Course Catalogue

Critical Migration Studies: Borders, Governance, and Resistance SOCIO4107

  • Academic Session: 2026-27
  • School: School of Social and Political Sciences
  • Credits: 20
  • Level: Level 4 (SCQF level 10)
  • Typically Offered: Either Semester 1 or Semester 2
  • Available to Visiting Students: Yes
  • Collaborative Online International Learning: No
  • Curriculum For Life: No

Short Description

This course offers a critical and locally/globally situated exploration of contemporary migration, with particular attention to borders, governance, and resistance. Students will engage with key theoretical frameworks - including critical border studies, securitization theory, decolonial, anti-racist, and political approaches - to examine how migration is shaped by colonial legacies, global inequalities, and state power. Topics include bordering practices, the forms of migration and solidarity and their criminalisation, elite mobility, and migrant resistance. Through case studies and interdisciplinary readings, the course encourages students to interrogate dominant narratives and to consider the ethical and political stakes of migration governance today.

Timetable

20 contact hours over the course of a single semester. This will normally consist of 2 hours per week and may be a combination of lectures and seminars/workshops.

 *RUNS ALTERNATE YEARS*

Requirements of Entry

In order to take this course you need to have met the requirements for entry into our Honours Programme. Basically, this means achieving a grade of 'D' or better in Sociology 1A and 1B and a 'C' or better in Sociology 2A and 2B. You also have to comply with the College of Social Science regulations for progression to Honours.

Excluded Courses

None

Assessment

SUMMATIVE 1

Case Study Proposal & Annotated Bibliography (40%) - (1500w)

 

SUMMATIVE: 2.

Critical Case Study Portfolio (60%) - (2500w)

 

Course Aims

This course aims to critically examine contemporary migration through the lenses of borders, governance, and resistance, foregrounding global and decolonial perspectives. It equips students to interrogate the political, ethical, and social dimensions of migration regimes, with attention to how these are shaped by colonial histories, racial capitalism, and global inequalities. Through interdisciplinary approaches and real-world case studies, students will develop the analytical tools to understand and challenge dominant narratives and practices in migration governance.

Intended Learning Outcomes of Course

By the end of this course students will be able to:

1. Explain key concepts in critical migration studies, including bordering, governance, and solidarity.

2. Analyse how migration policies and bordering practices are shaped by colonial histories, racism, and global inequalities.

3. Apply theoretical frameworks to real-world case studies of migration control and resistance.

4. Critically evaluate the political and ethical implications of border regimes in different national and global contexts.

5. Develop and communicate informed, critical arguments about contemporary migration issues using relevant literature and examples

Minimum Requirement for Award of Credits

No exceptions