Borders, Walls and Refugees in the Age of Climate Change

The world is entering a new age of mass migration, which includes unprecedented numbers of refugees forced to leave their home countries. The majority of migrants and refugees find shelter in nearby countries in the Global South such as Turkey, Jordan, Kenya, Mexico and Morocco, while a smaller number journey to Europe or the United States where they face increasingly militarized borders and strict asylum policies. This upper-division program in political science and political economy studies will examine both the root causes of global mass migration and refugee crises in the Global South and the emerging system of refugee containment, border militarization and restrictive immigration policies among the wealthier countries in the Global North.  We will focus our attention on the migrant flows from Central America to the United States and from the Middle East and Africa to Europe. We will look closely at the political, economic and increasingly climate related factors that are compelling people to make the decision to leave their countries and cross borders, and at how the same factors are leading many countries to close their borders to these populations. We will pay particular attention to understanding the United Nations system of refugee protection and debates over how the global system is preparing for the millions of people who will be displaced by climate change in the coming decades. Students in the program will write academic papers, conduct focused research and engage in group project based learning exercises.

In the spring quarter, interested students can choose to undertake a four-week study abroad program to Morocco to deepen their knowledge about the causes and effects of global migration and refugee flows in a transit country that is confronting restrictive migrant policies and border militarization from Europe. The group will meet with migrant and refugee aid workers and will visit universities, meet with students, journalists and policy makers as well as traveling to several exciting locations around the country.