Refugees in Global Perspective
Semester: Spring 2026
What does it mean to lose your home? Who are refugees? Why are there so many of them? How are they displaced? Where do they go, and why? This course inquires into the nature, causes, and consequences of contemporary forced migration 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 World Wars. Students explore historical precedents to contemporary forced migration, learn about different host society approaches to asylum, compare government and criminal mechanisms of forced migration, and examine why refugees are objects of suspicion and hostility around the world. Particular attention is paid to the connection between forced confinement and forced migration, the role of refugee camps and urban integration, and alternative strategies for global asylum management by bridge and destination countries.
