Course Catalogue

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The course will provide students with a framework for exploring questions around the broad themes of migration, settlement and intimate life. Intimacy is defined as the quality of close connection between people and the process of building this quality; it encompasses areas such as gender relations, sexuality, kinship and social networks. 

This course explores how ideas of intimacy inform state policies on migration and migrant integration, as well as migrants' experiences of migration and settlement. While race, ethnicity and nationality remain privileged axes of analysis in migration studies, in the course we will adopt an intersectional perspective to foreground gender, sexuality and intimate relations as key dimensions of migratory processes and experiences.

We will be engaging with a range of theoretical, conceptual and political debates from migration, gender and sexuality studies, and draw from empirical studies to explore substantive areas of sociological research, including gendered migrations; family migration; queer migration; language and migrant integration; home and belonging.

The course will support the development of students' critical thinking and qualitative research skills. It will provide them with the tools to develop an understanding of how research can be conducted within this field of research, including methodological, practical and ethical considerations.

Lecture: 1 hour per week for 10 weeks.

Seminar: 1 hour per week for 10 weeks.

Mandatory Entry Requirements

Entry to Honours Sociology requires a grade point average of 12 (Grade C) over Sociology 2A and Sociology 2B as a first attempt.

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Two interlinked summative assessments:

■ Scoping literature review on topic chosen for research proposal (2,500 words, 60%), feeding into:

■  1,500 words research proposal (40%).

Reassessments are normally available for all courses, except those which contribute to the Honours classification. Where, exceptionally, reassessment on Honours courses is required to satisfy professional/accreditation requirements, only the overall course grade achieved at the first attempt will contribute to the Honours classification. For non-Honours courses, students are offered reassessment in all or any of the components of assessment if the satisfactory (threshold) grade for the overall course is not achieved at the first attempt. This is normally grade D3 for undergraduate students and grade C3 for postgraduate students. Exceptionally it may not be possible to offer reassessment of some coursework items, in which case the mark achieved at the first attempt will be counted towards the final course grade. Any such exceptions for this course are described below.

The overall aim of the course is to provide students with a framework to critically explore questions around the broad themes of migration, settlement and intimate life. Specifically the course aims to: a. introduce students to theoretical and conceptual debates from the sociology of migration and intimacy; b. explore empirical research in this field of study; c. develop students' critical and research skills through work on a research proposal (summative assessment).

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

1. recognize and critically apply relevant theories and concepts from sociology and related disciplines to the analysis of migration, settlement and intimacy;

2. identify and critically evaluate empirical research to assess processes of migration and settlement;

3. demonstrate an awareness of methodological, ethical and political issues associated with sociological research in the field of migration and intimacy;

4. design a research project that demonstrates a sound understanding of relevant theoretical, political, empirical, methodological and ethical issues.

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.