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International Migrations 

Code: 104482 ECTS Credits: 6
2025/2026
Degree Type Year
International Relations OT 4

Contact

Name:
Gemma Pinyol Jimenez
Email:
gemma.pinyol@uab.cat

Teachers

Gemma Pinyol Jimenez

Teaching groups languages

You can view this information at the end of this document.


Prerequisites

A good level of English is required, sufficient to follow theoretical classes, read required texts, participate in seminars, and submit assignments.

Objectives and Contextualisation

This course is designed to:

  • Introduce students to the main contemporary scenarios of international migration from a comparative perspective.
  • Provide a solid understanding of basic patterns of international mobility and legal structures.
  • Differentiate between different categories, legal frameworks, and perspectives involved in the distinction between forced and voluntary migration.
  • Familiarize students with migration theories and their links with political science and international relations.
  • Understand the formulation of migration and asylum policies (with a multi-level and multi-stakeholder approach).
  • Learn about key debates in different geographical contexts (basic concepts, relationships, and issues involved in immigration policymaking).
  • Explore key themes and debates in migration and refugee studies.
  • Foster critical thinking and academic research skills, including critically evaluating the pros and cons of liberal and restrictive approaches to migration, as well as the political outcomes related to migration policies.

Competences

  • Act with ethical responsibility and respect for fundamental rights and duties, diversity and democratic values.
  • Apply quantitative and qualitative analysis techniques in research processes.
  • Identify data sources and carry out rigorous bibliographical and documentary searches.
  • Learn and analyse the impacts of the globalisation process on domestic political systems and on the behaviour of the political actors and the public.
  • Make changes to methods and processes in the area of knowledge in order to provide innovative responses to society's needs and demands.
  • Produce and prepare the presentation of intervention reports and/or proposals.
  • Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
  • Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  • Students must develop the necessary learning skills to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
  • Students must have and understand knowledge of an area of study built on the basis of general secondary education, and while it relies on some advanced textbooks it also includes some aspects coming from the forefront of its field of study.
  • Take account of social, economic and environmental impacts when operating within one's own area of knowledge.
  • Take sex- or gender-based inequalities into consideration when operating within one's own area of knowledge.
  • Use metatheoretical data to argue and establish plausible relation of causality and establish ways of validating or rejecting them.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Analyse the indicators of sustainability of academic and professional activities in the areas of knowledge, integrating social, economic and environmental dimensions.
  2. Analyse the sex- or gender-based inequalities and the gender biases present in one's own area of knowledge.
  3. Apply quantitative and qualitative analysis techniques in research processes.
  4. Communicate using language that is not sexist or discriminatory.
  5. Consider how gender stereotypes and roles impinge on the exercise of the profession.
  6. Critically analyse the principles, values and procedures that govern the exercise of the profession.
  7. Critically evaluate the impacts of globalisation in different areas: security, environment, human rights, migrations and peace.
  8. Explain the explicit or implicit code of practice of one's own area of knowledge.
  9. Identify data sources and carry out rigorous bibliographical and documentary searches.
  10. Identify the principal forms of sex- or gender-based inequality and discrimination present in society.
  11. Identify the social, economic and environmental implications of academic and professional activities within the area of your own knowledge.
  12. Produce and prepare the presentation of intervention reports and/or proposals.
  13. Propose new experience-based methods or alternative solutions.
  14. Propose new ways to measure success or failure when implementing ground-breaking proposals or ideas.
  15. Propose projects and actions in accordance with the principles of ethical responsibility and respect for fundamental rights, diversity and democratic values.
  16. Propose projects and actions that incorporate the gender perspective.
  17. Propose viable projects and actions that promote social, economic and environmental benefits.
  18. Propose ways to evaluate projects and actions for improving sustainability.
  19. Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
  20. Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  21. Students must develop the necessary learning skills to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
  22. Students must have and understand knowledge of an area of study built on the basis of general secondary education, and while it relies on some advanced textbooks it also includes some aspects coming from the forefront of its field of study.
  23. Use metatheoretical data to argue and establish plausible relation of causality and establish ways of validating or rejecting them.
  24. Weigh up the impact of any long- or short-term difficulty, harm or discrimination that could be caused to certain persons or groups by the actions or projects.
  25. Weigh up the risks and opportunities of one's own ideas for improvement and proposals made by others.

Content

Part 1. Introduction and key concepts and definitions

  • Migration, refuge, asylum: concepts and definitions
  • Migration theories. International Relations and international migration
  • Flows and general data (regional focus)
  • Some current debates: Migration–development nexus, remittances, brain drain vs. brain gain, South–South dynamics

 Part 2. The Making of Immigration Policies

  • Theories and models
  • Policy-processes and policy gap
  • Stakeholders and key actors
  • Multilevel governance: from local to international playgrounds International framework

 Part 3. Forced migration: IDPs, refugees and asylum seekers

  • International law and instruments
  • Protection policies and systems
  • Reception policies and systems
  • Challenges and emerging categories (gender-based violence, environmental displacement, etc.)

 Part 4. Integration and inclusion policies and instruments

  • Theories and debates on integration and inclusion
  • Public policies and actions
  • Actors and involved administrations
  • Xenophobic discourses and migration as a political too

Part 5. The EU migration and asylum policies

  • Migration as a political issue
  • Migration-Security Nexus. Securitization and externalization.

Activities and Methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Lectures with debate 30 1.2 6, 1, 8, 11, 25, 18, 13, 14, 15, 17, 22, 21, 7, 24
Seminars and oral presentations of students 24 0.96 2, 4, 10, 16, 5
Type: Supervised      
Tutorials 16 0.64 7
Type: Autonomous      
Study of the thematics of the course as well as complementary readings 80 3.2 3, 23, 12, 9, 19

International Migrations is a 6 ECTS course, which will be divided between lectures with debate sessions, tutorials, group work, and individual or group presentations by students.

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.


Assessment

Continous Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Essay 15% 0 0 1, 12, 11, 25, 18, 13, 14, 17, 21, 19, 7
Final exam (Parts III-V) 35% 0 0 6, 23, 9, 11, 10, 25, 15, 22, 21, 19, 7, 24
Mid-term exam (Parts I&II) 35% 0 0 6, 2, 3, 23, 4, 12, 8, 9, 10, 13, 15, 16, 22, 20, 19, 5, 7, 24
Participation 15% 0 0 22, 5, 7

Students are asked to demonstrate a basic knowledge of theoretical concepts in a balanced way for all parts of the course. The primary assessment method in this course is “continuous assessment”. However, there is an alternative “single assessment” option that will be explained later on.

Continuous Assessment

The evaluation of this course is based on the following:

  • A mid-term exam covering approximately the first half of the program, accounting for 35% of the final grade.
  • An end-term exam covering the rest of the syllabus, accounting for 35% of the final grade.
  • An essay (with two parts), accounting for 15% of the final grade.
  • Class participation, including four individual/group presentations, class discussions, and other activities planned by the professors, accounting for 15% of the final grade.

To pass the course, students must score at least 4 in each of the planned exams. Achieving a minimum score of 4 on both the midterm and final exams is necessary but not sufficient to pass the course. Once this minimum grade of 4 is achieved, final scores will be calculated using the weighted average of all grades: exams, papers, and participation in activities. A final score of 5 or greater is required to pass the course.

The mid-term exam will be scheduled during the course on a day determined by the professor and announced in advance. If a student misses or fails the midterm exam, they must take the resit exam on the date set by the Faculty.

The end-term exam will be at the end of the semester on a day set by the Faculty and will also be announced in advance.

The dates for the essay and presentations will be specified according to the programming and evolution of the subject. They cannot be submitted/presented after the fixed date (see Campus Virtual).

Important considerations:

  • To pass the course, passing both exams isnecessary but not sufficient. Failing either exam, even if the average grade exceeds 5, will result in not passing the course.
  • Students who do not pass either the mid-term exam, the end-term exam, or both exams will have the opportunity to take a resit examination on the date set by the Faculty (see Resit Exam).
  • Attendance at two of the mentioned assessment activities precludes receiving a "Not Presented" grade.

Single Assessment

Students who have requested it within the deadline and in the appropriate manner, will be able to take a single assessment.

Single assessment will consist of an exercise composed of an exam (60% of the grade) and a practical exercise (40%).

The exam which include all parts of the course and will take place at the end of the semester, on the day set by the Faculty for the examination of the ordinary assessment.

The practical exercise will include a report (25%) and an oral presentation (15%). The report (2,500-3,000 words) should be submitted the day of the exam (PDF). The presentation (10m) is going to be done the day of the exam.Visual aid (PPT or similar) is required. More detailed information will be provided at the beginning of the course.

If the student does not pass this test with a score of 5 out of 10, the exercise can be retaken on the date set by the Faculty as a compensatory assessment. The practical exercise must be passed with a minimum score of 5.

Important considerations:

  • Opting for this assessment method implies renouncing the standard assessment method outlined in this course guide.
  • The single assessment option should be discussed with the professor and approved by the faculty.
  • Students under the single assessment may retake the final exam if they fail (see Resit Exam).

Resit Exam

For the resit exam, the following criteria will apply:

  • Students under “continuous assessment” may take a resit exam if they fail. This exam will count for 40% of the final grade, while the remaining 60% will  be based on the weighted average of the other assessment activities.
  • Students under “single assessment” may retake the final exam if they fail. This retake will count for 50% of the final grade.

On Artificial Intelligence

Restricted Use: For this course, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies is allowed exclusively for support tasks, such as bibliographic or information searches, text correction or translation, and other activities where its use is explicitly authorised. Failure to transparently declare the use of AI in any graded activity will be considered a breach of academic integrity and may result in a partial or total penalty in the grade for that activity, or more serious sanctions in severe cases.

Plagiarism and other irregularities

In accordance with academic regulations, any irregularity that may lead to a significant change in the grade of an assessment activity will result in that activity being graded with a 0. If multiple irregularities occur in assessment activities within the same course, the final grade for the course will be 0.


Bibliography

Required Bibliography

Part I. Key Concepts

  • Massey, D. S., Arango, J., Hugo, G., Kouaouci, A., Pellegrino, A., & Taylor, J. E. (1993). Theories of International Migration: A Review and Appraisal. Population and Development Review, 19(3), 431–466.
  • Mitchell, C. (1989). International migration, international relations and foreign policy. International Migration Review, 23(3), 681-708.
  • https://www.migrationdataportal.org/

 Part II. Immigration Policies: The Making of

  • Castles, S. (2004). Why migration policies fail. Ethnic and racial studies, 27(2), 205-227.
  • Freeman, G. P. (2006). National models, policy types, and the politics of immigration in liberal democracies. West European Politics, 29(2), 227-247.
  • Østergaard-Nielsen, E. (2003). The Politics of Migrants’ Transnational Political Practices. The International Migration Review, 37(3), 760–786

Part III. Forced Migration

  • Gammeltoft-Hansen, T. (2014). International refugee law and refugee policy: the case of deterrence policies. Journal of Refugee Studies, 27(4), 574-595.
  • Greenhill, K. M. (2016). The Weaponisation of Migration. Connectivity Wars: Why Migration, Finance and Trade Are the Geo-Economic Battlegrounds of the Future, 76-82. European Council on Foreign Relations
  • https://www.unhcr.org/refugee-statistics/ & https://www.unhcr.org/global-trends

Part IV. Integration and Inclusion Policies

  • Klarenbeek, L. M. (2021). Reconceptualising‘integration as a two-way process’. Migration studies, 9(3), 902-921.  
  • Caponio, T., & Jones-Correa, M. (2018). Theorising migration policy in multilevel states: the multilevel governance perspective. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 44(12), 1995–2010.
  • OECD & European Union: Indicators of Immigrant Integration 2023: Settling In

Part V. The EU migration and asylum policy

  • Münch, S. (2018). EU migration and asylum policies. In Handbook of European policies (pp. 306-330). Edward Elgar Publishing.
  • Pinyol-Jiménez, G. (2019). Is It Possible to Develop a Common European Policy on Immigration and Asylum?. IEMed: Mediterranean yearbook 2019, 64-69. Barcelona: IEMed.
  • Eurostat. Migration and Migrant Population Statistics

Bibliografia complementaria

  • Betts, A. (2008). Global migration governance (No. 2008/43). GEG Working Paper.
  • Boswell, C. (2007). Theorizing migration policy: Is there a third way?. International migration review, 41(1), 75-100.
  • Carens, J.H. (1987). Aliens and citizens: the case for open borders. The review of politics, 251-273.
  • Czaika, M., & De Haas, H. (2013). The effectiveness of immigration policies. Population and Development Review, 39(3), 487-508.
  • De Haas, H., Czaika, M., Flahaux, M. L., Mahendra, E., Natter, K., Vezzoli, S., & Villares‐Varela, M. (2019). International migration: Trends, determinants, and policyeffects. Population and Development Review, 45(4), 885-922.
  • Geddes, A., & Scholten,P. (2013). Policy Analysis and Europeanization: An Analysis of EU Migrant Integration Policymaking. Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis: Research and Practice, 17(1), 41–59.
  • Gilardoni, G., D'Odorico, M., & Carrillo, D. (2015). Evidence on migrants' integration in Europe. Milan: ISMU Foundation.
  • Greenhill, K. M. (2022). When migrants become weapons: the long history and worrying future of a coercive tactic. Foreign Affairs, 101, 155.
  • Guild, E. (2006). The Europeanisation of Europe's asylum policy. International Journal of Refugee Law, 18(3-4), 630-651.
  • Guiraudon, V., & Lahav, G. (2000). A reappraisal of the state sovereignty debate: The case of migration control. Comparative political studies, 33(2), 163-195. 
  • Hollifield, J., Martin, P. L., & Orrenius, P. (Eds.). (2014). Controlling immigration: A global perspective. Stanford University Press.
  • Huysmans, J. (2000). The European Union and the securitization of migration. Journal of Common Market Studies, 38(5), 751-777.
  • Joppke, C. (1998). Why liberal states accept unwanted immigration. World politics, 266-293.
  • Lahav, G. (2004). Public opinion toward immigration in the European Union does: It matter?. Comparative Political Studies, 37(10), 1151-1183.
  • Lakoff, G. (2006). The framing of immigration. https://escholarship.org/content/qt0j89f85g/qt0j89f85g.pdf
  • Pinyol-Jiménez, G. (2012). The migration-security nexus in short: Instruments and actions in the European Union. Amsterdam LF, 4, 36.
  • Scholten, P., & Penninx, R. (2016). The multilevel governance of migration and integration. In Integration processes and policies in Europe (pp. 91-108). Springer, Cham.
  • Thielemann, E. (2011). How Effective are Migration and Non-Migration Policies that Affect Forced Migration. Migration Studies Unit Working Papers, (2011/14).
  • Triandafyllidou, A. (2022). Migration and the Nation. In: Scholten, P. (eds) Introduction to Migration Studies. IMISCOE Research Series. Springer, Cham. 
  • Wickramasinghe, A. A. I. N., & Wimalaratana, W. (2016). International migration and migration theories. Social Affairs, 1(5), 13-32. 

Software

No need. 


Groups and Languages

Please note that this information is provisional until 30 November 2025. You can check it through this link. To consult the language you will need to enter the CODE of the subject.

Name Group Language Semester Turn
(PAUL) Classroom practices 1 English second semester morning-mixed
(TE) Theory 1 English second semester morning-mixed