»Ê¼Ò»ªÈË

This module will take an in-depth look at the experience of seeking political asylum, and becoming a refugee, and reflect on the meanings and impacts of such experiences, for refugees themselves, but also for the countries they fled, the countries they moved through, and the societies where they sought protection through political asylum, and where some were eventually allowed to create new homes.ÌýÌý

The module takes a multi-disciplinary approach, bringing in insights from International Law, Anthropology, Political Science and Public Policy, to discuss our understandings of power, sovereignty and statehood, as well as the ideas of belonging, community, and integration. Rather than focusing on states and decision-makers as is usually the case when thinking about international politics, we will place the experiences of refugees, as represented by refugees themselves, at the centre of our attention. We will listen to their voices, to consider questions of agency, contingency, political and moral values, in the search for policy solutions that alleviate their plight,and contribute to their empowerment and social integration.Ìý

Ìý

A unique format:ÌýÌý

The module does not follow the traditional format of lecture+seminar. Instead, it consists of ten workshops, allowing for a more interactive relationship between the teacher and the students. Students will be given learning materials each week, ahead of the workshop, which will equip them to engage in constructive, fruitful discussions from the onset. Other materials will be introduced during the workshop. As each session flows, the teacher will draw the students’ attention to new concepts, facts, perspectives, which they will reflect upon, relating them to their previously acquired knowledge, as well as their own experience. Students enrolled in this module will develop their analytical skills through the discussion of key concepts, but also their sensibility towards sensitive and politically divisive topics. They will exercise their ability to listen to the voices of those who are marginalised, through the exposure to testimonies, documentaries, and works of fiction; and they will consider different possibilities of action, and their own role, as students and as citizens who will one day, in their professional capacity, contribute to shape policy.ÌýÌý

There will be one study visit to an organisation working on the theme of forced displacement in the first half-term; and a session with guest speakers in the second half-term.Ìý