Political Dimension of International Migration - JPB002

• Title: Political Dimension of International Migration
• Guaranteed by: Department of Political Science (23-KP)
• Faculty: Faculty of Social Sciences
• Actual: from 2021 to 2023
• Semester: winter
• E-Credits: 5
• Examination process: winter s.:
• Hours per week, examination: winter s.:1/1, Ex [HT]
• Capacity: 22 / 22 (25)
• Min. number of students: unlimited
• 4EU+: no
• Virtual mobility / capacity: no
• State of the course: taught
• Language: English
• Teaching methods: full-time
• Teaching methods: full-time
• Note: course can be enrolled in outside the study plan; enabled for web enrollment; priority enrollment if the course is part of the study plan
• Guarantor: Mgr. Sylvie Burianová, Ph.D.
• Teacher(s): Mgr. Sylvie Burianová, Ph.D.
• Class: Courses for incoming students

Annotation

Last update: Mgr. Sylvie Burianová, Ph.D. (21.08.2023)

The course is suited for anyone interested in learning about the phenomenon of migration, specifically through the lenses of political science. It will cover a range of topics related to international migration including why people migrate, ethical border closure, Europe's responsibility for refugees, media influence on our view of migrants and more. Active student participation of students is expected, as the majority of the workload will be during the semester. The course is not recommended for those who want to breeze through the semester without putting in the effort. The course encourages respectful discussion, argumentation, and compromise finding.

Aim of the course

Last update: Mgr. Sylvie Burianová, Ph.D. (26.09.2023)

At the end of the course, students should be able to understand and distinguish key migration terms and discuss the current migration issues a in wider context.

Course completion requirements

Last update: Mgr. Sylvie Burianová, Ph.D. (26.09.2023)

Taking the final exam is mandatory.

4 Group projects: 60 p. (15 p. each)

Attendance

Exam/Test: 40p.

A 100-91 p.

B 90-81 p.

C 80-71 p.

D 70-61 p.

E 61-51 p.

F 50 – 0 p.

Literature

Last update: Mgr. Sylvie Burianová, Ph.D. (26.09.2023)

Recommended literature will be asigned each week through Moodle. Students are expected to do their own literature review for the projects.

Teaching methods

Last update: Mgr. Sylvie Burianová, Ph.D. (26.09.2023)

MOODLE2:

The course link in Moodle: https://dl2.cuni.cz/course/view.php?id=4174

Students are expected to follow the course in the learning platform Moodle2 where a more detailed schedule of the course could be found. Submission of assignments  will take place through this platform.

ATTENDANCE:

Students must attend all classes but may have a maximum of two absences.

GROUP PROJECTS:

In this course, students will be grouped and each week, two groups will be responsible for presenting their projects. It is important to note that group projects are mandatory and are designed to help students develop skills such as finding reliable information, contextualizing explanations, and simplifying complex themes. Working in a team is crucial for both research and professional life. Therefore, students should approach projects as group work to improve their communication, research, and planning skills. The topics for the projects can be found in the syllabus and on Moodle.

There will be 6 groups. Overall, each group will have 4 presentations. Students can express their preference for teammates/groups until October 8th via email ([e-mail]). After this date, the lecturer will assign the remaining students to groups. Presentations must be uploaded to Moodle2 by Sunday at 4 pm CET the day before the lesson and should be no longer than 15 minutes. An information sheet detailing the division of work among students should be included at the end of each presentation.

For the group project, the maximum number of points that can be awarded is 15, and the total number of points awarded for all projects is 60.

 

In order to enrol/continue in the course, students must email the teacher expressing their interest and stating their favourite presentation topic from the syllabus between October 2nd and 9th 2023. Those who do not comply will not be included in the course.  This measure is in place to ensure that only dedicated and motivated students are enrolled.

 

Requirements to the exam

Last update: Mgr. Sylvie Burianová, Ph.D. (26.09.2023)

Attendance is required for the classes. 

Group projects are an essential component of the course and account for a maximum of 60 points. Each project can earn up to 15 points.

Syllabus

Last update: Mgr. Sylvie Burianová, Ph.D. (26.09.2023)

I. Introduction to the course ( 2/10/2023)      

       

II. Do we live in the Age of migration? The Phenomenon of Migration (9/10/2023 )

Introduction to the course. What is migration? Who is a migrant? The history of people’s movement. Multidisciplinary study of migration. Migration and globalisation. Migration in the 21st century.

No group projects for this week.

III. From Nation States to Migration States (16/10/2023)

Migration policy and its actors. Genesis of migration policies in Europe. Migration and nation state. Migration waves after WWII. Labour migration. Openness and restrictiveness of immigration policies. Liberal paradox.

Group projects:

Group 1 Gastarbeiter system                                                

Group 2 COVID-19 and migration policies

IV. Did Multiculturalism fail? (23/10/2023)

Models of integration policies. Citizenship. Multiculturalism. Assimilation. Welfare state. The `others`. Cultural differences. Identity politics. Diaspora.

Group projects:

Group 3 Islamic scarf controversy in France                

Group 4 Multiculturalism in Canada

          

V. The Mediterranean region and irregular migration (30/10/2023)

Migration in the Mediterranean. Transit migration. Illegal immigration. Regularization. Borders. Bilateral cooperation. Crossing the Mediterranean Sea. Migration routes. Human smuggling. Human trafficking. 

Group projects:

Group 5 Human Smuggling                                                  

Group 6 North Africa as a region of origin, transit and destination

 

VI. Migration policy of the EU (6/11/2023)

Migration as a part of economic project. Justice and home affairs. European migration governance. European Agenda on Migration. Internal and external migration policy. Nation interests versus group effort. Asylum policy. Dublin System.

Group projects:

Group 1 2015 Migrant Crisis

Group 2 New Pact on Migration and Asylum

VII. Is the system broken? (13/11/2023)

Forced migration. Refugees. Internal displacement. Migration crisis. Refugee camps. Resettlement. International Protection. Syrian civil war and crisis. ‘Safe countries’. States of origin. Geneva convention. Fragility.

Group projects:

Group 3 2022 Ukrainian Refugee Crisis

Group 4 UK-Rwanda deal

VIII. Is migration a threat? (20/11/2023)

Securitization and depoliticization of migration. Migration and populism. Right wing parties. Migration and terrorism. Radicalism. Populism.

Group projects:

Group 5 Clash of Civilizations                                             

Group 6 Right wing parties in Europe     

                                          

IX. Migration and ‚the Global South‘ (27/11/2023

Migration and the Third World. Migration and development. African patterns of migration. Who really migrates? Can we prevent migration? Root causes of migration. Environmental migration. Colonial legacy. Remittances.

Group projects:

Group 1 World powers in Africa                                                                

Group 2 Orientalism     

                                           

X. Can we close borders? And should we? (4/12/2023)

What are the costs of migration? Can we close the borders? Should we accept everybody? How does society measure the risks and benefits of migration?

Group projects:

Group 3 Joseph Carens                                                       

Group 4 David Miller

Group 5 Michael Walzer                                                                   

Group 6 Matthew J. Gibney

XI. Migration in Media and Pop culture (11/12/2023)

The impact of media presentation. Visibility of migration. Migration myths. Migration and pop culture.

Every group – the concept of group works will be defined the previous week

XII. Did we overlook something? (18/12/2023)

Discussion on current issues.

 

Registration requirements

Last update: Mgr. Sylvie Burianová, Ph.D. (16.08.2023)

This course is open for students of all Bachelor programmes at the Institute of Political Science at Charles University. There is no precondition for entering this course.