MIG710 Theories of Migration

[3–0, 3 cr.]

The course introduces students to the basic concepts and processes governing mobility of people between various countries. It applies economic, sociological, anthropological, political and cultural studies approaches to analyze this phenomenon. This course is designed to examine emigration and its impacts on sending and receiving countries with particular emphasis on Lebanon and other Arab countries. It discusses the various reasons that motivate people to leave their country of birth and looks into the effects of their emigration on the socio-cultural and economic life in their ‘homeland’. Immigration to Lebanon, especially the immigration of domestic and unskilled workers, will also be examined. In addition, this course aims to discuss the process of formation of diasporic communities and the patterns of their settlement in different parts of the world. It examines the various circumstances under which the diasporic communities have been formed and transformed within the context of an increasingly globalized world. More generally, the course examines the various problems and successes experienced by migrant communities and their descendants in selected parts of the world. It discusses the extent to which they are integrated in the receiving countries and the cultural and political manifestations implicated in this process.