Refugees: Forced Migration in Global Perspective
Harvard Summer School
SOCI S-143
Section 1
CRN 35997
What does it mean to lose your home? Who are refugees? Why are there so many forced migrants in our world? How are they displaced? Where do they travel, and why? This course inquires into the nature, causes, and consequences of contemporary refugee waves in our globalized world. Students survey regional dynamics in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas. We examine the particularities of refugees (compared to other migrants) and the changing nature of forced migration since the second world war. Students explore historical precedents to contemporary waves, learn about different host society approaches to asylum, compare government and criminal mechanisms of forced migration, and examine the reasons refugees are the object of increasing suspicion and hostility around the world. Particular attention is paid to the recent European Union crisis, the role of refugee camps in the twenty-first century, and alternative strategies for global asylum management by bridge and destination countries.
Registration Closes: June 17, 2025
Credits: 4
View Tuition Information Term
Summer Term 2025
Part of Term
Full Term
Format
Online or On Campus
Credit Status
Graduate, Noncredit, Undergraduate
Section Status
Open