ABOUT THE COURSE:This course aims to engage with contemporary scholarship in migration studies. It will do so by critically studying key concepts and theories of migration, and interrogating the relationship between migration and development. Drawing on multidisciplinary theoretical and empirical literature in the social sciences, the course will focus on social, economic and cultural drivers of migration, as well as its consequences for individuals, families, and societies in host and destination regions. In the context of globalization, the course will re-examine the divide between internal and international migration. Lastly, the course will consider the scope and limitations of migration policies in an increasingly mobile and connected world.INTENDED AUDIENCE: Bachelor’s, Master’s and PhD students, migration and development researchers and practioners.INDUSTRY SUPPORT: Development Organisations, Corporate Social Responsibility sector, Policy Think Tanks

Syllabus

Week 1: Migration Studies: Disciplinary Considerations

The first week will locate migration studies from the disciplines of economics, sociology, political science, demography, law and public policy.
Week 2:Migration Studies: Theoretical Considerations I

The second week will take on key theories and concepts in migration, such as the Lewis Model, structural theories such as modernisation and dependency, and the push and pull framework.
Week 3:Migration Studies: Theoretical Considerations II

The third week will cover theories of the new economics of labour migration, and capabilities and aspirations in migration.
Week 4:Migration and Development I

The fourth week will introduce the migration and development framework, critically looking at the role of remittances in development, and interrogating the relationship between migration and development.
Week 5:The Empirics of Migration: Internal Migration I

Weeks 5-8 will cover the empirics of migration. Drawing on a multidisciplinary empirical literature, we will focus on social, economic and cultural drivers of migration, as well as its consequences for individuals, families, and societies in both source and destination regions. The fifth week will focus on rural-urban migration, more specifically, migration and agrarian change, social reproduction, precarity and poverty.
Week 6:The Empirics of Migration: Internal Migration II

The sixth week will continue the discussion on internal migration from the lens of the destination, with a focus on migration and urbanization.
Week 7:The Empirics of Migration: International Migration I

The seventh week will re-examine the divide between internal and international migration. It will focus on empirical studies on remittances, gender and youth migrations.
Week 8:The Empirics of Migration: International Migration II

The eighth week will be devoted to facets of contemporary international migration, with a focus on globalization, the skill regime, and migrant rights.
Week 9:Migration and Crisis

The ninth week will cover the following topics: migration in a world of polycrisis, pandemics and migration, migration policy in crisis.
Week 10:Gender in Migration

Gender will be covered as a cross-cutting theme throughout the course, as well as a standalone module. The focus areas of the tenth week would be feminization of international migration, gender in the migratory process, gender in migration research.
Week 11:Migration Policy I

The eleventh week will upack migration from the lens of public policy, with a focus on internal migration policies. We will study the country examples of China and India.
Week 12:Migration Policy II

The twelfth week will focus on international migration policies. We will discuss real-world policies and their implications on individuals, communities and nation-states, and the future of migration. We will consider the scope and limitations of migration policies in an increasingly mobile and connected world.