Sociology and Criminology
Migration, Identity, and Home
Module code: L4108A
Level 6
15 credits in autumn semester
Teaching method: Workshop
Assessment modes: Essay
Migration can shape every part of a person’s life. It affects relationships, ideas of home and sense of belonging.
On this module, you’ll explore how migration shapes people’s goals, sense of self and future. You’ll consider how these experiences differ for privileged, as well as vulnerable, movers. You’ll also look at what happens when people return home, face political or social hostility abroad, or live lives shaped by constant travel.
You’ll examine the experiences of different types of movers, including:
- travelling professionals
- precarious workers
- lifestyle and retirement migrants
- international students and mobile young people
- European free movers
- onward migrants and returnees.
Across these cases, you’ll focus on three key themes:
- how migrants’ lives change over time, including education, work, family status and personal development
- how migration reshapes identity, including ideas of nation, class, age, gender or legal status
- how migrants define home and settlement.
You’ll engage with key research in migration studies, youth transitions and social identity. Through this, you’ll explore the privileges and insecurities of cross-border mobility and transnational life.
Module learning outcomes
- Demonstrate comprehensive knowledge and critical appreciation of theoretical perspectives and key debates around different forms of migration
- Demonstrate comprehensive knowledge and critical appreciation of key debates around migrant identities
- Evidence critical awareness of the varied privileges and insecurities that characterise different migrants’ experiences
- Critically evaluate the impact of migration on individuals’ life trajectories, identities, and understanding of ‘home’