Module Catalogue 2025/26

Pre Requisite Comment

N/A

Co Requisite Comment

N/A

Aims

Recent migration and refugee ‘crises’ in Europe have demonstrated the continued relevance of debates about citizenship, inclusion and exclusion, multiculturalism, and immigration policy. Historians can make important contributions to these debates, by asking questions about the intersections of identities such as gender, class, race, ethnicity, and religion, in the experience of migration, or whether the hostilities experienced by migrant groups at particular historical moments can be linked to wider social tensions. This module aims to contextualise these questions and debates within the history of European immigration since the late 19th century, examining the construction and impact of citizenship and nationality laws, immigration policies, and public discourse in countries such as Britain, France, Germany, Austria, and Hungary. Through a case studies, students will explore political, social, and cultural aspects of immigration: e.g. the role of empire and nation state in shaping citizenship and national belonging; the relationship between citizenship, inclusion, and equality; racism and the rise of the xenophobic right; and the language(s) used to talk and write about migration. In addition to discussing state policies, students will explore migrants’ experiences, voices, and agency through primary sources such as memoirs, interviews, film, and news media, paying attention to often marginalised groups like women, children, people of colour, and (former) colonial subjects.

This module aims:
To introduce students to in-depth study of migration as a specific historical topic using primary source material and historiographical literature;
To enable students to explore the topic through close reading, discussion, and writing;
To provide an opportunity to acquire a sound general knowledge of the subject, reading widely and critically in the primary and secondary literature associated with it, and to develop the capacity for independent study;
To provide students with critical approaches to understand migration as a historical phenomenon and to negotiate debates and discourses on the subject.

Outline Of Syllabus

The module is organised thematically and chronologically into three thematic blocks: Block 1 introduces key concepts and theories to underpin the case studies; Block 2 explores case studies from the 19th and early 20th century; Block 3 focuses on postwar Europe.

Seminar topics may include:
Block 1:
Nation, Empire, and the Invention of Modern Citizenship
Bureaucracies of Identification (The Invention of the Passport)
Borders and Refugees
Block 2:
Jus Soli vs. Jus Sanguinis: Citizenship in 19th-century Germany and France
Insiders and Outsiders in the 19th-century Metropolis
Jewish Refugees in Europe, 1880s-1930s
Child Refugees: The Kindertransport and Holocaust Memory in Britain
Block 3:
Refugees, Displaced Persons, and Guest Workers in Postwar Germany
Race, Gender, and Identity in Postcolonial France
The Windrush Generation
The Roma in Europe

Intended Knowledge Outcomes

Students who complete this module successfully will: 
Have acquired deep knowledge and understanding of the role migration has played in the history of modern Europe.
Be able to evaluate theoretical and conceptual approaches to migration and refugeedom from history and related disciplines.
Understand how the past relates to current and future debates and concerns related to migration in politics, society, and culture.

Intended Skill Outcomes

By the end of this module students will have gained competence in the following key areas:
- Ability to analyse and synthesise a range of primary source materials and to critically evaluate and engage with historiographical and methodological approaches.
- Skills and confidence in close reading and discussion of texts and debates.
- Ability to apply their historical knowledge and research skills to real world scenarios and contemporary debates surrounding migration.

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

Seminars offer students the opportunity to engage with the course themes and material through small group discussion of weekly case studies. Lectures support students’ learning by providing an introduction to core themes and debates underpinning the case studies. Two workshops help students develop skills in locating and analysing contemporary media sources and primary source material for the assessments; further two workshops will support the preparation of the historical think piece and the the research essay. Drop in sessions will provide students with individual and tailored advice in relation to formative and summative assessments.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

The historical think piece is designed to test students’ knowledge of historiographical themes and debates by asking them to read and analyse the language of contemporary media. Reading that material as historians, students will draw on their knowledge and understanding of migration as a historical phenomenon to reflect on the increasingly urgent needs of the present and future. The assessment aims to develop skills to communicate complex ideas and transferrable communication skills.

The essay tests knowledge outcomes and develops skills in research, reading, and writing. Working on a topic of their own choosing will develop students' independent research skills through the in-depth study of a specific historical topic using primary and secondary material. The formative essay plan will allow students to receive feedback on their ideas to support the completion of the essay.

General Notes

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