2020-2021 / SOCI2248-1

Refugee Studies - Forced Migration

Duration

18h Th, 12h Pr

Number of credits

 Master in sociology, professional focus in Immigration Studies (Barcelone - Liège : double diplomation)6 crédits 
 Master in sociology (120 ECTS)6 crédits 
 Extra courses intended for exchange students (Erasmus, ...) (Faculté des Sciences sociales)6 crédits 

Lecturer

Marco Martiniello

Substitute(s)

Elsa Mescoli

Language(s) of instruction

English language

Organisation and examination

Teaching in the second semester

Schedule

Schedule online

Units courses prerequisite and corequisite

Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program

Learning unit contents

This course is aimed at introducing the study of the issues linked to refugees and forced migration within an international context. The course includes lectures by the teacher and by a series of invited speakers, as well as a fieldwork to be conducted by students under the supervision of the teacher.
At the theoretical level, the course will first approach the international context of forced migration through introducing the norms that regulate the determination of the status of refugee and the granting of the subsidiary protection. A state of the art of the socio-anthropological literature within this field of study will also be presented. Then, some more specific themes will be approached with the support of significant articles and of specialized speakers that will enable it to take into account a variety of issues, actors, approaches and contexts connected to this field of action and research. At a practical level, the course will provide students with the opportunity of analyzing one(s) among these themes through fieldwork to be realized in a place and with a methodology that will be defined by students through discussion with the teacher.
The programme of the lessons will be specified later.

Learning outcomes of the learning unit

This course seeks to provide students with an overview of the issues linked to contemporary forced migrations and to give them some theoretical and practical tools useful to deepen the themes of study that emerge from these issues.

Prerequisite knowledge and skills

Since the course is taught in English, the knowledge of both oral and written English is necessary.

Planned learning activities and teaching methods

The course will comprise nine lectures given by Dr. Elsa Mescoli, as well as by invited speakers. The fieldwork to be conducted by each student will last 12 hours and will be organized in function of the chosen object of study and methodology.

Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)

Face-to-face course. Attendance is highly recommended. Following the MOOC of CEDEM on the plateform France Université Numérique is also suggested (www.fun-mooc.fr).
In case the number of students registered is below 10 persons, the course could be organised differently. 

Organisational adjustments related to the current health context

In the event that institutional measures aimed at the current health situation should constrain face-to-face lessons and fieldwork, other modalities will be discussed and applied, such as: online lessons through Lifesize at the address https://call.lifesizecloud.com/864666; online ethnography, gathering of visual material, auto-ethnography, etc.
The evaluation modality will remain the same regardless of any changes in the measures aimed at the current health situation. Nevertheless, there could be an adjustment of the fieldwork.

Recommended or required readings

All recommended readings will be posted on My ULg

Assessment methods and criteria

Below you will find information on the evaluation methods planned for in-person and remote exams as well as those planned for hybrid sessions. Depending on how the health crisis evolves, the chosen method will be communicated to you no later than one month before the start of the exam session.

Any session :

- In-person

written exam ( open-ended questions )

- Remote

written work

- If evaluation in "hybrid"

preferred remote


Additional information:

EVALUATION
Evaluation is based on 2 short essays (mid-term paper and final paper) and on the participation to the class.
The progress of the fieldwork and of the final paper are presented by students in class during the last session
Guidelines for the 2 papers:
MID TERM PAPER (5 points) 








  • one short essay of 1,000 words (two pages max.) aimed at presenting the expected fieldwork project, including a description of the chosen object of study and methodology, as well as an introduction of the literature that will be mobilized.  
FINAL PAPER (10 points) 








  • one essay of 6,000 words (excluding frontpage, references, footnotes, bibliography, annex...) on the conducted fieldwork and including: the detailed description of the accomplished steps and the date collected, together with the reflexive analysis of the methodology adopted; the study of the data made through appropriate theoretical tools and aimed at understanding the chosen object of study and at identifying the issues connected to it. 
  • +10% to -10% variation allowed in paper length
 
The evaluation criteria include the following points:








  • Accurate analysis of the collected data and of the adopted methodology
  • Adequate discussion at the conceptual and theoretical level based on a deep review of the literature
  • Bibliography must include minimum 8 articles identified through Libnet and Scopus
  • The theme of the research is linked to the contents of the course
PARTICIPATION (5 points) 








  • Presence in class
  • Active participation in discussion
  • Oral presentation of the fieldwork and final paper progress
SECOND SESSION 
Students who fail in the first session are invited to submit a full research paper (20 points). Guidelines are the same as the ones described above except that the length of the research paper is 7.000 words.
Deadlines for paper submission will be set in after the JUNE 2021 exam session.
 

Work placement(s)

No internship foreseen in this course

Organizational remarks

Sessions take place in the second Semester.

Contacts

Elsa Mescoli e.mescoli@uliege.be 
Post-doctoral researcher and Lecturer at the University of Liège