Duration
30h Th
Number of credits
| Master in sociology, professional focus in Immigration Studies (Double diplomation IN) | 6 crédits | |||
| Master in sociology (120 ECTS) | 6 crédits |
Lecturer
Substitute(s)
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 topic of the political participation and representation of migrants and ethnic minorities. In doing so, the course will focus mainly on European democracies from a comparative perspective. Students will learn different concepts and theories in the field of international migration, citizenship and political engagement of immigrant origin groups. In particular, we will discuss different ways through which minorities mobilize themselves in the political sphere of their home and host countries. The students attending this course will also engage in discussions regarding the implications of the electoral mobilization of immigrant minorities at the local, national and supranational level.
The course is made of lectures and a series of guest lectures by external speakers. The course is highly interactive and requires the active engagement of students in class discussions. Students are also expected to work throughout the semester in view of producing a final research paper for this course.
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
This course is designed to help students acquire the following skills:
- Read and discuss scientific literature in political science and sociology;
- Understand the normative and empirical implications regarding the active engagement of immigrant and ethnic minorities in the electoral politics of their home and host countries;
- Develop and articulate a critical discourse on this topic;
- Conduct a literature review that puts in dialogue different scientific perspectives on the same topic;
- Collect and analyse empirical material though a combination of data sources;
- Academic writing;
- Oral communication skills;
- Planning and time management;
- Working independently or as part of a team.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
The course is taught in English. The minimum requirement is a good passive knowledge of the language.
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
Before every lecture, students are expected to:
- read the academic publications posted on MyULg under "Support de cours";
- write a short report on one of the publications recommended for each lecture and submit the report to the lecturer before the class.
- participate actively in lectures throughout the semester;
- submit one short mid-term essay;
- submit and present a final research paper.
Mode of delivery (face-to-face ; distance-learning)
It is required that students actively participate in the lectures. Depending on the availability of external speakers, some lectures may be given via video-conference.
Recommended or required readings
ALL THE COURSE MATERIAL WILL BE PUT ON MYULIEGE. NOTHING WILL BE SENT VIA E-MAIL.
Students receive the list of recommended readings during the first week of the course.
Assessment methods and criteria
The evaluation is based on 3 elements:
1) Preparatory readings and short reports (4 points)
Students are expected to read the recommended publications listed in the course calendar. For each lecture, students choose one publication from the list of recommended readings and they are expected to 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. Failure to submit the reports or late submissions will be reflected in students' grades.
2) Active participation in class and one mid-term essay (4 points)
Students are expected to use the recommended readings in order to actively participate in class discussions. Also, they are expected to write one short mid-term essay of maximum 1,000 words (excluding frontpage, references, footnotes, bibliography, annex...) on the political representation of citizens of immigrant origin. The essay will help students in the preparation of their final research paper for this course and will comprise adequate conceptual and theoretical discussions based on the literature review on this topic. Further details regarding the mid-term essay will be provided during the first lecture.
DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF THE MID-TERM ESSAY (via e-mail): 31/10/2018, at 4PM.
3) Final research paper and oral presentation (12 points)
At the end of the semester, students are expected to deliver a short research paper of approximately 3,000 words (excluding frontpage, references, footnotes, bibliography, annex...) on the political representation of immigrants at the local level. The main aim will be to evaluate the presence of immigrant origin representatives in elected institutions in selected municipalities and to provide a descriptive analysis of their socio-demographic profile and/or political trajectories. The papers will comprise a conceptual and theoretical discussion based on the literature review and an original analysis of the empirical material that students will collect either individually or in teams throughout the semester. The empirical material will be collected under the supervision of the lecturer who will provide students with detailed guidelines on how to collect the data as well as a list of municipalities that they can choose to analyse. Students are also expected to present their final research papers at the end of the course. Further details regarding the final research paper will be provided during the first lecture.
DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF THE FINAL REASEARCH PAPER (via e-mail): 05/12/2018, at 4PM.
Second session (Resitting the exam) (20 points): In the second session, students are expected to submit a 6,000 words research paper on the topic of the political representation of immigrants at the local level. The guidelines are the same as in the first session except that students have no choice of the municipalities to be analysed and there will be no oral defence. The deadline for this paper submission will be set after the January 2019 exam session.
Work placement(s)
Organizational remarks
The course starts on 18/09/2018. There is no preparatory reading before the first class. 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. If you have any issues with a specific deadline or requirement for this course, please inform the lecturer as soon as possible before the requirement is due.
Keeping yourself informed: This course is also concerned with contemporary developments regarding the political integration of migrants in their home and host countries. Following news coverage on this topic will substantially help students with this course. Students will find links to useful internet sites on MyULiege and they are encouraged to use social media (Facebook, Twitter) in order to keep up to date with recent developments and exchange ideas about this course.
Contacts
Jean-Michel Lafleur, JM.Lafleur@uliege.be
Daniela Vintila, Daniela.Vintila@uliege.be