SSC 313 Migration and Integration

Content

This course deals with the following two related topics: migration and integration. During the first part of the course international migration is analyzed from a conceptual, empirical, sociological, and political angle. Special attention is given to the refugee problem and to the relationship between migration flows and economic (under)development. In the second part, the focus shifts to the analysis of integration processes of immigrants. Students familiarize themselves with concepts such as integration, assimilation, segregation, marginalization, hybridization, multiculturalism, and ethnicity. Theoretical insights are illustrated with many empirical data from all over the world. A distinction will be made between social, cultural, educational, economic, and political aspects of the integration process. Special attention is given to some paradoxes and dilemmas of immigration.
During the course we will deal with a broad array of questions: Why, for example, does immigration sometimes lead to segregation, marginalization and the formation of ethnic minorities, whereas in other cases migrants seem to integrate quite easily and assimilate into the country of settlement? What do immigrants themselves think of their situation, and how do they interact with their environment? To what degree is it possible to integrate well while retaining major elements of one’s original culture? Is immigration a challenge to welfare states or is it a necessity, for example, for restoring the balance in aging populations? Can it fill niches in the economy and answer demand for unskilled labour that is hard to fulfil by indigenous workers? What are the intended and unintended consequences of migration and integration policies? What can we learn from national differences in educational policies? How do different countries regulate citizenship? What is the role of citizenship in a multicultural society? How tolerant can a liberal democracy be towards those who themselves are intolerant? Is affirmative action justifiable and effective or is it another form of discrimination that could create negative backlashes for minorities? What can be done about segregation in housing and education? What could explain the recurrent emergence of anti-immigrant feelings in several European countries? What explains the recurrent surfacing of violent protests in European cities such as in the French suburbs in 2005? These and many other dilemmas and paradoxes shall be discussed in class on the basis of academic texts and factual data from multiple sources. Special attention goes to the role of public policy and to public policy making, in particular the educational policies to help integration and mitigate inequality

Instructor

Prof. Dr. Mart-Jan de Jong

Period

Spring / 2012

Aim

The course aims at familiarizing students with a contemporary phenomenon that can be seen as one of the most outspoken expressions of globalization. The perspective of the course is primarily sociological, but it also leans heavily on notions from other disciplines such as human geography, economics, political science, social anthropology and social philosophy. It attempts to illustrate the usefulness of combining insights from different disciplines for a better understanding of a social phenomenon that many consider highly problematic. Students will become familiar with the most important theories in the fields of migration, integration, multiculturalism and citizenship. The course also makes students acquainted with various ways in which the outcomes of academic research can be interpreted and implemented and they will be challenged to do so themselves. Finally, it encourages students to reflect on ethical and practical dilemmas and to develop new ideas that may contribute to finding solutions for a very complex issue in society.

Course Proceedings

In general there will be two class meetings a week. In a few cases there will be only class meeting to make room for individual meetings with students to discuss their outline and draft of the final term paper. During the class meetings there will be a mix of (interactive) teaching, presentations by students and group discussions. Students have to write a few small assignments every two to three weeks, which helps them to understand and internalize the most relevant concepts and literature.

Course Material

•    Stephen Castles & Mark J. Miller (Third Edition - 2003) The Age of Migration: International Population Movements in the Modern World. Houndsmills/New York/London: Palgrave Macmillan / The Guildford Press.
•    Abdelmalek Sayad (2004): The Suffering of the Migrant. Oxford/Cambridge: Polity Press.   
•    A reader with articles related to the theme of the course.
•    A few extra handouts about recent research and current affairs that are of relevance for this course and will be presented in the course of the programme.

Prerequisites

One needs to have followed one of the following courses in order to take this course:

• SSC 111 Introduction to Sociology
• SSC 131 Introduction to Socio-Cultural Anthropology
• SSC 151 Introduction to Political Theory
• SSC 221 Social Psychology

Required for

This course is required in order to take the following course:

• SSC 332 The Dynamics of Globalization