Human Rights Education Associates

Migration and Asylum (Foundation Course)

15 September-26 October 2021 (E07121) | Register for this course (opens in new window)
Instructor: Frank Elbers

We live in an age of migration. The world has been witnessing the biggest human displacement since the World War II. While millions of people in need of international protection are on the move, states are developing strategies to keep their borders closed to unwanted migration in favour of their labour market needs and welfare provisions. On the other hand, the claims of transnational migrants are on the rise on a global scale but we still see the restrictions on migrants and asylum seekers’ rights both at the national and the international level. Migration is a historical phenomenon at the crossroads of a number of issues such as sovereignty, security, inequality, discrimination, integration, citizenship and human rights. The issue itself is a concern of politicians, policy makers, practitioners and societies at large. Although the share of migrants in the world population has not drastically changed over time, the global governance of migration has transformed into a new level.

This certificate course introduces its participants to main concepts, theoretical issues and current discussions in the field of migration and asylum. The course aims to present an overview of contemporary migrations and refugee movements in the world while acknowledging the global, regional and national frameworks for its governance. Actors, institutions and regulations will be the main focus of the course in order to understand and analyze their relations and interdependence. We understand migration as a socially complex phenomenon. We will hence cover diverse forms of migration such as regular, irregular and forced movements and the specific reasons why people choose to move.