| Unit name | Gender, Family and Migration |
|---|---|
| Unit code | SOCIM0023 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Yazici |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
Why is this unit important?
Migration is a key topic in contemporary political and public discourse, but the importance of gender and family to understanding patterns, processes, experiences and consequences of migration are often neglected. Portrayals of migration are often highly gendered – migrant men often presented as threatening ‘others’, whilst migrant women and children denote vulnerability (as refugees, or trafficking victims). Some migration routes are highly gendered – such as migrant domestic work, but what are the implications for migrant men who find employment in these areas? Migration separates and reconfigures families, whilst immigration regimes are often based on normative models of family. Gender and family are thus crucial in understanding contemporary migration, migration policies and the lived experiences of migration.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
The unit will be highly useful for students across all programmes as it introduces them to the importance of gender and family to understanding patterns, processes, experiences and consequences of migration. Students will therefore be able to situate, understand and evaluate research, ideas and public discourses on migration in a new way. The unit will also be very useful for developing and enriching dissertation projects, by encouraging students to draw connections and mutual analysis across conceptual and empirical approaches, and between different geographical contexts.
An overview of content
This unit explores the importance of gender and family relationships for understanding international migration, and the impacts of migration on gendered relationships and statuses. It allows students to gain a nuanced understanding of the centrality of gender and kinship relationships for understanding migration patterns, the experiences of migrant men and women, the implication of immigration regulations, and the development and characteristics of transnational families. It does so through a thematic structure dealing with key debates and developments in the field such as: the ‘feminisation’ of migration; gender and migration theory; gendered labour market engagements (including migrant domestic and construction workers); sex trafficking and prostitution; marriage-related migration; gender, refugees and asylum; sexuality and migration; men and women ‘left behind’; transnational family relationships; and the impact of intersectional identities in migration-receiving contexts.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
Students on this unit will learn:
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the unit, students will be able to:
The unit employs a range of learning methods including a mix of synchronous and asynchronous teaching. Weekly short lectures sketch out the area of study for the week, whilst more depth is provided through readings and seminar discussion. Flipped classroom methods are employed through student-led presentation and discussion. Film excerpts are used to bring migrant voices into the classroom and stimulate discussion. A range of further learning activities provide variation (e.g. immigration policy workshop, working with interview transcripts, news clipping).
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
1000 word essay plan
The essay plan will help students develop their ideas for the summative essay. Feedback provided for the formative piece of work will help students develop writing skills, i.e. work on clear essay structure and build critical and convincing arguments in the summative essay.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
3000 word essay (100%) (ILOs 1,2,3,4).
When assessment does not go to plan
You will normally complete reassessments in the same format as outlined above. You will be required to complete a different assessment question.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. SOCIM0023).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
