Course Description
Covers themes such as types of migration and migrants, the specific European experience with emigration and immigration, modes incorporation and integration, conceptions of national identity with special emphasis on the French Republican model, and the tension between assimilationist and multiculturalist models. The course will only be taught in Paris as a study away course.
Athena Title
Emigration Immigration Europe
Prerequisite
Permission of department
Semester Course Offered
Offered summer semester every year.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
Upon completion of this course, students will understand the types of migration (forceful migration, voluntary migration, labor migration, refugees, international students, and others); models of migration such as the migration transition, and push-pull models; theories of migration such as functionalist models; historical/structural theories, segmented labor market theories, the new economics of Labor Migration (NELM), and others, and the effects of emigration on sending countries. Upon completion of this course, students will understand the history of European Emigration and Immigration focusing on the “European migration crisis of 2015”; public perceptions on the effects of immigration induced diversity on cultural cohesion; the impact of migration on the welfare state, and the rise of radical right-wing parties as a consequence of increased migration. Upon completion of this course, students will understand the modes of incorporation into the receiving societies with special emphasis on the tension between assimilationist and multiculturalist approaches. Upon completion of this course, students will understand how to examine the purported economic effects of immigration such as whether immigration will decrease wages, increase unemployment and crime, and whether immigrants will cost the states more than they contribute. Upon completion of this course, students will understand the why and how millions of people are leaving their places of birth to move to new and unfamiliar locations. Upon completion of this course, students will understand how to discriminate between “push” and “pull” factors that drive decisions to leave one’s home. Upon completion of this course, students will understand how to compare and contrast various immigration policies and speak authoritatively about the consequences of increasing/restricting immigration. Upon completion of this course, students will understand how to identify how ethical, cultural, economic, political, and racial factors shape immigration policies. Upon completion of this course, students will understand how to comprehend why international regimes, such as the 1951 Geneva Refugee Convention or the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, have limited effect in national policy making on immigration related issues. Upon completion of this course, students will understand how to apply legal concepts such as “non-refoulement” that protects some refugees from being sent back to their home country. Upon completion of this course, students will understand how to distinguish between types of immigrants, such as “labor migrants”, “refugees”, and “asylum seekers.” Upon completion of this course, students will understand the types of migration, ranging from forceful migration to retirement migration and the attendant legal hurdles attached to them. Upon completion of this course, students will understand why a European Union wide immigration policy is difficult to achieve. Upon completion of this course, students will understand how to connect the increase in immigration in many European countries with the rise of radical right-wing parties in Europe.
Topical Outline
1. Who/what is a migrant and why do people migrate? This will cover the official UN definitions of various types of migrants and delineate reasons for emigration/immigration. 2. Theorizing migration. This section develops a theoretical framework detailing various approaches for migration and analyzes the effects of emigration on sending countries. 3. The history of emigration/immigration of Europe. A historical account of emigration from the early waves in the 16th century, through the period after WWII when emigration was replaced by immigration in Europe. 4. The cultural and economic effects of immigration in European countries with special emphasis on the formation of radical right-wing parties in France. 5. The forms of incorporation, and types of citizenship across European countries. The tension between assimilationist and multiculturalist models of “belonging”. Special emphasis will be placed on the current conflicts in France around the headscarf affair and the “burkini” debate. 6. An examination of the purported effects of immigration on crime, employment, and the social safety net. 7. Between nationalism and post-nationalism: Quo vadis, Europe and “La patrie”?