67711 - Sociology of Asian Countries

Course contents

MIGRANTS, DIASPORAS AND THE CITY 

The course consists of two parts, the first one will focus on research methodologies in social sciences; the second one will deal with the contribution of migrants to the revitalization of urban areas. 

1. Social Science Field Research

This part of the course is an introduction to some research methodologies in social sciences. The course will address research design, some outstanding methodologies for fieldwork, the value of combining methods and tools to strengthen research design.  Irreverence and commitment to honesty will be highlighted. Students will be encouraged to experiment fieldwork. 

2. Migrants and the city

    A. Rethinking migration and migrants   The course will present the reconceptualization of international migration taking place in the last decades. Previously adopted theoretical approaches to migration did not adequately come to terms with the complexity of the evolving situation  and new approaches had to be adopted. Emphasis has shifted to the migrants themselves, now seen as active agents of migration and in the reshaping of the cities in which they settle, and on the structural conditions that contribute to determine the pathway of socio-economic emplacement of migrants.

   

B. Migrants and the city  This part will focus on migration involving China and Japan (in terms of immigration and outmigration) and their effects on the involved cities. A number of videos (in English) produced in the last years will complement the course.

 

Readings/Bibliography

* Handouts will be provided by the instructor

Teaching methods

Classroom teaching;

ppt presentations, video clips watching and commenting

Assessment methods

Written exam with four open questions based on the course program. The student will be evaluated for their comprehension of the relevant issues and their ability to answer the questions using the proper register. For each question an answer of about one page is expected. Answer are marked from 0 to 7,5. The duration of the exam will be two hours and a half. 

The written exam can be reduced for those students that will do one or more of the following:

1: a presentation followed by discussion with the class of scientific paper/s chosen by the instructor. The number of the questions to be answered will be reduced to three. 

2. a presentation followed by discussion with the class of video/s different from those already included in the program. The number of the questions to be answered will be reduced to three. 

3. a long interview (at least one hour) or more short interviews with people knowledgeable in the subject on issues discussed in class. The interview/s should be transcribed, commented in a written form and presented to the class. The number of the questions to be answered will be reduced to three. 

Teaching tools

multi media tools

Office hours

See the website of Antonella Ceccagno