International migration is a global phenomenon—comprising broad and deep linkages within and between the developed and developing worlds. Issues surrounding global migration processes cross manifold intellectual boundaries, understanding demands insights and methods from a broad array of disciplines.
Standard models in economics or demography offer powerful explanations of why people migrate and how migration might have an effect on wages and employment in both sending and receiving societies. However, migration is ultimately about the lived experience of people—those moving and those they encounter. Understanding migrants’ emergent identities and the problems of belonging and acceptance that migration generates requires attention, both to the micro level, as well as to the specific historical and cultural contexts surrounding both migration flows and societal responses.
The minor in International Migration Studies aims to build an appreciation of international migration and its dilemmas as it draws on the insights generated from a broad array of disciplines and methodological approaches needed for grappling with a vast social and intellectual phenomenon.
The International Migration Studies minor is designed for students who are seeking advanced work in the subject matter, and culminates in a substantial research thesis (I M Std 199) of approximately 15-20 pages in length (excluding the title page, bibliography, appendices, etc.), generally completed during the last quarter of their Senior Year.
Interested students must apply to the minor no later than the Spring Quarter of their Junior Year.