Europe and international migration

Full sylabus of the course

Aims of the course:

  1. Familiarizing students with key terms and definitions in the area of international migration.
  2. Introducing migration as a complex and multidimensional research problem, which can be presented in its fullest only through the inter- and multidimensional scientific approaches.
  3. Presenting main migration trends in the contemporary world, their causes, ramifications and determinants.
  4. Making students aware of the main problems and challenges in the area of contemporary and future international migration movements.
  5. Detailed presentation of the subject matter, the aim, the assumptions, the mechanisms and the tools of EU migration and asylum policy.
  6. Developing students' skills of analyzing selected aspects of contemporary international migrations and of EU migration and asylum policy, including its efficiency and effectiveness.
  7. Increasing students' awareness of the fact that creating a well-defined and consistent policy in the area of migration and asylum within the context of EU membership is necessary to face the current and future migration challenges and their multidimensional consequences.
  8. Teaching students to become keen and independent observers and to recognize the importance of the issues connected with international migration, their multidimensional causes and consequences for modern states sending and receiving migrants.

Programme of the course:

The course is concentrated on the analysis and evaluation of the situation in the field of international migration in contemporary Europe, with a special focus on the EU, both in terms of the migration processes and common migration and asylum policy. At the beginning of the 21st century, especially in the European context, international migration is an important and valid research problem, and its proper scientific analysis requires inter- and multidisciplinary approach.

  1. International migration - introduction. Key terms and definitions, data sources on migration.
  2. International migration as a complex and multidimensional research problem in inter- and multidisciplinary approaches. Review of migration theories. Challenges concerning the research on migration.
  3. Types of migration.
  4. Migration versus refugee and asylum issues. Migration and citizenship.
  5. International migration in the contemporary world - trends, causes, consequences, determinants, main problems and challenges.
  6. Europe/EU on the world migration map.
  7. EU migration and asylum policy: genesis and legal and institutional framework.
  8. EU migration and asylum policy: legal (regular) migration.
  9. EU migration and asylum policy: illegal (irregular) migration and returns.
  10. EU migration and asylum policy: refugee and asylum seeking. Common European Asylum System.
  11. EU migration and asylum policy: integrated management of external borders and visa policy.
  12. External dimension of the EU policy on migration and asylum. Global Approach to Migration and Mobility (GAMM).
  13. Evaluation of EU migration and asylum policy.
  14. Migration crisis and refugee crisis in Europe. EU response. European Agenda on Migration.
  15. The future of common migration and asylum policy. SWOT analysis. Conclusions and recommendations.