Course Syllabus

Migrants, Minorities and Belonging in Denmark

 

Semester & Location:	Spring 2020 - DIS Copenhagen
Type & Credits:	Elective Course - 3 credits
Major Disciplines:	Ethnic Studies, Religious Studies, Sociology
Faculty:	Stine Britt Laursen (stine.laursen@dis.dk)
Program Director:	Neringa B. Vendelbo - nb@dis.dk
Program Assistant:	Julia Magnuson - jma@dis.dk
Time & Place:	Tuesday & Friday, 11.40 - 13.00, N7-A23

Description of Course

This course is about migrant and minority communities in Denmark. Through this course we will strive to comprehend and analyze the many challenges and experiences that is part of being a minority and migrant in Denmark. Migration has never been more relevant than it is today, as millions of people around the world leave their homes to travel and stay in faraway places in search of work, education, to form families, or to escape from political persecution and civil wars in their homelands. Economic globalization, decolonization, cheap international airfares, the revolution in communication technology, wars, and natural catastrophes have massively increased the movement of people around the world during the last century.

Migrating to a new country, however, involves a new set of challenges for those who are on the move to find a new source of livelihood, learn a new language, adapt to new cultural customs, keep links with the homeland, find life partners, and raise families in different cultural settings. In matters of the cultural setting, this course also aims to give insight into how ideas of the nation and the people relate respectively to the media representations, the national policies, and the public opinion. In Denmark, immigrants are often portrayed in rather stereotypical ways such as “good, hard-working, and high skilled” professionals, religious extremists, or parasites on the Danish welfare system. This course aims at challenging such stereotypes, nuancing the debate on immigration in Denmark by focusing on the diversity, experiences, and different motivations of a variety of immigrant communities that come from different national, ethnic, religious and socio-economic backgrounds.  

By taking this course, you will get a more nuanced perspective on the many facets and processes linked to the individual and migrant community’s encounter with the majority and the negotiations of identity and ethnicity that take place within a new social reality.

Through this course we will investigate and explore the causes and consequences of transnational, urban and international migration in Denmark through the lens of migration and sociological discourse. The impacts of globalization on the European and in particular Scandinavian communities that in turn challenge economic and cultural hegemony. The ageing population yet the need for labor migrants. From the effects of state policies upon migrants and their belonging in their new “Homes” to welfare policies that are encouraging more urban migration to inner cities in Denmark.

Through this course we will analyze and challenges the assumptions of being a minority and migrant in Denmark. 

Learning Objectives

By the end of this course you will:

• get a theoretical insight into subjects such as identity processes and belonging, migration, power relations in regards of majority/minority, stigma and racism, nation and ethnicity
• be able to discuss and analyze the complex field of immigration and minority studies with a more nuanced perspective. This will be stimulated through an open and discussion based class environment where constructive dialogue and the use of your acquired theoretical knowledge on the field will be vital for your academic growth
• gain a broader palette of knowledge on topics relevant for different minorities in different contexts. Topics include Danish/European immigration rights and laws, the present refugee crisis, inter-generational differences and immigrant youth culture, minorities within minorities (ex LGBTQ), Copenhagen minority neighborhoods, public media representation, and right wing extremism. Through the semester, you will be asked to present different minorities in Denmark with the purpose of getting an overview of the Danish minority populations and to understand the different motivations for migration.  

The course will be structured into three overarching themes:

1. An introduction to theory relevant for understanding and analyzing critical aspects of the minority and migrant experience, such as belonging and identification processes, ethnicity, nationalism, racism and stigma.
2. Processes of identification are not comprehensible from an analytical perspective without understanding the negotiations between minority and majority. Thus, the second theme will focus on the national and European conditions and rules of migration.
3. Finally, more than half of the class sessions will present a broader selection of themes that play a vital role for belonging, identity, and self-presentation as a minority, ex. youth, space and place, intergenerational differences, attachments to homeland, background for migration, minorities within a minority, and the public representation. 

Faculty

 

Readings

The below list is an outline of expected readings for the class and does not reflect the total number of articles used in the course. The majority of the required readings for this course are found on Canvas and there is no textbook. Additional readings will be selected as the course progresses based on current events

• Barten, Ulrike (2015): "Minority, People, Nation", in: Minorities, Minority Rights and Internal Self-Determination, Springer International Publishing, Switzerland, pp. 162-165, 169-183.
• Jones, Paul & Krzyzanowski, Michal (2011): “Identity, Belonging and Migration: Beyond Constructing ‘Others’, in: Delanty, Gerard et al., eds, Identity, Belonging and Migration, Liverpool University Press
• Hutnik, Nimmi (1991): “Conclusion: Towards a New Perspective on Ethnic Minority Identity”, in: Ethnic Minority Identity, Oxford University Press
• Mann, Michael (2005): “Two Versions of ‘We, the People’”, in: The Dark Side of Democracy, New York, Cambridge University Press
• Anderson, Benedict (1991): “Imagined Communities”, in: Hutchinson, J. & Smith, A.D. eds, Nationalism, Oxford University Press
• Costello, Cathryn (2012): “Courting Access to Asylum in Europe: Recent Supranational Jurisprudence Explored”, in: Human Rights Law Review
• Andreassen, Rikke (2011): “Sing a Song, but Stay Out of Politics: Two Cases of Representations of Racial/Ethnic Minorities in the Danish Media”, in: Eide, E. & Nikunen, K. eds, Media in Motion. Cultural Complexity and Migration in the Nordic Region, London, Routledge
• Schmidt, Garbi, (2011): “‘Grounded’ politics. Manifesting Muslim Identity as a Political Factor and Localized Identity in Copenhagen”, in: Ethnicities, vol. 12:5, Sage Publications
• Pedersen, Marianne Holm (2011): “You want your children to become like you”. The Transmission of Religious Practices among Iraqi Families in Copenhagen”, in: Rytter, Mikkel & Olwig, Karen Fog, eds, Mobile Bodies, Mobile Souls. Family, Religion and Migration in a Global World, Aarhus, Aarhus University Press
• Jenkins, Richard (2012): “Ethnicity in Everyday Life”, in: Being Danish. Paradoxes of Identity in Everyday Life, Museum Tusculanum Press, Copenhagen

Field Studies

The class will have two field studies. All students are required to participate in field studies.

• March 11, 08.30-12.30
• April 22,  13.00-17.00

Guest Lecturers

• Aykut Ozturk holds a PhD in Anthropology (University College London). He is mainly - but not exclusively - interested in transnational migration, diaspora experiences and dispersion. He has so far conducted research among Armenians and Palestinians in Turkey and Israel, respectively.  
• Deewa Faqiri is an enigmatic, dynamic young woman, an inspiring voice for young refugees and a strong representation for the education of women.

Approach to Teaching

My aim is to create a class environment that inspire and motivate you to engage constructively and openly. You can expect to be actively involved in each class through either discussion, questions, teamwork, or presentations; concurrently, I aspire to create a safe environment that respectively supports the more introvert and extrovert students.

Our classes will strive to combine theory and practice by comparing theory to current political views and news articles; inviting relevant guest speakers who will present academic, political, or personal approaches to the course subjects; taking the class outside the classroom for relevant field studies or independent city excursions. The assignments will also be a reflection of this approach given that they will interweave actual or fictional minority and migrant profiles in the ambition to increase the knowledge and understanding of the individual and collective challenges a migrant or minority faces.

Expectations of the Students

I expect your active participation, as you will be involved in questions, discussions, and presentations for class. Through the course, you will be asked to engage curiously and academically, always based on your preparation for class from class reading, assignments, and curiosity in the field.

The social environment in a class also plays a vital role for the learning experience and I aspire for all of us to have a positive and trusting way of being, acting, and learning in the class.

I expect independent and responsible engagement in assignments given to class.

Evaluation

The evaluation in the course will be based on the following:

Engagement and Participation
Prepare for class, bring questions, and discuss in the classroom. Class participation also includes one or two short presentations of a specific migrant in Denmark and bringing questions for field studies and guest lectures. Be present. 

Research paper
Own research relating to class material. Through the semester, you will have the chance to discuss your individual cases with other students from class, given that you will be working on some of the same cases. Later in the semester, you will do a peer review in smaller groups in class. However, the assignment is individual which should be reflected in the final assignment. You will need to make use of a minimum of five of the required readings. You are welcome to use extra references and any other material you come across in the course of researching your assignment. Length of assignment: max. 5 pages.

Ethnography
Based on your journal and independent walks and observations of specific neighborhoods of Copenhagen, you will be asked to write an ehtnography on matters of minorities, localized identity, space and place in Copenhagen. The walk/observations and presentation are your chance to make use of your more creative mindset to find an interesting yet reflective way to do an assignment and present in front of the class. Note: The assignment may be subject to change.

Research presentation - final assignment
This is final presentation for the class based on your research. It will be based on your own research, the readings for class, you will determine the individual migrants motive for emigration, travel routes, challenges during the migration and finally, an analysis of the following possibilities and challenges in matters of belonging and identity in the immigrant country. The presentation should include a combination of your academic readings relevant for the assignment while including your reflections from the walk and observations. You will be presenting in groups of 4-5 persons.

For more information on the above assignments please visit the assignment page on Canvas or ask in class.

Grading

Assignment	Percent
Engagement and Participation	30%
Research paper	25%
Ethnography	25%
Research presentation	20%

Disability and Resource Statement  

Any student who has a need for accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact the Office of Academic Support (acadsupp@dis.dk) to coordinate this.  In order to receive accommodations, students should inform the instructor of approved DIS accommodations within the first two weeks of classes.

Policies

Attendance

You are expected to attend all classes, guest lectures, workshops and field studies. If you must miss a class for religious holidays, medical reasons, or other valid reasons, you must let us know as far in advance as possible of the absence and obtain information about the work you must do to keep up in class. If you miss a class for any other reason (sudden illness, family emergency, etc.), you should get in touch with us as soon as possible and arrange to make up the work missed.

It is crucial for your learning that you stay on task and hand in assignments on or before the due date. All work– including in-class projects – have to be completed in order to pass the class. Late papers or projects will be marked down with 1/3 of a grade for each day it is late.

Academic Honesty

Plagiarism and Violating the Rules of an Assignment

DIS expects that students abide by the highest standards of intellectual honesty in all academic work. DIS assumes that all students do their own work and credit all work or thought taken from others.   Academic dishonesty will result in a final course grade of “F” and can result in dismissal. The students’ home universities will be notified. DIS reserves the right to request that written student assignments be turned in electronic form for submission to plagiarism detection software.  See the Academic Handbook for more information, or ask your instructor if you have questions.

Late papers / projects will be accepted, but late papers / projects will be marked down half a letter grade for every day its late.

Use of laptops or phones in class – The use of electronic devices in class is allowed only for notes or group research.

Please note that the class sessions can be subject to change during the semester

 

Academic Regulations  

Please make sure to read the Academic Regulations on the DIS website. There you will find regulations on:

• Course Enrollment and Grading
• Attendance
• Coursework, Exams, and Final Grade Reports

 

 

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