Previous Courses Offerings

AFST 450R: African Diasporic Culture in African Canadian Communities
Instructor: Calisto Mudzingwa

African diasporic culture in Canadian society, fostering dialogue with members of African Canadian communities on cultural values, traditions, memory, adaptation and change.

The Archaeology of Migration: Modelling Movement and Displacement in Human History
Instructor: Megan Daniels

This course will introduce students to the study of migration and mobility in the archaeological record from a holistic perspective. Following an introduction concerning the place of migration and mobility in archaeological thought, it will then take two parts: the first will consist of investigations, through readings, discussions, and guest lectures, into various methodological approaches to studying human movements in the archaeological record, from genetics, to skeletal biochemistry, to artifacts. The second half will consist of case studies from the Mediterranean, western Asian, and European worlds, from the Neolithic period to Late Antiquity, which students will evaluate through the problems and methods introduced in the first half.

Migration, Empire, and Social Movements
Instructor: Helena Zeweri

This graduate seminar will explore the connections between empire, displaced peoples, and political consciousness. Rather than view empire as a territorially fixed project, we will treat it as a geographically dispersed formation whose impact endures in the everyday lives, relationships, and identities of displaced peoples. Through ethnography, film, and visual art, we will explore how migrants encounter empire—how they get pulled into its grip, how they participate in it, resist it, and refuse it. Content will cover a range of contexts, including the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean region, Oceania, North America, and South West Asia.

ANTH 540C: Mobilities and Immobilities
Instructor: Alexia Bloch

Over the past 20 years anthropologists have extensively studied the implications of intensified forms of mobility for local communities, families, individuals and the cultural production in which they are enmeshed, often being attentive to how gender and sexuality inflect the experience of migration. Increasingly anthropologists are joining other social scientists in asking critical questions around social policy and the cultural assumptions that inform how states and communities decide who —e.g., temporary workers, permanent residents, exotic dancers, agricultural laborers, or non-citizen children—belongs and what forms of mobility will be embraced. As we examine key texts in the study of migration and transnational mobility (and immobility), we will consider how the possibility to cross borders, a sense of belonging, and questions of citizenship are intertwined. As we consider how forms of connection, intimacy, emotional labor, and family structures have shifted with transnational flows of labor and concomitant newly contested border crossing, we will also closely examine the forms of governance impeding mobility. We will be especially concerned with the following theoretical and methodological issues: ethnographic approaches to understanding changing ideals around mobility, citizenship, gender, sexuality, home and family; transnational cultural productions; the politics of care, and state and state-like efforts to police gendered flows of productive and reproductive labor from Asia and the Pacific, North Africa, and the former Soviet Union to other parts of the world.

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CLST 404B: Seminar in the Reception of the Classical World
Instructor: Franco De Angelis

Selected topics in the reception of the ancient Mediterranean, Near Eastern and/or Egyptian cultures from their own times to the present, with an emphasis on research.

CLST 518B: Archaeologies of Greek Mobilities, Migrations, and Diasporas 

Instructor: Franco De Angelis

Mobility, migration, and diaspora have become central themes in the humanities and social sciences, and the study of the ancient Greeks as a history of movement and connectivity is no exception. Recent research has revealed an outstanding new fact: ancient Greeks may have founded over 500 “colonies” (or about one-third to one-half of the total number of Greek states in the Archaic and Classical periods), which may have been home to more than 40% of all ancient Greek population. In other words, ancient Greek mobilities and migrations represented literally the other half of story of ancient Greece. However, teaching of the subject has not kept pace with advances in research. We currently have two separate narratives of Greek history and archaeology—the older outdated one normally found in textbooks and the newer one that is the focus of this course. They need to be brought together through a diaspora perspective, in order to write an up-to-date fresh narrative history of the ancient Greek world. This seminar course fills that gap and expands the narrow story we tell about the ancient Greeks. The course is divided into two parts. In part one, we lay the groundwork for the subject with several introductory lectures and joint seminars, in which we explore together some necessary matters, such as modern constructions of narratives of ancient Greece and the importance of archaeological evidence to write the history of Greek mobilities, migrations, and diasporas. Some of the matters to be addressed can be formulated as the following questions. What are the most appropriate terminologies to be used in describing and explaining these ancient Greek mobilities, migrations, and diasporas, all of which have traditionally been labelled “colonies” and “colonization”? Is hybridity an appropriate and problem-free way to describe their cultural outcomes? Was Greek art produced outside of Greece “provincial” and “debased” or are other more apt descriptions and attitudes better suited in light of recent advances in theoretical thinking? In second part of the course, students will present their research on subjects they have chosen. Given the range of potential subject matter addressed in this course, students from various programmes will find something of interest and intellectual enrichment to their studies of the ancient world.

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Contemporary Research in Critical Refugee Education
Instructor: Sofia Noori

This course will introduce students to the field of critical refugee studies and its connections to education. We will delve into critical analyses of how war, colonization, militarism, and humanitarianism manifest through the lens of refugee epistemologies. Witness firsthand how refugee narratives illuminate the constraints of nation-states, their institutions, and their engagement with human rights discourse. Focus will be placed on the diverse experiences of Vietnamese, Syrian, Somalian, Iranian, Palestinian, Ukrainian, and Afghan refugees, exploring how they navigate their status and narratives through cultural expression. Additionally, students will learn about innovative research methodologies shaping the emerging landscape of critical refugee education.

EDST 565A 81: Migration and Adult Education
Instructor: Hongxia Shan

“All the world seems to be on the move” (Urry, 2006, p. 207). Asylum seekers, professionals, guest workers, undocumented migrants, international students, business people, families, tourists and many others have changed the social, cultural, economic and political landscape across place. The phenomenal scale, speed, and spread of the migratory movement, coupled with the accelerating rate of globalization and technological development, has transformed how social relations are organized, performed and mobilized in the local, national, and transnational realms. It seems to have led to the formation of a connected, networked, pluralized, and according to some, decentered or flattening world. Yet, at the same time, we’ve also witnessed the entrenchment and emergence of old and new disconnects, divides, disparities and inequalities. On the one hand, the social ideal associated with immigration has shifted from assimilation, which is one-way and one sided, to integration, supposedly a two-way process, with transnationalism looming always in the horizon. On the other hand, while multiculturalism has been a major policy discourse managing immigration and diversity, much of the global west, with the exception of Canada, has moved into an era of post-multiculturalism. All these have presented unprecedented opportunity as well as challenge for adult educators and cultural workers, especially those who work in the areas of vocational education, language training, employment support, career counseling, and workplace diversity management.

This course is designed to inquire into, drawing on interdisciplinary readings and research, the changing policies, practices, pedagogies and politics of adult education and learning, vis-à-vis the context of multiple mobilities, super-diversity, and shifting social and material organization of work and life. Through this course, you will develop a critical appreciation of the context of immigration, integration, (post)-multiculturalism, and transnationalism and its impacts on adult education and learning. You will expand your understanding of the politics of skills and recognition, the complex roles that adult education and learning plays in immigrants’ work and lives, as well as the power and problems of everyday pedagogies, everyday multiculturalism and convivial (dis)integration. You will also develop a repertoire of epistemic, pedagogical and research tools and skills in approaching issues of diversity, equity, and social justice in your educational practices. This course is suited for educational practitioners and researchers who are interested in learning about and challenging the status quo of adult education and learning as it relates to issues of immigration and integration.

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FRENCH 512 (cross-listed with SPAN 501), Introduction to Mobility Studies
Instructor: Gaoheng Zhang

This course will introduce Mobility Studies in relation to case studies focused on several mobile subjects—namely, merchants, explorers, tourists, colonizers, pilgrims, and migrants—within Italian, French, and Chinese contexts. As an umbrella social theory, Mobility Studies provides a new paradigm to explain significant social phenomena, which range from social inequality to global climate change, all of which are related to movements. Our course will contribute to cultural analysis of mobilities by exploring how to use this paradigm to frame major intercultural events (e.g., the Age of Discovery, the Grand Tour, and migrations) as they are articulated in narratives of diverse types (e.g., novels, journalism, diaries, and films). In particular, we will consider the motivations, knowledge, technologies, affects, meanings, and power relations of narratives of these movements.

GEOG 535: International Migration and Settlement
Instructor: Daniel Joseph Hiebert

This course is designed to introduce a broad set of issues and approaches to the study of international migration and settlement. The first part of the course will survey a number of key concepts and theories of migration, with emphasis on the role of the state and regulatory systems—that is, how migration policies are framed and operationalized. We will also consider the relationship between national security and migration, an issue that has arisen in the wake of 9-11 and other terrorist incidents. The second will concentrate on elements connecting places of origin and destination. The third will explore key debates in countries of sustained migrant settlement, particularly Europe where we will consider the relationship between migration and the national (or supra-national) imaginary, as well as the relationship between asylum, human rights, and attempts to regulate (supra)national borders. Finally, the course will close on the question of integration policies, particularly the recent challenges to the idea of multiculturalism (which was so widely supported a generation ago), and the concern that has arisen over the relationship between diversity and social cohesion.

Climate Change, Migration and Health
Instructor: Jemima Baada

The ongoing climate crisis will affect every facet of planetary life, and human population migration will be one of the major responses to some of the negative effects brought on by climate change. Climate change, migration and health are interdependent processes, and human health cannot be understood outside of planetary health. This course examines global and public health issues as influenced by climate change and im/mobilities, and vice versa.

GERM 506B: Intercultural Competence: Narratives of Belonging
Instructor: Markus Hallensleben

This course is open to graduate students from all fields and focuses on narratives of belonging from an interdisciplinary cultural studies perspective. How do people relate to place? Does the question “Where are you from?” assume a linear narrative and sedentarist perspective of exclusion? How do we narratively create and perform belonging, cultural spaces, phenomenological borders, national and ethnic identities? With an emphasis on contemporary postmigrant narratives from and about refugees and immigrants in German-language literature that have become central to society and in social studies, we will investigate counter-perspectives to Eurocentric, ethnically and nationally centred visions of identity.

To view the draft course syllabus, please click here.

GERM 520C, Narratives of Migration
Instructor: Markus Hallensleben

This course focuses on narratives of migration from a comparative studies point of view. It aims to provide an interdisciplinary framework for the investigation of transnational literature within the wider context of the global mobility turn and critical European Studies, with a special emphasis on the most recent German-language post-migration literature that appeared since the European “refugee crisis” in 2015. While one part of the course will utilize the sociological concepts of post-migration and superdiverse societies for an analysis of literary narratives as counter-narratives to Eurocentric, ethnically and nationally centred models of belonging, another part will investigate select primary texts. This course is taught in English with a directed study approach, including portfolio components in preparation for the final essay. The course is open to graduate students from all fields who work on narratives of migration in any context, whether in theory or praxis. Students are welcome to incorporate their own research and will present on at least one course related topic based on their own annotated working bibliographies.

Selected Issues in German Culture : Narratives of Belonging
Instructor: Markus Hallensleben

This course focuses on narratives of belonging from a transdisciplinary cultural studies perspective. How do people relate to place? Does the question “Where are you from?” assume a linear narrative and sedentarist perspective of exclusion? How do we narratively create and perform belonging, cultural spaces, phenomenological borders, national and ethnic identities? With an emphasis on contemporary postmigrant narratives from German-language literature that have become central to Germany as a plural society, as well as to European social studies, we will investigate counter-narratives to Eurocentric, ethnically and nationally centred visions of identity and belonging. The course follows a hybrid structure of online instruction: All assignments for the online home study parts and all lecture notes (ppt) of the in-person lessons on Tuesday will be posted on Canvas.

HIST 402D: Problems in International Relations - PRBS INTRNL RELN
Instructor: Alexei Kojevnikov

Selected topics such as trade, migration, diplomacy, war, migration, colonialism, and post- colonialism. Priority for registration to majors in History or International Relations.

HIST 403D: Migration in the Americas
Instructor : Benjamin Bryce

This seminar explores several themes in the history of migration in and to the Americas. It focuses on methods, archival research, and historiographic debates. Our readings, discussions, and projects aim to teach students about the people who migrate and the responses of government officials, workers, politicians, and other migrant groups to new arrivals. Topics of the readings include diplomacy, government policies, gender, the construction of racial categories, and nationalism. The readings introduce a variety of methodological approaches used in social history and offer examples of transnational and global history. The assignments seek to strengthen students’ research skills using primary and secondary sources and give practical skills to develop public-facing research.

HIST 403J: Seminar in the History of International Relations - Migration Americas
Instructor: Benjamin Bryce

Selected topics in the history of international relations. Restricted to fourth year students majoring in History or International Relations.

HIST 485: Asian Migrant Communities in Vancouver

This course will examine the history of Asian migration to Vancouver and British Columbia, focusing on the development of local communities and provide a background in historical research methods that will enable the students to conduct research on the history of these communities.

MD615F20A: Migration and Displacement

Take a comprehensive look at migration as a form of displacement of peoples across the globe. Consider how contemporary migration is collapsing boundaries and changing how we think about the "First World" and the "Third World." Explore the root causes of forced migration and how this is directly linked to survival, including the livelihood and well-being of families, communities and remittance-dependent economies. Take a critical look at present global policies, initiatives and alternatives to forced migration.

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POLI 449B 001/521A 001, Contested Territory
Instructor: Anna Jurkevics

This course surveys Western approaches to land, place, and territory. We begin with the phenomenology and economy of place through readings of Hannah Arendt, GWF Hegel, Martin Heidegger, Karl Marx, and David Harvey. Part II of the course covers theories of territory, and will address issues related to land attachment, nationalism, and the property-territory distinction. In Part III, we explore geopolitics through readings of Hannah Arendt, Carl Schmitt and Hans Morgenthau. In the concluding section of the course, we will consider the pathologies of the Western approach to territory by reading indigenous scholarship on land, including Glen Coulthard’s Red Skins, White Masks.

POLI 516C: Issues in Comparative Politics
Instructor: Antje Ellermann

POLI 516C/Global Public Policy 591G, Migration and Citizenship
Instructor: Antje Ellermann

Human mobility has become one of the most contested issues in contemporary politics. This seminar surveys key scholarly debates in the study of migration and citizenship in political science and cognate disciplines. We comparatively examine in both historical and cross–national perspective the ways in which states and societies (particularly in the Global North) have responded to, and become transformed by, immigration. The course covers a wide range of areas: theories of international migration, the ethics of borders, migration control, immigration policy making, public attitudes, anti-immigrant populism and the rise of far-right parties, refugee protection, national identity and citizenship, immigrant integration and multiculturalism, and transnationalism and homeland-hostland politics.