Course Syllabus

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Migration & the City

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Tensta tunnelbana stationen


Semester & Location:

Summer 2023, Session 2 - DIS Stockholm
Type & Credits:

Summer Course - 3 credits
Study Tour:

Sicily, Italy
Major Disciplines:

anthropology, urban studies, human rights
Faculty:

Tina Mangieri, PhD (current students please use the Canvas Inbox)
Program Director:

Neringa  B. Vendelbo, nb@dis.dk 
Time & Place:

days: weekdays (Monday - Friday)

time: 09.30-12.30, usually* check calendar for deviations

classroom: *D-508* (NEW!)

Course Description

Without migration, would there be cities? Migration is fundamental to creating the cultural and economic vibrancy of urban spaces. Yet we live in a time and in places where those who move – seeking new opportunities or forced through horrific hardships - are labeled “illegal” and, ultimately, unwelcome, and where migration itself is perceived as a crisis potentially contained at national borders.

This course views migration and cities as intertwined and mutually constitutive. Migration has transformed the Stockholm cityscape dramatically in recent years, but the transnational processes of migrant flows have been an indelible force in Europe’s cities for decades/centuries/millenia. With a focus on Stockholm and a comparative study tour to Sicily, we will consider the social and spatial impacts of voluntary and involuntary global migrant movements, the dynamics of displacement and place-making in the built environment, and the complexities and creative strategies of migrant communities in urban spaces. We will consider migration historically, focus on contemporary movements, and approach the study of the city through this often-polarizing lens.

Drawing on migration studies, geography, cultural theory, urban studies, and art & visual culture, we'll consider mobility as a human right - one with an indelible impact on city life and urban spaces.

Learning Objectives

After successful completion of the course, you will be able to:

• Describe the urban environment in Stockholm and its cultural/economic transformations related to migration
• Explain immigration and integration policies in Sweden, and Sicily
• Analyze the complex challenges and possibilities of creating integrative spaces in Stockholm and, comparatively, Palermo, for all 
• Interpret the (migrant) city through multiple sensory perspectives
• Present an editorial argument of your enhanced understandings of migration & cities

Faculty

     Tina, headshot.jpg

Tina Mangieri, PhD

PhD in Geography (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill). Instructor - Stockholm University. Cartographer - Yemen Project, Royal Ontario Museum. Principal Investigator - International Archaeological Research Institute, Inc., Honolulu. Academic Director, Associate Academic Dean, and Academic Dean for Africa - SIT Study Abroad. Fulbright scholar - Kenya. Assistant Professor, Geography - Texas A&M University. Assistant Professor - Champlain College. Director of Experiential Education - NYU Abu Dhabi. Associate Dean for Global Education - Bates College. Associate Academic Director and Director of Research - DIS. With DIS since 2018.

Modules

The course is organized in four (4) modules, corresponding with each week of the term:

• migration & the city: positionalities & policies

In week one, we will focus on an overview of histories, terminologies, and EU-wide policies essential to our understanding of the communities, urban areas, and legislation related to migration and our understanding of cities this term.

• Stockholm, Sweden: migrant city?

We'll turn our attention to Sweden - a significant locus of emigration in the past - while increasing our familiarity with Stockholm's specific urban organization, learning more of the migrant communities that have been fundamental to Stockholm's growth as a city, and exploring Swedish-specific approaches to immigration and integration.

• Palermo, Sicily: city of accommodation

We travel to Palermo - a city that has shaped and been shaped by refugees and migrant arrivals for millennia. We'll meet with civil society organizations, legal advocates, and asylum-seekers themselves, learning how the stated embrace of immigrants in Palermo - at odds with Italian central government policies - is perceived and experienced in the city.

•  Reimagining migration & the city: cities of inclusion & solidarity

With examples from our experiences in Stockholm and Palermo, we'll reflect on the increasing dominance of discourses of exclusion, the creation of integrative political categories capable of inclusivity, rights to the city, and alternative ethics of inclusion and solidarity.  

Readings / Media

All readings and related media are available online, through Canvas. You will not have any textbooks for this course.

Please review the calendar, carefully. Readings and other media listed on a particular date should be read/viewed/consumed prior to class on this date. Come ready to discuss!

Select readings/media:

Field Studies

We will have a series of Stockholm-based field studies throughout the course, to engage intimately with the city. During these field studies, be aware of the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and sense of familiarity - or lack thereof - throughout our explorations. Be curious, attentive, and respectful at all times. 

In addition to these scheduled sessions, we will use additional opportunities - spontaneous or scheduled at short-notice - to learn in the city. Practical information related to each field study will be located in the course calendar.

  • Stockholm Field Study: origins of a city
    • The first field study will focus on the origins of Stockholm - and cities more broadly - through a visit to the Stockholm City Museum. Consider the role of migration in both the historical and contemporary cityscape, through a focus on "founders," subsequent settlers, and the politics of place.
  • Stockholm Field Study: Tensta & Rinkeby
    • How do cities change and how do immigrant communities redefine city spaces? We'll visit two Stockholm suburbs transformed by migration. We'll begin in Tensta, followed by Rinkeby - both transformed from farmland through the Million Program and currently home to a significant population with migrant roots.  
  • Stockholm Field Study: tipspromenad
    • Your chance to lead us around the city, to share the experiences and locations informing your understandings of migration in Stockholm. 

Guest Lecturers

We will have guest lecturers in both Stockholm and Palermo to add multiple perspectives. Additional information is posted in the course calendar.

Approach to Teaching

The course will include interactive lectures, discussions, experiential activities, field studies, guest lectures, simulations, group work, and presentations. 

Expectations

The success of this course depends on my ability to communicate ideas and concepts, on our collective ability to create an environment conducive to learning, and on your commitment to engage in the course material inside and outside class. For this to work, we must treat one another with respect, always.

 Active participation - one of the key components of your grade and one of the most pleasurable aspects of an engaging course - requires preparation. I expect you to have completed the assigned reading(s)/listenings/media viewing(s) before each class and to come with notes, thoughts, and questions. Readings, announcements, details, updates, the course schedule, and communications with one another are on Canvas. Download the Canvas app to your phones and turn on notifications so you stay up-to-date. You are responsible for checking Canvas daily.

Please do the following:

1. Submit assignments on time.
2. Complete all assigned readings/media viewings prior to the designated class.
3. Our time together is short! Be punctual and attend all classes (including field studies and study tour visits), prepared and ready to contribute. Missing classes without a legitimate excuse will result in a lower final grade.
4. Bring a notebook and pen/cil to class for taking notes. Only use laptops when instructed for specific activities. Please switch off your mobile phone during class and resist the urge to text. Please speak with me if you need your device for note-taking. 

Evaluation

The course grade is determined through the following assignments, described below. Additional information needed to complete each assignment will be provided in class.

Grading

Assignment

Percent

active participation

Active participation in class requires arriving on time and being prepared in relation to readings, assignments, presentations, and all course activities outside the classroom. Your engaged participation grade is determined by your involvement in reflections, discussions, and exercises in class - and your attitude! Active participation is essential in the classroom, on field studies and study tour, and in all group work. Attendance is mandatory at all course meetings, including field studies and study tour visits. 

15%

quizzes

Two quizzes (5% each) provide opportunity for a quick check-in - ensuring you are on-track with the basic course information. 

10%

Palermo urban ethnography: Palermitan spaces

two-three page reflection paper OR short video - see the calendar or assignments for description 

25%

op-ed

Your time in Stockholm is short, so connecting your learning here to your lived experience and your life beyond study abroad is vital. It is important to me that you integrate our learning with migration debates and the experience of migrant communities, in cities and towns at "home." This topic is too visceral, too critical, and too global to consider in European isolation. You will end the term with a short essay (400-600 words) - in the style of an op-ed or opinion-piece - intended for publication. The outlet might be the New York Times, your campus paper, or an online journal.

20%

Stockholm urban journal: group work & presentation

“Map” the city: creating an urban ethnography of two areas in and around Stockholm, using public transportation as your guide. You will be assigned a subway or light rail line, selecting two stops on your assigned line for your project. You will focus on the city and how it changes through space. What is the life of the line like? Crowded? Quiet? Above-ground? How does the space change from stop to stop? What do the stations you've selected look like? Describe the economic, cultural, social, political, aesthetic life of the area around each of the two stops: businesses, recreation, art, sounds, smells, characters, clothing, languages, facilities, demographics, food, buildings, transportation systems, waste disposal, landscaping and vegetation, regimes of power and security, surveillance and control. Focus on the what, the why, and the how. Are there differences between day and night? Workday versus weekend? What has been written about the line and the sites along it (you will likely need to translate any readings you find online)? What migration stories can you tell, if any? This assignment is presented in two parts. Please read the calendar for additional information. NOTE: All group participants will complete a peer evaluation, assessing the contributions of each another and themselves. This peer evaluation is factored into the final grade. 

30%

Late Papers / Assignments

I will not remind you to submit your work once a deadline has passed. All late submissions will receive a 0 unless you have communicated with me before the deadline and have received permission to submit your work late. Approved late submissions will be reduced by half a letter grade for each day late.

Electronics

Laptops/tablets/iPads/phones are not permitted to be open and in-use during class unless we are working on specified tasks. Please silence phones during class. If you need your device for note-taking, let's talk. 

Academic Regulations  

Please read the Academic Regulations on the DIS website. There you will find information on: 

 

DIS - Study Abroad in Scandinavia - www.DISabroad.org

 

Course Summary:

Date Details Due