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77768-01 - Seminar: Applied Qualitative Research: Politics of Migration (3 CP)
| Semester | spring semester 2026 |
| Course frequency | Irregular |
| Lecturers | Metka Herzog (metka.herzog@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | This course examines the central political dilemmas surrounding migration in contemporary societies. Drawing on global historical and current examples, it explores how states design and implement migration policies and analyzes the roles of key actors such as political parties, employers, civil society, and migrants themselves. Students will investigate differences across policy areas, including border control, family reunification, and labor migration. The course equips students with the theoretical and empirical tools needed to understand and critically assess the forces shaping migration policymaking today. |
| Learning objectives | • Introduce key scholarly debates in the study of migration and citizenship in political science and related disciplines • Discuss methodological approaches and tools in migration research and assess options available for tackling manifold methodological challenges • Critically assess media and political discourses on migration politics • Prepare a research plan using one of the studied approaches. |
| Bibliography | - Fernández-Molina, I. & Tsourapas, G. (2024) Understanding migration power in international studies, International Affairs, 100 (6), November 2024, 2461–2479, https://doi.org/10.1093/ia/iiae230 - Carling, J. (2024). Why Do People Migrate? Fresh Takes on the Foundational Question of Migration Studies. International Migration Review, 58(4), 1757-1791. https://doi.org/10.1177/01979183241269445 (Original work published 2024) - Krause, U., Schmidt, H. (2020) Refugees as Actors? Critical Reflections on Global Refugee Policies on Self-reliance and Resilience, Journal of Refugee Studies, 33 (1) March 2020, 22–41, https://doi.org/10.1093/jrs/fez059 - Karabegović, D. (2024). Fixing things from the outside? Diaspora politicians and transnational political engagement. Globalizations, 22(1), 114–131. https://doi.org/10.1080/14747731.2024.2336647 - Tsourapas, G. (2025) Credible fictions: how states stage refugee governance for geopolitical gain, Journal of Refugee Studies, 2025, feaf068, https://doi.org/10.1093/jrs/feaf068 - Natter, K. (2023). The il/liberal paradox: conceptualising immigration policy trade-offs across the democracy/autocracy divide. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 50(3), 680–701. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369183X.2023.2269784 |
| Comments | All seminars in Political Science are graded. The grading scale ranges from 6.0 to 1.0, with 4.0 being a passing grade. For quality assurance reasons, the number of participants is limited. In the case of over-enrolment, students of Political Science have priority. Selection is based on the date of registration. |
| Admission requirements | All seminars in Political Science are graded. The grading scale ranges from 6.0 to 1.0, with 4.0 being a passing grade. For quality assurance reasons, the number of participants is limited. In the case of over-enrolment, students of Political Science have priority. Selection is based on the date of registration. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Thursday | 10.15-11.45 | Bernoullistrasse 14/16, Kleiner Seminarraum 02.001 |
Dates
| Modules |
Modul: Erweiterung Gesellschaftswissenschaften M.A. (Master's degree subject: Political Science) Modul: Methoden der Near & Middle Eastern Studies und der Gesellschaftswissenschaften (Master's degree subject: Near & Middle Eastern Studies) Modul: Regionaler Fokus M.A. (Master's degree subject: Political Science) Modul: Transfer: Europa interdisziplinär (Master's degree program: European History in Global Perspective) Modul: Vertiefung Politikwissenschaft M.A. (Master's degree subject: Political Science) Module: Fields: Governance and Politics (Master's degree program: African Studies) Module: Migration, Mobility and Transnationalism (Master's degree program: Changing Societies: Migration – Conflicts – Resources) Module: Research Skills (Master's degree program: African Studies) Specialization Module Global Europe: Work, Migration and Society (Master's Studies: European Global Studies) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | - Active participation in class showing that students have read the assigned literature (30%) - Class presentation focused on the weekly topic (30%) - Final project with a final presentation (20%) and a memo (20%): Final project focuses on preparation of research design plan |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | 1-6 0,5 |
| Repeated registration | as often as necessary |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Fachbereich Politikwissenschaft |