Topic for Spring 2023: Refugees and Forced Migrants in Global Politics
Prerequisites: None
Refugees, people who are forced to move across borders because of war or persecution, and other kinds of forced migrants are among the worlds most vulnerable people. In this class, students will explore contemporary refugee groups around the globe, including Jews in the 1930s, Vietnamese and Hmong in the 1970s, West Africans in the 1990s, and Ukrainians in 2022. The course will explore the causes of refugee movements, their impact on host societies, and the international humanitarian agencies that assist refugees. There will also be an emphasis on efforts by refugees and other forced migrants to exercise agency by creating self-reliance through entrepreneurship. Students will complete a policy paper that offers solutions to a particular challenge faced by a refugee group.