Module Information
Module Identifier
GG39120
Module Title
Contemporary Global Migration
Academic Year
2018/2019
Co-ordinator
Semester
Semester 1
Other Staff
Course Delivery
| Delivery Type | Delivery length / details |
|---|---|
| Lecture | 11 x 3 Hour Lectures |
Assessment
| Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Semester Assessment | Written essay 2500 word essay | 50% |
| Semester Exam | 2 Hours Written exam | 50% |
| Supplementary Assessment | Written essay | 50% |
| Supplementary Exam | 2 Hours Written exam | 50% |
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
1. Describe the theoretical advances and key concepts that have shaped contemporary migration studies
2. Describe and evaluate the principal theories of migration patterns and models of migrant integration
3. Demonstrate the ability to use discourse analysis in relation to the representation of current migration debates
4. Critically evaluate the predominant social, political, and economic factors influencing migration policy in relevant case studies.
Brief description
Contemporary Global Migration provides students with a comprehensive theoretical and conceptual grasp of the essential facts, theories and spatial characteristics of international migration. The module will set out the theoretical advancements in the study of migration within geography, examining a number of international case studies to illustrate the key concepts underpinning contemporary migration and human settlement.
Content
This module will examine the process of global migration, from the emigrations of the 19th Century to the main phases of post-war migration to western Europe, the Americas, Asia and Oceania. Individual state migration patterns together with policy initiatives and models of citizenship form the framework of this module. The structure of the course will follow a number of themes, using policy-relevant case studies to exhibit the modules’ key theories and concepts.
1.Introduction: Theorising Migration. The module will begin by introducing students to theories that have been advanced by key thinkers in migration studies, highlighting in particular the essential contributions that geographers have made to this inter-disciplinary field.
2. Migration Patterns and Key Terms. Students will be made familiar with key concepts and terms relevant to the study of migration, with a concomitant understanding of the most significant migration patterns globally, tracing these from the 19th century to the present.
3.Key Concepts: Racism and Geographies of the Far Right. The module will then consider the outcomes of these migration flows. This entails engaging with the history and development of racism followed by contemporary case studies of how racial prejudice is experienced in the UK and elsewhere. This will also involve a component examining the rise of far right political mobilisation in Europe.
4. Key Concepts: Integration. The issue of the subsequent settlement of migrants and their social and political integration is paramount in migration policy will be considered, using a number of case studies. Models of integration - assimilation and multiculturalism in particular – will be outlined, alongside critical evaluation of the socio-spatial outcomes of these policies.
5. Media representations of migration. The role of media representations of the issues of migration – particularly in relation to refugees and asylum seekers – will be examined in this component of the module. This will provide students with the ability to conduct discourse analysis in order to critically evaluate the ways in which the issues of migration and asylum-seeking are represented by different media sources.
6. Gender and Migration. Identified by Ravenstein (1885; 1889) as a central facet of migration patterns more than a century ago, migration can be understood as a particularly gendered phenomenon. This segment of the module offers a critical analysis of the ways in which migration is a gendered experience, using empirical case studies to illustrate the complex role of gender in determining migration flows and settlement experiences.
7. Security. In the wake of 9/11 and more recently, the terrorist activities of ISIS, migration is increasingly being framed as a national security issue, with the need to control borders a prominent agenda for many countries. This section of the module will investigate the implications of the relationship between national security, border control, trafficking and migration.
1.Introduction: Theorising Migration. The module will begin by introducing students to theories that have been advanced by key thinkers in migration studies, highlighting in particular the essential contributions that geographers have made to this inter-disciplinary field.
2. Migration Patterns and Key Terms. Students will be made familiar with key concepts and terms relevant to the study of migration, with a concomitant understanding of the most significant migration patterns globally, tracing these from the 19th century to the present.
3.Key Concepts: Racism and Geographies of the Far Right. The module will then consider the outcomes of these migration flows. This entails engaging with the history and development of racism followed by contemporary case studies of how racial prejudice is experienced in the UK and elsewhere. This will also involve a component examining the rise of far right political mobilisation in Europe.
4. Key Concepts: Integration. The issue of the subsequent settlement of migrants and their social and political integration is paramount in migration policy will be considered, using a number of case studies. Models of integration - assimilation and multiculturalism in particular – will be outlined, alongside critical evaluation of the socio-spatial outcomes of these policies.
5. Media representations of migration. The role of media representations of the issues of migration – particularly in relation to refugees and asylum seekers – will be examined in this component of the module. This will provide students with the ability to conduct discourse analysis in order to critically evaluate the ways in which the issues of migration and asylum-seeking are represented by different media sources.
6. Gender and Migration. Identified by Ravenstein (1885; 1889) as a central facet of migration patterns more than a century ago, migration can be understood as a particularly gendered phenomenon. This segment of the module offers a critical analysis of the ways in which migration is a gendered experience, using empirical case studies to illustrate the complex role of gender in determining migration flows and settlement experiences.
7. Security. In the wake of 9/11 and more recently, the terrorist activities of ISIS, migration is increasingly being framed as a national security issue, with the need to control borders a prominent agenda for many countries. This section of the module will investigate the implications of the relationship between national security, border control, trafficking and migration.
Module Skills
| Skills Type | Skills details |
|---|---|
| Application of Number | Students will develop excellent critical analysis skills, written communication skills and will have specific knowledge of international migration policies. |
| Communication | Both the final exam and written assignment will task students with effectively communicating their knowledge of the topic as well as their ability to construct a concise argument using appropriate supporting material. |
| Improving own Learning and Performance | The research required for the written assessment will allow students to refine their critical analysis and evaluation skills, as well as their written communication abilities. |
| Information Technology | Students will use word processing packages to prepare the written assessment. They may also make use of online resources such as UN reports and government policies related to migration. |
| Personal Development and Career planning | Discourse analysis skills will be a specific component of the module as they will be integral to the written assignment. Students will also develop their knowledge of concepts specific to migration studies, invoking concepts of mobility, space and boundaries. |
| Problem solving | Students will develop their problem solving skills through the analysis of academic as well as media sources and texts, particularly in preparing their written assignment. |
| Research skills | Both the written assignment and final exam will require students to conduct extensive reading in order to effectively research appropriate and relevant materials for both tasks. The written assignment will require students to undertake significant reading as well as discourse analysis of media texts and to synthesise this accordingly into a cohesive evaluation of a particular aspect of migration outlined in the lecture material. |
| Subject Specific Skills | |
| Team work | Seminars may involve group work where students will be asked to discuss a particular reading or topic and engage in discussion with their peers. |
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 6