The Politics of the “Shadow State”: State and Local Politics and Refugee Resettlement in the U.S.
Ella Dalgliesh, Government & Law, 2025
Thesis advisor: Professor Hannah Stewart-Gambino
How and when did you select your advisor and the thesis committee members?
I selected my thesis advisor in the spring of my junior year. I selected my advisor because she had been the faculty advisor for the Alternative School Break trip I led through the Landis Center, and I felt that we had great rapport. The trip we went on was also focused on refugee resettlement, and my thesis topic was state and local politics and refugee resettlement. My thesis committee members included my academic advisor for my Anthropology and Sociology major, and my previous EXCEL research advisor. I asked them to be my committee members in the summer/fall.
When did you start thinking about your thesis? How did you select your topic? How did you develop your research question?
I started thinking about my thesis during my junior spring. I met with my advisor and began brainstorming topics that may be of interest. Through discussing my ideas with my advisor, I came to the conclusion that I was really interested in the impact that state and local politics have on the service provision work of refugee resettlement agencies across the U.S. I always knew I wanted my project to be on refugee resettlement and U.S. politics because I have worked with refugee communities since I was a freshman in high school and wanted to engage in this topic academically. My advice would be to select a topic that is truly important to you, as it is something that you will research and work on for a year.
How did you start tackling your thesis project at the very beginning?
I began working on my project the summer before senior year. This began with reading literature over the summer so that I would be ready to start thinking about writing my literature review when I got to school in the fall. My advice would be to get as much reading as you can done over the summer, because it really sets you up for success in the fall.
Did you have to do a literature review? Had you ever done one before?
Yes. I did have to do a literature review, and it was probably the most difficult part of the thesis for me. I had written literature reviews before for research papers, but they had been much shorter (5-7 pages). My literature review for my thesis ended up being about 40 pages, so it was much longer than anything I had written previously. This is why it was so helpful for me to do a lot of reading over the summer, so that I felt prepared to write the literature review in the fall. I would also say it is totally normal for the literature review to take a few drafts before it is at its best.
What did you find most rewarding about your thesis project?
What I found most rewarding about my thesis project is that I feel that I was able to contribute to the existing literature and fill a gap in the research that existed, which is pretty cool.
What assistance did your advisor/department offer you throughout the course of the year?
In the Government and Law Department, we had a mid-year defense which we got help to prepare for. We met as a cohort and went over what the presentation should look like. I worked closely with my advisor as well, meeting every other week to discuss my progress and think of tasks for me to complete before the next meeting.
Did you meet with librarians in the course of conducting your research? How many times and at what stages of your research?
Yes. I worked with one of the research librarians when finding sources for my literature review. This was very helpful in searching for and finding strong sources, and I would highly recommend you do this at the beginning of your project.
What other kind of support did you rely on throughout the year to accomplish your thesis (parents, friends, etc.)?
I leaned on my friends a lot through this process. Three of my close friends were also writing theses, so it was nice to have people who could relate to the process. It was also nice and motivating to sometimes work together on our projects. My family was also a great support, and would provide feedback on drafts.
What advice would you offer other honors thesis students, especially in your department?
I would say that you should not write a thesis just to write a thesis. I think it can feel really challenging to write when it’s not something you really want to be doing, so make sure you are writing a thesis because you really have a question that you are intellectually curious about and find important. In this case, it will feel much easier to write and you will be motivated to do so. I would also say that it is completely normal to feel lost during the writing process, and feel that what you are producing is not what you originally hoped, but that is okay. Your project will change throughout the year—it truly is a process and you just have to trust it.