| Unit name | Violence, Migration and Borders |
|---|---|
| Unit code | SPOL30088 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Dan Godshaw |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | School for Policy Studies |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
Why is this unit important?
This interdisciplinary unit will enable you to understand empirical and theoretical dimensions of violence in relation to migration and borders on a global scale. It enables you to better comprehend the experiences of people who migrate, including those categorised as forced migrants such as refugees and people seeking asylum. It also develops knowledge about the impacts of various forms of violence on those subject to them, including on health, and asks how these impacts can be actively addressed by practitioners, activists and academics.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
This unit builds on themes and concepts developed in the I/5 unit, Globalisation, Crime, Harm and Justice, expanding on and deepening understandings of harm production across international borders in an unevenly globalising world. If you are taking BSc Criminology you will have the opportunity to develop your applied knowledge in these areas. If you are taking iBSc Global Health you will be able to explore relationships between health, violence and migration – pressing topics for contemporary health practitioners that would otherwise not be covered on the programme.
An overview of content
This unit examines violence through the lens of mobilities, exploring the ways in which people experience violence prior to, during and after migration. Exclusion, othering, and targeting of specific social groups will be explored in the context of theories related to how and why such oppression occurs, as well as the effects of violence on survivors.
This unit also aims to develop an understanding of how violence and migration have been variously constructed. Typologies of violence and migration will be examined and problematised, along with key sites of contestation with regard to borders and the state.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
You will gain knowledge and understandings of violence, migration and relationships between the two. You will learn how people on the move can experience continuums of violence, including through border controls, and develop insights about the impacts of and potential responses to such harms. You will develop core skills in critical analysis, evaluation, presenting and writing, which will be demonstrated in the unit assessments.
Learning Outcomes
1. Discuss key approaches to violence in relation to migration, including prior to, during and after people migrate.
2. Critically analyse key sites of contestation in relation to violence, migration and the state.
3. Apply theories of violence to experiences of migration and borders.
Teaching will mainly be delivered through lectures and seminars. Learning will also involve reading, assessment completing practical activities and self-directed exercises.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks
You will benefit from a range of formative activities across the course of the unit. This will include the development of a learning journal which you will work on prior to seminars in relation to weekly topics. Relevant sections of the learning journal will be reviewed and discussed during seminars. You will also have the chance to discuss and develop your summative assessment plans with peers and the unit convenor/seminar instructor.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark
Part 1: Individual presentation + slides and notes (1000 words maximum, 25%)
Part 2: Case Study (2000 words maximum, 75%)
Both assessments assess all three learning outcomes.
When assessment does not go to plan
Subject to the university regulations for taught programmes, you may be offered an opportunity for reassessment. This will comprise a task of the same format as the original assessment.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. SPOL30088).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
