Forced Migration in International Relations

Module title	Forced Migration in International Relations
Module code	POLM161
Academic year	2020/1
Credits	30
Module staff	Dr Irene Fernandez-Molina (Convenor)

Duration: Term	1	2	3
Duration: Weeks	11

Number students taking module (anticipated)	20

Module description

The module will provide an advanced introduction to the key historical, socioeconomic, legal and political issues in Forced Migration Studies. It will focus on the international refugee regime, the wider global governance of forced migration and the international cooperation problems that affect these from the perspective of various theories of International Relations (IR). In addition to policy responses such as migration containment, asylum, protection and humanitarianism, IR theories will be applied to critically analyse the root causes of different forms of forced displacement – state-building processes, postcolonial legacies, North-South divide and economic (under)development, authoritarianism, conflict and insecurity, environmental degradation, gender inequality – and their consequences – socioeconomic stress, conflict diffusion, impact on peace-making and peace-building, securitisation, inter-state (non)cooperation. The emphasis will be on the dialogue between IR and Forced Migration Studies.

Module aims - intentions of the module

1) To introduce you to the literature and the key historical, socioeconomic, legal and political issues in forced migration, including the rules, norms and institutions of the international refugee regime, the wider global governance of forced migration and the international cooperation problems that affect these.

2) To apply theories of International Relations (IR) in order to critically analyse the root causes and consequences of forced migration as well as policy responses to it.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

1. Demonstrate a contextualised and critical understanding of the key historical, socioeconomic, legal and political issues in forced migration;
2. Apply IR theories to the analysis of the root causes, consequences and policy responses to forced migration, including its global governance in general and the international refugee regime in particular;

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

3. Find, use and analyse secondary and primary data relevant to specific issues in politics and IR;
4. Place contemporary political issues in larger contexts;
5. Deploy critical arguments in analysing political issues and evaluating sources;

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

6. Work independently and in a group, including the presentation of material for group discussion;
7. Demonstrate analytical skills and the ability to digest, select and organise material;
8. Demonstrate writing skills including the ability to produce well organised and coherent essays to a deadline, practice in articulating and defending positions on tutorial topics.

Syllabus plan

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:

The international refugee regime: emergence and evolution
International refugee law and refugee status determination
Forced migration and International Relations
The international refugee regime: UNHCR, international cooperation problems and the politics of humanitarianism
The EU dimension: the Common European Asylum System
Durable solutions: repatriation, resettlement and local integration
Internally displaced persons (IDPs)
Environmental displacement
Gender and forced migration
Peacebuilding, state-building, transitional justice and reparations
Biopolitics and refugees

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	Guided independent study	Placement / study abroad
22	278	0

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Scheduled learning and teaching activity	22	11 x 2-hour seminars
Guided independent study	78	Reading for seminars
Guided independent study	200	Completion of coursework

Formative assessment

Form of assessment	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Individual presentations	5 minutes	1-7	Oral feedback

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Coursework	Written exams	Practical exams
85	0	15

Details of summative assessment

Form of assessment	% of credit	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Essay	55	4,500 words	1-5, 7-8	Written/oral
Book review	30	2,500 words	1-5, 7-8	Written/oral
Presentation in pairs	15	20 minutes	1-7	Oral

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Original form of assessment	Form of re-assessment	ILOs re-assessed	Timescale for re-assessment
Essay	Essay (4,500 words)	1-5, 7-8	August/September reassessment period
Book review	Book review (2,500 words)	1-5, 7-8	August/September reassessment period
Presentation in pairs	Short essay (1,000 words) & presentation slides	1-8	August/September reassessment period

Re-assessment notes

Where you have been referred/deferred for the presentation in pair, you will individually complete a written summary of your presentation in essay form and prepare presentation slides.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Betts, A. and G. Loescher (eds.) (2011) Refugees in International Relations (Oxford University Press).

Betts, A. (2009) Forced Migration and Global Politics (Wiley).

Fiddian-Qasmiyeh, E., G. Loescher, K. Long and N. Sigona (eds.) (2014) The Oxford Handbook of Refugee and Forced Migration Studies (Oxford University Press).

Agamben, G. (1998) Homo Sacer: Sovereign Power and Bare Life (Stanford University Press).

Agier, M. (2008) On the Margins of the World: The Refugee Experience Today (Polity Press).

Agier, M. (2011) Managing the Undesirables: Refugee Camps and Humanitarian Government (Polity Press).

Barnett, M. (2011) Empire of Humanity: A History of Humanitarianism (Cornell University Press).

Black, R. and K. Koser (eds.) (1999) The End of Refugee Cycle? Refugee Repatriation and Reconstruction (Berghahn).

Chatty, D. (2010) Displacement and Dispossession in the Modern Middle East (Cambridge University Press).

Dumper, M. (ed.) (2006) Palestinian Refugee Repatriation: Global Perspectives (Routledge).

Dumper, M. (2007) The Future for Palestinian Refugees: Toward Equity and Peace (Lynne Rienner).

Goodwin-Gill, G. and J. McAdam (2007) The Refugee in International Law (3^rd ed.) (Oxford University Press).

Haddad, E. (2008) The Refugee in International Society: Between Sovereigns (Cambridge University Press).

Hammerstad, A. (2014) The Rise and Decline of a Global Security Actor: UNHCR, Refugee Protection, and Security (Oxford University Press).

Hyndman, J. (2000) Managing Displacement: Refugees and the Politics of Humanitarianism (Minnesota University Press).

Larking, E. (2014) Refugees and the Myth of Human Rights: Life outside the Pale of the Law (Ashgate).

Loescher, G. (1993) Beyond Charity: International Cooperation and the Global Refugee Crisis (Oxford University Press).

Marfleet, P. (2006) Refugees in a Global Era (Palgrave Macmillan).

Marrus, M. (1985) The Unwanted: European Refugees in the Twentieth Century (Oxford University Press)

Nyers, P. (2006) Rethinking Refugees: Beyond State of Emergency (Routledge).

Steiner, N., M. Gibney and G. Loescher (eds.) (2003) Problems of Protection: The UNHCR, Refugees and Human Rights in the 21^st Century (Routledge).

Key words search

Forced migration, human displacement, refugees, international relations, global governance

Credit value	30
Module ECTS	15
Module pre-requisites	None
Module co-requisites	None
NQF level (module)	7
Available as distance learning?	No
Origin date	03/05/2019
Last revision date	03/05/2019