Forced Labour, Trafficking and Global Mobility (351D7MGD)

30 credits, Level 7 (Masters)

Spring teaching

In this module, you will learn about the reasons behind forced labour and trafficking in our globalised world, where mobility is restricted and legal migration options are limited.

International labour circulation has made national borders less important, but strict immigration policies are making it harder and costlier to cross them. Forced migration has become more prevalent because of political conflict, environmental factors and persecution.

You will study how migrants use smugglers to cross borders, exploring the connection between exploitation and agency. You will also develop your understanding through the study of empirical evidence across a range of contexts in the Global South.

The module will equip students with an understanding of:

  • globalised circuits of labour circulation
  • racialised and feminised work
  • segmented labour markets
  • global value chains, adverse incorporation of labour
  • hyperprecarity and immigration regimes
  • forced labour
  • critical approaches to human trafficking and human smuggling
  • global and national policies to control human trafficking and smuggling
  • labour market intermediaries, ethical recruitment and costs
  • labour agency – collective action, individual agency and prospects for challenging power structures.

Teaching

100%: Lecture

Contact hours and workload

This module is approximately 300 hours of work. This breaks down into about 33 hours of contact time and about 267 hours of independent study. The University may make minor variations to the contact hours for operational reasons, including timetabling requirements.

We regularly review our modules to incorporate student feedback, staff expertise, as well as the latest research and teaching methodology. We’re planning to run these modules in the academic year 2023/24. However, there may be changes to these modules in response to feedback, staff availability, student demand or updates to our curriculum. We’ll make sure to let you know of any material changes to modules at the earliest opportunity.