Course Descriptions

1036.4020.01  European Politics and Migration
Dr. Ina Kubbe ​
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​​More than a million migrants and refugees crossed into Europe since 2015. Yet, this was not the first wave of migration and Europe’s governments and citizens are still looking for ways how to face and meet the challenges and opportunities involved. The main purpose of this course is to provide students with an overview of the politics of migration in contemporary Europe. From a comparative perspective, we will have a look at Europe’s actors, the role of institutions, policies, policy-making, public opinion and certain issues and debates over migration in different countries. The course seeks to answer the following major questions: (1) what are the causes, effects and challenges of migration in European countries and (2) how do policy makers respond to these effects?​

 

1036.4017.01 Forced Migration and the Humanitarian System
​Mr. Einav Levy

Forced migration is a major international challenge, which combines core issues of humanity and equality. Targeting the urgent and unique needs derived from this challenge, requires a multi sectorial approach alongside deep effort to mitigate the complexed characteristics of the phenomena. A main sector contributing to this effort is the Humanitarian sector. The Humanitarian system is in a period of intense disruption and change. On the one hand, humanitarian needs are being amplified by climate changes and its consequences, and by political, economic and demographic growing instability. These instability and change are severely challenging institutions, professional practices, and cultural and ethical norms. The course will strive to discuss the blurred reality of the response given by the humanitarian system to the challenge of forced migration. It will address some of the specific aspects of the forced migration through academicals means and through field work analysis. Optional solutions, new approaches and innovative models will be used to deepen the understanding of what one can do within the system in order to develop a critical thinking and a sustainable infrastructure. The course will be divided into three main parts: a. Setting the groundwork. b. Drilling down to core issues. c. Examining models, approaches and new thinking from the field.  

1036.4028.01 Ethnic identification in the context of immigration 
Dr. Anna Prashizky

There is currently a burgeoning interest in sociology, anthropology and politics around questions of ethnicity, identity politics and minority rights. This course will provide a sociological perspective centered on questions of ethnicity and inter-group relations. It examines theoretical and empirical issues related to ethnicity in the context of global immigration.
​The central issues of the course are: what is the difference between race and ethnicity; what is ethnic identity; the connection between citizenship and ethnicity; the generational change of ethnicity and the children of contemporary immigrants; gender aspect of ethnicity. The course will deal with the different types of ethnicity: such as reactive, strong and symbolic ethnicity of the immigrants around the world. The special emphasis will be laid on the examples of ethnic relations and different immigrant groups in Israel. 

1036.4027.01 Topics in Citizenship: Migration, Ethnicity, Commodification 

The aim of this course is to acquaint students with current topics in the study of citizenship and nationality. In recent years, the institution of citizenship has undergone significant changes. Many countries have made their citizenship regimes more open, permitting dual citizenship and making it easier for immigrants to naturalize. As citizenship norms become more flexible, countries are experimenting with novel policies, such as offering dual citizenship to the descendants of former citizens or cross-border co-ethnics, or putting citizenship up for sale. Individuals, for their part, also seem to be increasingly instrumental in their relation to citizenship, treating it as a practical resource. These changes lead us to rethink questions of nationalism, ethnicity, democracy and inequality. The course will focus on three aspects of change: international migration and citizenship; the relationship between citizenship and ethnicity; and the commodification of citizenship.