Seminar „Quantitative Research on Forced Migration - Limitations, Challenges and Opportunities“

Semester: Winter 2025/2026
Course Number: 300250
Lecturer: Dr. Marvin Bürmann and Armin Küchler
Location: X-D2-105
Time: Tuesdays 14-16h c.t., 14.10.2025-03.02.2026

Notice:
All important information about the schedule of the seminar, the tools to be used and the requirements for the completion of study and examination achievements can be found in this document in the corresponding sections. If necessary, the document will be adapted during the semester. The current version of the document is always available at this URL.
URL (with “http://”" or without “www.”): lehre.mbuermann.de/syllabus_qrfm.html

The seminar

Content description

This master seminar will critically examine the potential and limitations of using quantitative methods to study forced migration. Focusing on sociological approaches, participants will critically engage with data sources, methodological challenges, and analytical strategies commonly employed in investigating displacement, asylum, and refugee experiences. They will evaluate the strengths and limitations of different research designs, learning how to navigate issues such as limited data availability, measurement bias, and ethical considerations.

Learning objectives

Through a combination of theoretical discussions and hands-on empirical exercises using Stata, the course will enable students to interpret existing research critically and conduct their own quantitative studies on forced migration. By the end of the seminar, students will have a deeper understanding of how to apply quantitative methods to the complex social phenomenon of forced migration, and of how to evaluate the validity and impact of such research in academic and policy contexts.

Participation requirements, necessary previous knowledge

A good knowledge of quantitative methods and statistics, as well as moderate Stata skills (such as recoding, deriving descriptive statistics and estimating regression models) are required. However, lack of prior knowledge can be compensated by self-study during the first weeks. The practical exercises will be carried out with the help of guided exercise sheets. Appropriate knowledge of the syntax in “Stata” is helpful in order to be able to participate adequately in the practical exercises. In principle, the exercises can also be completed using “R”, but exemplary solutions for the practical sessions will be provided and discussed as “Stata” syntax.

Digital tools

Moodle course

The Moodle course of the seminar is one central tool. It can be accessed via the normal learning room (“Moodle-Kurse” tab on the left-hand side) and via the following URL: https://moodle.uni-bielefeld.de/course/view.php?id=12065. The Moodle course provides slides & excercises sheets for the respective meetings. The files for the credits (presentation & syntax file, more information below) are also to be submitted here.

Access to the IAB-BAMF-SOEP Survey of Refugees

In the practical sessions, a teaching version of the IAB-BAMF-SOEP Survey of Refugees will be used. To be legally allowed to work with this dataset, you need to sign a “Statement on Upholding Data Secrecy and Security”. In the Moodle course, you find the respective form and a folder to submit i once signed. After submitting the signed form, you will be given access to the seminar folder on the faculty server (see below), where the IAB-BAMF-SOEP teaching dataset will be stored.

Seminar folder on faculty server

Data as well as the solution files will be provided in a folder on the “CIPUX_veranstaltungen” drive (usually the “K” drive). In the folder (probably “buermann_qrfm”) there will be a “readonly” and a “public” folder. In the “readonly” folder the data and the solution files will be provided. In the “public” folder you can create your own subfolder (e.g. with the name of your access code) in which you work during the practical meetings. As subfolders for this folder I recommend: “do”, “log”, “derived” & “results”. The access to the drive is also possible via remote-access (see next section).

Stata remote access

External access to Stata and the CIP pool drive is possible. Instructions for CIP Pool Remote Access (Stata use and access to the teaching data version of SOEP) can be found on the Faculty of Sociology IT website: https://www.uni-bielefeld.de/fakultaeten/soziologie/fakultaet/soz-it/distance-learning/.

VPN connection to the university network

Many services of the university are only available within the university network. This includes e.g. the access to paywalled literature. To access literature from home, a VPN connection is required. Appropriate instructions can be found on the following page of the university: https://www.uni-bielefeld.de/einrichtungen/bits/services/netzzugang/vpn/.

How to earn credit points

Study credits / Studienleistung (SL)

To obtain study credits (Studienleistung (SL)), students must (a) give a short presentation (maximum 15 minutes) in a session of their choice and (b) submit a syntax file (a “.do” file for Stata) that produces a short empirical analysis. More detailed information on the requirements for both parts can be found below.

(a) short presentation: The presentation must be based on a scientific article researched by the student, the content of which is relevant to the corresponding session (participants presentations start in session LIT2). Ideally, the article should be published in a sociology and/or migration research journal (e.g. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, Journal of International Migration, Social Forces, etc.). For sessions LIT4 to LIT8, the selected article must also include quantitative analyses. The presentation should focus on interesting aspects of the article and not be a summary of the entire article. Moreover, it should not exceed 15 minutes and can only be held by one student. The article must be made available to me at least one week before the presentation, so that the reference can be provided in advance of the session in which the presentation will be given. The presentation has to be uploaded in the Moodle course after the session latest and will be made available to the other participants in the Moodle course.

(b) syntax file: One syntax file must be submitted for one of the practical exercise sessions PRAC2, PRAC3, PRAC4 or PRAC5 (no submission for the initial practical exercise session PRAC1). The syntax file must run without error and produce results relating to the week’s topic. Exercise sheets will provide general guidelines and tips regarding analyses. The syntax file, including the participant’s name and student number, must be submitted in the Moodle course by 11.59pm on the Monday after the practical session at the latest (submission folder closes afterwards). Participants can therefore complete their syntax file after the practical session has ended.

Exam credits / Prüfungsleistung (PL)

The exam credits (Prüfungsleistung(PL)) can be obtained by a seminar paper (Hausarbeit) on an own research question on the topic on forced migration by using the theories, concepts and methods discussed in the seminar. This seminar requires papers to include a quantitative analytical part; purely theoretical papers are not permitted. Before you start working on your paper, you must discuss the planned topic and research question with me. To suggest a seminar paper idea, please send me an exposé of no more than two pages, explaining the motivation behind the main research question and providing a general idea for the analysis. This exposé can then as example be discussed with me in the last session of the seminar.

The data must be obtained, prepared and analyzed by the student. Information on the adequate preparation of seminar papers at the AG Kroh can be found at http://www.uni-bielefeld.de/soz/personen/kroh/lehre.html.

1. Deadline for submission of seminar paper: 15.02.2026
2. Deadline for submission of seminar paper: 31.03.2026

Seminar schedule

Adjacent Literature:

Pötzschke, S., & Rinken, S. (2022). Migration research in a digitized world: Using innovative technology to tackle methodological challenges. Springer Nature.