Duration
30h Th
Number of credits
Lecturer
Language(s) of instruction
English language
Organisation and examination
Teaching in the first semester, review in January
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
This course is designed to familiarize students with the main theoretical debates, analytical approaches, and empirical research in the sociological study of international migration. It provides a sociological understanding of historical and contemporary patterns of migration across time, space and place. Students will learn how sociological research tackles aspects such as: migration trends; the motivations and consequences of migration for individuals, families, communities, and societies; the drivers behind continuity and change in migration management; the complexity of migrant rights recognition at different levels; processes and social mechanisms of inclusion/exclusion in origin and residence countries; public attitudes towards migration in diverse societies. Students attending this course will also engage in discussions linking migration to other key concepts including ethnicity, inequalities, racism, (post)colonialism, identities, and social relations.
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
This course is designed to help students acquire the following skills:
- Read and discuss scientific literature related to key sociological theories, concepts, analytical and empirical approaches regarding human mobility
- Develop and articulate a critical discourse regarding the link between migration and social processes, institutions and experiences;
- Conduct a literature review that puts in dialogue different scientific perspectives on the same research topic;
- Analyse/collect empirical material through a combination of data sources;
- Academic writing;
- Planning and time management;
- Working independently or as part of a team.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
The course is taught in English. Students are expected to have a good understanding of the language.
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
The course combines lectures in which the active participation of students is required with activities done at home (preparatory readings, a Critical News Analysis and a final research paper). It is essential that students attend the lectures and complete all readings and requirements on a timely basis.
Before every lecture, students are expected to:
- Select one of the suggested academic publications posted on MyULiege under "Support de cours", write a short report on that publication, and submit the report to the lecturer before the class.
- Participate actively in class discussions;
- Submit and present in class a short piece of Critical News Analysis (task not applicable for students of the Master in modern languages);
- Submit a final research paper.
Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)
Face-to-face course
Further information:
It is required that students actively participate in the lectures. Depending on the availability
of external speakers, some lectures may be given in a hybrid mode or fully online via video-conference.
Course materials and recommended or required readings
Platform(s) used for course materials:
- MyULiège
Further information:
The course material will be put on MyUliege under "Support de cours". Students will receive more information regarding the list of recommended readings during the first week of the course.
Exam(s) in session
Any session
- Remote
written exam
Written work / report
Continuous assessment
Further information:
The evaluation is based on three elements:
1) Preparatory readings and short reports (5 points, worth 25% of the final grade)
For each lecture, students are expected to choose one publication from the ones included in the list of suggested readings and write a short report of maximum 250 words outlining the key points of that publication. The reports should be sent by email to the lecturer before each class.
2) Active participation and Critical News Analysis (5 points, worth 25% of the final grade)
All students are expected to use the recommended readings to actively participate in class discussions. Throughout the semester, each student (except for the ones of the Master in modern languages for which this assignment does not apply) is also expected to write and briefly present in class a short Critical News Analysis (of approximately 750-1,000 words) of a recent news article of their choice linked to any topic related to international migration. Students should critically interpret the news article in light of the theoretical and analytical sociological debates discussed during the course and to outline their position regarding the information/arguments presented in that article. Further details regarding the guidelines and schedule for the preparation and presentation of the Critical News Analysis will be provided during the first lecture.
3) Final research paper (10 points, worth 50% of the final grade)
At the end of the semester, students are expected to submit a paper including a sociological profile of one or several migrant communities of their choice (the decisions regarding the communities should be done upon consultation with the lecturer). Students can choose to work independently to produce a single-authored paper of approximately 3,000 words or to work in pairs to produce a co-authored paper of approximately 6,000 words (in both cases, the word limit excludes the front page, references, footnotes, bibliography, annexes, etc.). The papers will comprise a conceptual and theoretical discussion based on the literature review, and an empirical analysis of the selected migrant community(ies) based on the material that students will gather throughout the semester under the guidance and supervision of the lecturer. Further details regarding the final paper will be provided during the first lecture.
Second session (Resitting the exam) (20 points, worth 100% of the final grade): For the second session, students are expected to work individually (not in pairs) in view of submitting a single-authored paper including a sociological profile of one migrant community of their choice (the decision regarding the specific community should be done upon consultation with the lecturer). The paper should be of approximately 6,000 words, except for the students of the Master in modern languages for which the lenght of the paper should be of approximately 5,000 words (in both cases, the word limit excludes the front page, references, footnotes, bibliography, annexes, etc.). The guidelines and deadline for paper submission for the second session will be set after the January 2025 exam session.
Work placement(s)
Organisational remarks and main changes to the course
The course starts on 19/09/2024. There are no preparatory readings before the first session. If the number of students registered for this class is too limited, the lectures could be replaced by a series of face-to-face meetings with the lecturer.
Keeping yourself informed: This course is also concerned with recent developments regarding in the field of international migration, for which following news coverage on this topic is strongly encouraged. Students will receive from the lecturer links to useful internet sites and will be encouraged to also use social media (Facebook, X/Twitter, etc.) to keep themselves informed about recent developments regarding the topic of the course.
Contacts
Lecturer: Dr Daniela Vintila (Daniela.Vintila@uliege.be)
Association of one or more MOOCs
The MOOC entitled 'Migrations internationales : Comment les mobilités transforment les sociétés ? (H2)' is associated with this course.
Further information: