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Last update: Kristýna Janurová, M.A. (10.08.2016)
Department of Social Geography and Regional Development. The seminar will enable the students to engage with the key migration concepts, theories and approaches proactively and to view the issues, which in the university environment are otherwise discussed primarily academically, from diverse perspectives, among others that of the policy-maker, an NGO worker or a journalist. The course will introduce the students to the recent theoretical and methodological developments in migration studies, setting them in the context of the main concepts, theories and methods used in this field. These will be reviewed and discussed to an extent relevant to the students’ previous study experience. The course uses a combination of interactive activities, reading discussions and individual research and writing to motivate the participants to engage with the study material continuously on their way towards the closing "miniconference" where the students’ papers will be presented and discussed. The course requirements include active participation in classes, step-by-step essay writing guided by the teachers’ feedback and a presentation of the final paper at the miniconference. The course is recommended for Czech and international students with an interest in migration studies, primarily at the master’s level. The whole course is conducted in English. |
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Last update: Mgr. Lenka Pavelková, M.Sc. (25.09.2016)
Seminar 05/10/2015
Who, where and why? In this seminar we will discuss the key terminology used in the course and clarify the possible differences in understanding and varying connotations of the individual terms in different countries. We will discuss our experience with the usage of these terms and also discuss their shortcomings. We will have a look at who migrants are today and what the main migration flows are - are they international or internal? From which countries? And where to?
Literature:
What is covered: - basic terminology (migration, emigration, immigration, internal, international, irregular/undocumented/illegal); - types of migration (economic, political, etc./permanent, circular, temporary); - main migration flows in the world - examples, counts
Seminar 13/10/2015 The Meaning of Home In this seminar we will start by discussing terms like home country, host country, country of origin, etc. - what are the meanings and differences? Where is "home" for migrants? Is it the country of origin or the new country, none of those two or something in-between? And what about their offspring? How does the meaning of "home" affect the integration of individual migrants? We will see what integration means and what the different aspects of integration are (social, economic, political, cultural).
At the end of the seminar students will present their essay topics and main theses to the class. The teachers will help out to clarify the ideas and possible overlaps between topics will be sorted out.
Literature:
What is covered: - terminology: host country/destination country/home country, country of origin, etc.; - what makes a home and where migrants feel at home (one country, more countries); - identity of second/third generation - introduction to integration (economic, political, cultural, social)
Seminar 20/10/2015 Integration In this seminar we will go deeper into the topic of integration. We will start by discussing the different terms used in different academic and geographical contexts: integration, assimilation, and incorporation. Then we will discuss what it means to be integrated, to what extent the word has a positive connotation, whether any of the types of integration is more important than the others, and whether there is an order in which the different integration "types" take place in an individual migrant’s experience. We will also look at how integration is measured and discuss the different approaches to deciding whether a person is integrated. Afterwards, we will move on to migration and integration policy - what it is, who the actors are and what factors and actors influence such policy. Role-play activity at the end of the seminar.
Literature:
What is covered: - integration/assimilation/incorporation - what "integration" means, whether and how can we say/measure a person is "integrated" - migration and integration policy - examples of different countries’ migration and integration policies - who influences migration and integration policies and why (politicians, trade unions, NGOs, businessmen, etc.) - MIPEX
Seminar 27/10/2015 Migration and Citizenship This seminar will cover basic approaches to citizenship (ius sanguinis, ius soli) and common rules used to regulate migrants’ access to citizenship. We will discuss what citizenship means and what the advantages (and disadvantages) are of acquiring a new citizenship/changing one’s citizenship. We will look at citizenship laws in several countries (Czechia, Slovakia, UK, USA, Canada, Germany) and also at the meaning of EU citizenship. Activity: naturalisation requirements in different countries.
Literature:
What is covered: - what is citizenship, what it means - basic approaches to citizenship - citizenship laws in several countries as examples - dual citizenship - EU citizenship
Seminar 03/11/2015 Relations between states and their emigrants In this seminar, we will talk about two important phenomena: diaspora and return policies related to brain drain and emigration of skilled people. We will have a look at what diaspora is, what the main diasporas are and how different states communicate with their diasporas. After that, we will discuss the problem of brain drain and possible return policies that states can adapt to attract back the citizens they need in order to uphold the country’s prosperity and development (young people, qualified people). At the end of this seminar students’ rough paper proposals (handed in a few days in advance) will be discussed individually with the seminar teachers.
Literature:
What is covered: - diaspora, definitions and examples - brain drain, brain gain - return policies - countries’ approach to their emigrants (examples of Morocco, the Philippines, Poland, Czechia)
Seminar 10/11/2015 New approaches to the study of migration In this seminar we will discuss some of the contemporary popular approaches to the study of migration, such as transnationalism, migration and development and combined analyses of internal and international migration flows. Apart from illustrating what these theoretical approaches comprise, we will look at some of the currently frequently used methodological approaches, such as mixed methods and interdisciplinary research, analysis of diary entries and life history research. Depending on the students’ interests other new strands of migration research such as environmental migration or health-centred migration research will be talked about. As an end-of-class activity extracts from qualitative research studies (interview quotes and diary entry analytical models) will be presented and discussed.
Literature: BLUNT, A. 2007. Cultural geographies of migration: mobility, transnationality and diaspora. Progress in Human Geography, 31(5) pp. 684-694. de HAAS, H. 2005. International migration, remittances and development: myths and facts. Third World Quarterly, 26, PP. 1269-1284. Available from: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1747-7379.2009.00804.x/pdf KING, R., SKELDON, R. 2010. ‘Mind the gap!’ Integrating approaches to internal and international migration. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 36(10), 1619-1646. Available from: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/1369183X.2010.489380 VERTOVEC, S. 2009. Transnationalism. London: Routledge. (A BOOK - recommended to students more deeply interested in the topic) WIMMER, A., GLICK SCHILLER, N. 2003. Methodological nationalism, the social sciences, and the study of migration: an essay in historical epistemology. International Migration Review, 27(3), pp. 576-610.
What is covered: - "new" theoretical approaches in migration research: transnationalism, migration & development, environmental migration, migration & health - "new" methodological approaches in migration research: interdisciplinarity, comparisons between internal and international migration patterns, mixed methods, new qualitative approaches (e.g. diary entries)
17/11/2015 - national holiday - NO CLASS
Seminar 24/11/2015 Milestones in Czech and international history and their impact on migration flows In this seminar we will talk about the key historical milestones which have affected migration flows around the world, with a particular focus on Europe, Czechia and the countries of origin of the class participants. The shift from the dominance of emigration to the dominance of immigration in some world countries (e.g. Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden) will be described, confronted with opposing or more static situations of other states and related to the key historical determinants which contributed to these specific developments. As a special activity we will watch an illustrative video and discuss it in relation to the class topic and the required reading.
Literature:
What is covered: - Colonialism, slave trade - Industrialization - World Wars - Post-war European and world migrations - (Non-)migration from the Soviet Union and the "Soviet Bloc" - Post-1989 migration from and to Central and Eastern Europe - European Union, Schengen - 2004, 2007 and 2013 EU enlargements - 21st century African and Asian migration to Europe and USA - Wars and other conflicts in the late 20th and early 21st centuries (Balkan, Sudan, Arab Spring, Syria, Ukraine, etc.)
Seminar 01/12/2015 Migration theories In this seminar we will review the key known migration theories as presented in the required reading and relate them to the topics discussed during the semester. Considering the extent of the students’ previous experience with studying migration theories we will discuss their strengths and weaknesses and their applicability to empirical research. We will highlight the importance of bearing in mind the different theoretical approaches when working with academic texts on migration (not the least in the students’ own essay writing) and of the need to relate theory and practice effectively with regard to the settings we are working in (research, state sector, political parties, NGO sector). Going back to the topics dealt with in earlier seminars, we will pinpoint the structural and individual-level effects of migration on the actors involved. Activity: reading discussion
Literature:
What is covered: - Ravenstein’s "laws of migration" - Neoclassical economics and push-pull theory - Segmented/dual labour market theory - Zelinsky’s ‘hypothesis of the mobility transition’ - World systems theory - Networks theories - The ‘New Economics of Labour Migration’
Seminar 08/12/2015 Refugees in the world
Popularization and use of scientific results In this seminar we will discuss the question of "objectivity" in reporting on scientific results and the "correct" way of disseminating them to the wider academic as well non-academic public. We will highlight the need to question scientific results from the perspective of how a particular research project was funded and what primary purpose(s) it was conducted with. We will talk about whether there is something like the "appropriate extent" to a social scientist’s societal engagement. We will show some examples of media reporting on migration research results, looking at the difference in the type of message passed when speaking of numbers and when reproducing lifestories, touching on the "identity" discussion. Depending on the time available and the students’ interest we will look at examples of migration-themed fiction stories. At the end of the class, the students will have an opportunity to get some individual feedback on their draft papers before getting them finalised for the closing miniconference.
Literature:
Media articles, TV reporting - on immigrants in Czechia, about Czechs abroad, famous persons - migrants Lidové noviny - Češi, kteří dobyli svět (2012). Magazín 101 - Speciál Lidových novin vydaný ve spolupráci s obecně prospěšnou společnotí Dny české státnosti. Praha: MAFRA. Extracts from fiction stories (Petra Hůlová: Čechy, země zaslíbená, Amy Tan: The Joy Luck Club, Shaun Tan: The Arrival)
What is covered: - objectivity vs. biased scientific results and biased reporting - research background: funding, purpose, country of production, political background - media tools - numbers vs. stories - "identity"
22/12/2015 - NO CLASS
Seminar 05/01/2016 Miniconference This last seminar will be organized as a "miniconference" where the seminar participants will present their final papers. It will have the format of a real "miniature" conference, being divided into two or three panels according to the paper topics, with the presentations to be done in allocated time slots and discussions following. Some students will take part in moderating the discussions which will be an opportunity for each of the presenters to get some final feedback on their papers from both the classmates and the teachers. After the conference the students will have one to two weeks to hand in their finalised and refined papers. |