What is the course about?
This course provides a general introduction to the conditions of refugees, asylum seekers and irregular migrants worldwide (data, regions, etc.) and an overview of the terminology used. It then analyses specific cases in the most relevant geographical contexts, including the asylum seekers arriving in Europe through the Mediterranean, the undocumented Mexican migrants crossing the US border, the Syrian refugees in Turkey and the Rohingya in Australia. In discussing these cases, we will explore the dilemmas behind humanitarian protection and irregular migration for labour purposes.
The course is based on video lectures, didactic videos and podcast interviews with international experts. Assignments consist of short quizzes for each unit and a journal exercise at the end of the course. Suggestions for further reading will be included in order to achieve a more in-depth understanding.
To learn more about the theories that explain international migration, check out Part 2: Theories
What will I learn?
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
- identify the fundamental terminology and concepts used to discuss about irregular migrants and asylum seekers;
- describe key case studies of irregular migration and asylum seeking in the world;
- discuss possible future scenarios and the social challenges posed by these migrations.
Who is this course for?
This course is meant as a general introduction to migration issues for students and practitioners.
What do I need to know?
Knowledge of English language is essential. Previous knowledge of basic sociological or economic debates can be an advantage, although this is not a compulsory prerequisite. The only other requirement is enthusiasm and interest in the topic.
Course Structure
CHAPTER 1 – INTRODUCTION
Unit 1.1 – What are irregular migration and asylum?
Unit 1.2 – Let us talk about words!
CHAPTER 2 – EUROPE AND THE MIDDLE EAST
Unit 2.1 – Irregular border crossings towards the EU
Unit 2.2 – Refugee status in Europe (podcast with Lilian Tsourdi)
Unit 2.3 – The case of Syrian refugees in Turkey (podcast with Fulya Memisoglu)
CHAPTER 3 – AMERICAS
Unit 3.1 – Irregular Latin-American migrants in US agriculture (podcast with Philip Martin)
Unit 3.2 – Gender and irregular migration in Latin America (podcast with Tanja Bastia)
CHAPTER 4 – ASIA AND OCEANIA
Unit 4.1 – Maritime arrivals in Australia
Unit 4.2 – The case of Rohingya refugees (podcast with Marie McAuliffe)
Course instructors
Anna Triandafyllidou
Prof. Anna Triandafyllidou is the Director ad Interim of the Global Governance Programme of the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies and the Director of the GGP Research Strand on Cultural Pluralism at the European University Institute (EUI).
Prof. Triandafyllidou is also a senior fellow at the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy, a visiting Professor at the College of Europe and Editor in Chief of the Journal of Immigrant and Refugee Studies. She serves as a national expert on migration issues for the OECD and the International Organization for Migration, and acts as an evaluator of research projects for, inter alia, the European Research Council and the European Commission.
She received her PhD from the EUI in 1995. In 2001, she was a Fulbright Scholar at NYU. Her main areas of research are migration, nationalism, European integration, media and discourse studies.
She has published over 20 books and authored over 100 articles in refereed journals and chapters in edited volumes. Her most recent book is What is Europe? (London, Palgrave, 2015) and the Routledge Handbook on Immigrant and Refugee Studies (Routledge, 2016).
For more information about Prof. Triandafyllidou, please see: http://globalgovernanceprogramme.eui.eu/research-areas/cultural-pluralism/ and www.annatriandafyllidou.com
