationship between employers and male asylum seekers.
The tasks at my internship vary greatly from day to day. I have participated in seminars, conferences, meetings, and lectures. At the beginning of my internship, I had the opportunity to visit Norrköping’s District Court to observe and report from Sweden’s first conviction of human exploitation. I also was able to observe an interview during one of my supervisors’ meetings with a politician in Sweden’s parliament.
What do you want to work with after you graduate?
When I graduate, I plan to apply for doctoral studies or a research assistant position. I want to do research work within the field of migration, which is what I am working with during my internship.