DSPO 27A56 - Migrations and their Impact in the Global North
n the past two decades, international migration has risen to the forefront of public concern throughout advanced democracies in North America, Europe, and Oceania. From family separations at the southern border of the United States (US), to the drowning of thousands attempting to reach Europe across the Mediterranean, to the squalid detention centers on island-states off the coast of Australia, the tragedies associated with migration have regularly made global headlines and inspired heated public debates. With passions running high, it is difficult to make sense of the deeper trends behind migration flows and policies. Are rates of international migration higher today than in the past? Who are migrants, how are they categorized, where are they going, and why have they chosen to leave their homes? What impacts have migrations had on societies where they settle? Why have democratic states seemingly been unwilling or unable to grapple with migration, and why do their societies feel threatened by migrants despite their vast wealth, stability, and ostensible commitment to human rights? Through this course students will grapple with these questions while obtaining a grounding in the empirical realities of global migrations as well as theoretical frameworks for understanding migration politics.
The course has four overarching objectives. First, to provide students with a broad understand of contemporary developments with respect to international migration in democratic states. Second, to introduce students to major debates surrounding migration at the domestic, regional, and international levels. Third, to offer students frameworks for analyzing migration politics tied to foundational theoretical debates in the fields of comparative politics and international relations. Fourth, to develop students' research and written argumentation skills. Altogether, this course will offer a platform to engage with the challenges posed by international migration in democracies, while accommodating different learning strengths and creating a dynamic class environment.
The course is organized into three units. (1) The first unit will establish a foundation regarding international migration, its historical development, and its perception by publics in democratic migrant-receiving states. (2) The second unit will cover the multifaceted impacts of migration in democratic states, including the economic effects of migration, the political ramifications of migration-induced socio-economic transformations, and the issue of migrant “integration” in the societies where they have settled. (3) The third unit will focus on the governance of migration. It will cover the evolution of migration policies and the competing theories that seek to explain policy outcomes, as well as international and European cooperation on migration issues. Overall, the course will highlight developments at the forefront of international concern, including recent migration “crises,” the rise of nativist political movements, the privatization of mobility and border controls, the recent United Nations Global Compacts on Migration and on Refugees, and beyond.