210060 SE BAK11 European Union and Europeanisation (2023W)

Objectives: At the end of the course, students should be able to reflect critically on the responses of states, international organisations and non-governmental organisations to asylum seekers and refugees; understand the origins and evolution of the international refugee regime and state and non-state responses to forced migration in Europe and in other parts of the world; and understand the complexity, frequency, and persistence of forced migration as a facet of political life.

Content: This course explores the politics of refugee migration, which broadly encompasses the movement of people displaced by persecution, conflict, natural or man-made disasters, environmental change or development projects. The course is set in the subfield of international relations and European politics, but students are expected to engage with ideas from a variety of disciplinary perspectives. Topics covered in the 13 sessions include (i) a general introduction including concepts and trends, analytical approaches, and the evolution of the refugee regime, (ii) causes and consequences of refugee movements and (iii) different responses of state and non-state actors to refugee movements, including state and non-state actors in origin states, host states in the Global South and Global North, and international and nongovernmental organizations. Several case studies will be presented in the course by students throughout the term and several guest speakers will present ongoing research in the seminar.

Methods: Seminars will take place once a week. Students are expected to attend all seminars, do the required readings, and be prepared to discuss each week’s reflection question. The reading of scientific literature between the units, the discussion in the seminar as well as the writing of short reflection statements on proposed readings should promote a critical examination of scientific topics and literature. In addition, students improve their presentation skills by giving a short presentation and their academic writing skills by working on an essay.