Introducing the Anthropology of Migration. Crossing Borders covers the core theories and key case studies students will need to make sense of the complex terrain of contemporary migration, both voluntary and forced. Beginning with a focus on international migration to wealthy nation states in the Global South, we ask:
*Why do people migrate?
*Why do they go where they do?
*What are their experiences of resettlement, work and community in their new host nations?
*How do migrant communities form distinctive ideas of (non-)belonging as a result of their migration experiences?
*How do host nations react to flows of legal and informal migrants in terms of policy and in terms of ideologically driven responses?
*How do host nation policies and social ideologies, especially around race, shape processes of migrant and refugee identity formation?
*What relationships do contemporary international migrants maintain with their homelands?
In the second half of the course we will gradually move our focus to countries in the Global South. Here we take a special interest in feminised labour migration for factory and domestic work in Asia and the Middle East. In this context, we enquire:
*What experiences of marginalisation and exploitation do female labour migrants experience in host nations and cities?
*How do they negotiate and resist harsh labour regimes and gendered and racist stereotyping?
*What kinds of long-distance family relationships come into existence as a result of the migration of these women?
*How do 'cash, communications and care' circulate in transnational families?
*What effects might the economic and social remittances sent by labour migrants back to home communities have?
In terms of teaching approach, the course emphasis will be on understanding and mastering the language and theoretical tools used in the anthropology of migration, and the practical and critical application of key course concepts to real life migration experiences. We will use an innovative team-based learning approach in which students help each other workshop the weekly readings and carry out critical and interpretive activities in class based on empirical case studies of (forced) migration and im/mobilities.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- make significant progress towards mastering the core language and key conceptual approaches found in anthropological and related social science writing on migration, allowing them to read and comprehend such texts independently;
- apply the core language and key concepts of the anthropology of migration to real life case studies, thus producing a critical analysis of practices and discourses around migration;
- independently research and analyse individual and communal experiences of migration using both secondary sources (academic) and primary sources (interviews, media and online resources, etc);
- identify and debate ethical and political issues around a variety of practices of migration and migrant incorporation into host communities and labour markets (e.g. racism, social marginalisation, and exploitation under harsh labour regimes); and
- interact and work with class peers on team based assessments in a socially intelligent, productive and mutually supportive way.
Indicative Assessment
- Individual weekly reading and lecture content test (25) [LO 1]
- Team weekly reading and lecture content test (15) [LO 1,5]
- Essay Development 1 and 2 (20) [LO 2,4,5]
- Essay Development Peer Review (10) [LO 1,4,5]
- Essay 2,000 words (30) [LO 1,2,3,4]
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Workload
130 hours of total student learning time made up from:a) 36 hours of workshops over 12 weeks; and
b) 94 hours of independent student research, reading and writing.
Inherent Requirements
Not applicable
Requisite and Incompatibility
Prescribed Texts
Not required
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students
If you have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 14
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2024 | $4080 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2024 | $5280 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
First Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2989 | 19 Feb 2024 | 26 Feb 2024 | 05 Apr 2024 | 24 May 2024 | In Person | View |
