Political Science

Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin

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Module Code: POU44251

Module Name: Politics of Forced Migration 2022-23

ECTS Weighting: 5
Semester/Term Taught: Semester 1
Contact Hours: TBC
Module Personnel: Lecturer - Eman Abboud

Learning Aims

This module aims to introduce students to the state of current research on the politics of forced migration. Students will gain a thorough understanding of main concepts, theoretical and empirical approaches, and recent debates in the literature, and be able to critically assess major issues in the politics of forced migration.

Learning Outcomes

On the successful completion of this module students should be able to:

critically asses the theoretical and methodological approaches in the study of causes of forced migration;
explore if and how forced migration flows impact the security and economy of host societies;
evaluate different responses of governments to displacement flows and how their policies affect forced migrants;
discuss the underlying mechanisms of variation in attitudes towards refugees both in developed and developing countries;
identify possible issues with existing studies and avenues for future research.

Module Content

This module focuses on the politics of forced migration. The course can be divided into three sub-sections: causes of displacement flows, their effects on the destination, and how hosts respond to flows. It will start by introducing the main concepts and historical and legal developments. Then, it will explore the causes of forced migration movements with an emphasis on politics, conflict, and the environment. The cases of Syria, Nepal, and Bangladesh will be employed to illustrate theoretical explanations. Later, it will move on to where people flee and investigate how forced migration flows affect the security and economy of host communities. A special emphasis will be paid to Rwandan refugees in DRC to illuminate security effects and to the Mariel Boatlift (Cuban migration to the US) for economic effects. Afterward, the module will focus on how destination countries govern forced migration flows and how people in the host countries react. Developed countries (e.g., Germany) as well as developing countries (e.g., Jordan) will be investigated. Finally, it will also cover under which circumstances displaced people move back to their home and the effects of this return on society.