Course Syllabus

Fleeing Across Borders: International Refugee Law B

Images: Personal photos from left to right: Poster in Christiania in Copenhagen, Mural in Rosengård neighborhood, Malmø, and painting at the University of Palermo, Sicily

Semester & Location:	Spring 2025 - DIS Copenhagen
Type & Credits:	Core- 3 credits
Study Tours:	Malmö, Sweden Palermo, Sicily
Major Disciplines:	Human Rights, International Relations, Legal Studies
Faculty Members:	Brittany Perry (current students please use the Canvas Inbox)
Time & Place:	Monday and Thursday 8:30-9:50 Classroom: S12-05

Course description:

At the end of 2023, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) estimated that over 117.3 million people were forcibly displaced and this number continues to grow as conflicts escalate worldwide. In this course, we will examine the development of international laws and policies central to this phenomenon and question the concept of the "refugee" today. Students will analyze the drivers of displacement (including persecution, conflict, and climate change) across and within regions of the world. Importantly, we will explore both the role of institutions in displacement, but also the experiences of the individual seeking refuge.

With a focus on the EU, students will gain a better understanding of how international and state actors weigh commitments to humans rights while reaffirming the legitimacy of power and state sovereignty. We will examine the consequences of the international border regime, with polices aimed at deterrence and externalization, considering questions such as: How and why is the border regime designed to keep refugees in limbo? 

Throughout the course, we will take strong advantage of location, exploring the responses of Denmark, Sweden, and Italy in depth. The course includes field studies to Malmø, Sweden and Sicily, Italy, to offer comparisons on how different EU states apply international refugee conventions and how local, non-governmental organizations play a role to fill gaps in protection. 

[1] Global Trends 2023 report (unhcr.org)

 Learning Objectives:

• Analyze the concept of the refugee and how it has shifted over time
• Distinguish between types of population movements and recognize worldwide drivers of displacement
• Understand the origins and evolution of international legal and institutional conventions and policies in governing forced migration
• Reflect on responses to asylum-seekers and refugees by states, international organizations, and nongovernmental organizations
• Critically assess the unique needs of forcibly displaced persons in temporary and permanent host societies, and gaps in addressing those needs

Readings:

There is no requirement to purchase a textbook for this course.

The following selections are provided as pdfs in Canvas (note that readings are subject to change):

• Hamlin, Rebecca. (2021) The Migrant/Refugee Binary,” in Crossing: How We Label and React to People on the Move. Stanford: Stanford University Press, p. 1–24 and 37-47
• UNHCR, Global Trends 2023 (Geneva: UNHCR, 2023), p. 1–29.
• Abuya, Edwin O., Ulrike Krause, and Lucy Mayblin. (2021). “The neglected colonial legacy of the 1951 Refugee Convention.” International Migration, 59(4): 265-267.
• Kyriakides, C., Taha, D., Charles, C. H., & Torres, R. D. (2019). The racialized refugee regime. Refuge, 35, 3.
• Gammeltoft-Hansen, T. (2017). Refugee policy as ‘negative nation branding’: the case of Denmark and the Nordic. Revised version published in Danish Foreign Policy  Yearbook. pg. 101-127 
• John, Tara. (2022) .Denmark opens its arms to Ukrainians, while trying to send Syrian refugees home. CNN.
• Suarez-Krabbe, J., Lindberg, A., & Arce, J. (2018). “Stop Killing us Slowly”: A research report on the motivation enhancement measures and criminalization of rejected asylum seekers in Denmark.
• Pace, M. (2018). Overcoming bordering practices through the arts: The case of young Syrian refugees and their Danish counterparts in Denmark. Geopolitics, 23(4), 781-802.
• Fry, C., & Islar, M. (2021). Horizontal local governance and social inclusion: The case of municipality-civil society engagement during refugee reception in Malmö, Sweden. Frontiers in Political Science, 3, 643134.
• Dunlavy, A., Gauffin, K., Berg, L., De Montgomery, C. J., Europa, R., Eide, K., ... & Hjern, A. (2023). Health outcomes in young adulthood among former child refugees in Denmark, Norway and Sweden: A cross-country comparative study. Scandinavian journal of public health, 51(3), 330-338.
• Lischer, Sarah. (2014). “Conflict and crisis-induced displacement,” in FiddianQasmiyeh et al. (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Refugee and Forced Migration  Studies. Oxford University Press.
• Bohra-Mishra, Pratikshya, and Douglas S Massey. 2011. "Individual decisions to migrate during civil conflict." Demography 48 (2):401-424.
• UNHCR Climate and Displacement
  Climate Change is Happening Now (2019). Displaced Podcast.
• Global Report on Internal Displacement 
• FitzGerald, D. S. (2019). ‘The Catch-22 of Asylum Policy,’ Ch.1 in ‘Refuge Beyond  Reach: How Rich Democracies Repel Asylum Seekers,’ Oxford University Press. Supplemental:
• Orchard, P. (2016). The contested origins of internal displacement. International  Journal of Refugee Law, 28(2), 210-233.
• Crisp, J. (2016). B. 2.4 An End to Exile? Refugee Initiative and the Search for Durable Solutions. The UN at 70, and the UK, 119. 
• Giglioli, I. (2017). Producing Sicily as Europe: Migration, colonialism and the making of  the Mediterranean border between Italy and Tunisia. Geopolitics, 22(2), 407-428.
• D'Angelo, A. (2018). Refugees' reception in Italy: past and present of a humanitarian crisis. Refugiados en movimiento: retos políticos, legales y sociales en tiempos de inestabilidad, 92-104.
• Perocco, F., & Della Puppa, F. (2023). The Racialized Welfare Discourse on Refugees  and Asylum Seekers: The Example of “Scroungers” in Italy. Social Sciences, 12(2), 59. 
• Imam, James and Ataman, Joseph. 2021. Palermo's Council of Culture:  https://thegroundtruthproject.org/here-to-stay-palermo-the-council/

Faculty:

Brittany Perry, Ph.D. (she/her/hers):

Ph.D. (Political Science, Duke University, 2013). B.A. (Political Science, University of Colorado Boulder, 2007). Assistant Professor of Government and Law, Lafayette College, 2013-2015. Instructional Assistant Professor, Texas A&M University, 2015-2020. Instructional Associate Professor, Texas A&M University, 2020-2021. External Lecturer, Copenhagen Business School, 2021-2023. 

Approach to the Course and Student Expectations:

The success of this course will depend on active involvement of ALL participants-faculty and students alike. As your instructor, I will provide the core framework of the course (applying a social science lens), but the depth of engagement with each piece of the curriculum ultimately depends on student preparation and passion. 

The course will consist of some traditional lectures, along with more interactive components, including group projects, discussions, and engagement with guest speakers. As stated in the course description, we take great advantage of PLACE in this course, engaging with locals in Denmark, Sweden, and Sicily.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T & RESPONSIBILITY in a BRAVE SPACE:

Students are expected to come prepared to each class session, having read assigned material (in the order listed on Canvas "Modules" pages) and completed assignments on time.

You are also expected to treat each other and any invited guests or onsite guides or community members with RESPECT. This means showing up on time, staying awake, and avoiding distractions. Your attendance grade will be negatively affected if you engage in any disrespectful behavior during a given course session. 

This course will deal with some heavy subjects, and we will engage with different people across a range of cultures and backgrounds. Know that we are operating in a BRAVE space, and will follow a set of Community Standards. 

Our goal is to create a learning environment that supports a diversity of thoughts, perspectives and experiences, and honors your identities (including race, gender, class, sexuality, religion, ability, etc.) If you ever feel we are not succeeding at this goal, please contact me so we can make a change. 

HEALTH AND WELLBEING:

College is stressful. And while doing college abroad can be AMAZING, it can also bring about more or different stressors. But fear not, DIS is here to help!

Struggling with Academics? Book an appointment with Academic Support and talk to me!

Struggling with mental health? Physical health? Culture shock? Book an appointment with our Care Team.

ACCOMODATIONS:

If you have approved accommodations from your home school and received a letter from DIS confirming your accommodations abroad, please share this with me ASAP so we can work to make necessary arrangements. 

COMMUNICATION:

I will use Canvas to make course announcements and directly message students. You can contact me using the Canvas Inbox. Please make sure you are seeing Canvas notifications in your inbox and messages are not going to Other or Spam folders.

Please note that I will do my best to respond within 24 hours, but that anything sent after 5pm on Friday will not be addressed until the following Monday. Please be sure to reach out early if you have time-specific questions (concerning a specific reading or assignment). 

Evaluation:

Attendance and Engagement (20%):

Attendance is required for all scheduled classes, field studies, and study tours.  Attendance will be taken every time we meet.

If you are unable to attend class or a site visit due to illness, family bereavement, or use of a pre-approved accommodation, you must proactively communicate with me to receive an excused absence. If granted, you remain responsible for any material covered or assigned in class during your absence.

Due to the experiential nature of the DIS program, tardiness and frequent absences, even if excused, may negatively impact your attendance grade and ability to pass the course.

Study tour attendance is EXTREMELY important for this course and not attending may result in failure. As an example, if you do not attend the Study Trip to Malmö, you will receive a 0 for attendance that week, AND you will not be able to complete the Malmö group project worth 10% (see below). If you miss the Sicily study tour, you receive 0 points for attendance that week (1/4) of the attendance grade AND you will not be able to complete the Final Project worth 30% (see below). Only under extenuating circumstances will I consider makeup assignments. 

Knowledge Check Quizzes (2): 10%:

To check your understanding of key concepts, theories, and data trends, you will have two online quizzes this semester. The quizzes will be open note, open book and may consist of multiple choice and short answer questions. You will be given 24 hours to complete each quiz and both are assigned on a class day where we are not meeting in person. 

Any quizzes submitted after the deadline will receive a 10 points penalty, and an additional 10 points for every additional 24 hours. After 5 calendar days, you will receive a zero.

Short Papers (15% each):

You will complete 2 out of 3 possible short papers during the semester. These papers are 1000-1200 words in length and the prompts, rubrics, and due dates appear in the "Assignments" tab.

Be mindful of your schedule and select the 2 papers and respective due dates that work best for YOU. But also remember that the end of the semester can be VERY packed, thus finishing assignments early (papers 1 & 2) is a good strategy! Note that you do not have the option to write all three papers. 

Malmø Project (10%):

Details TBA. This project will be based on assigned site visits in Malmö.

Causes of Displacement Group Presentation (10%)

In groups of 4, you will give 10 minute, engaging presentations in class on one event or related set of events that have led to mass displacement. 

Final Project (30%):

Your final project will be a video assignment completed individually OR in a group. 

Grading and Late Policy

Grade Make-Up:

Assignment	Percent
Attendance and Engagement:	20%
Knowledge Check Quizzes (2)	10% (5% each)
Malmø Group Project	10%
Causes of Displacement Group Presentation	10%
Short written papers (select 2)	25% (12.5% each)
Final Project (Video/Audio project)	25%

Grade dispute:

Any student who is not satisfied with a grade on a given assessment must submit, in writing, a description of the issue in dispute (i.e. what is allegedly mis-graded and why you believe it is mis-graded.) If necessary, I will set a meeting to discuss the issue in person. I will then decide whether to raise, lower, or leave the grade unchanged. 

Late Policy:

For every day an assignment is late, you will lose 10 points. I will not accept assignments that are more than 5 calendar days late due to the fast-paced nature of the course. Please plan ahead and turn everything in on time.

Use of ChatGPT or AI Bots:

While papers written entirely using ChatGPT or other AI tools will NOT be accepted, you may use these tools in a professional manner for generating ideas, building outlines, or even formatting your work in this course. But please be cautious of the errors that can occur through an AI generated search! If I catch these errors in grading an assignment, or if anything is clearly copy/pasted without proper citations, you are at risk of receiving a zero.

If you use AI in any part of your research or writing process, you must include a short note at the end of your work describing how these tools were used. If you do not include this note, you will receive a grade penalty (up to 50%). 

Use of laptops or cellphones:

The use of laptops is allowed and even encouraged for many class sessions. However, if your laptop becomes a distraction and you are not using it for course purposes, you will be asked to put it away.

Unless there is an emergency (consult with me!), you are to refrain from using your cell phone during class, guest lectures, and site visits. On site visits, please use a small notebook for note taking as opposed to using your phone. 

Academic Regulations:

Read more about DIS academic policies here.  

Notes on Course Summary:

Please note that this schedule is subject to modification. You will have advance notice of any changes. But do not schedule any travel on Monday or Thursday throughout the semester in case class sessions need to be rescheduled.

 

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