Course Description:
Worldwide international migration is a large and growing phenomenon, with more than 200 million people now living outside of their home countries for extended periods. Understanding the complex dynamics behind international migration is essential to improved policies and programs to address the multiple causes and consequences of these movements of people. This course provides an overview of international migration numbers and trends, causes of population movements, the impact of international migration on source and receiving countries, and policy responses to population movements. The course also provides an introduction to the major theories underpinning the study of international migration, including the new economics of labor migration, dual labour market theory, world systems theory, cumulative causation, and migration networks theory. The course focuses attention on domestic and international legal regimes regarding migration, examining laws, major legal cases and regulatory frameworks.

Course Assignment:

Course participants must complete and submit a 10-page research paper or legal analysis after the conclusion of the course to successfully complete the course.  The topic will be decided by the student and faculty.  Participants receive access to Georgetown University's electronic research databases and data sets as a resource. 

Course Objectives:
At the completion of the course, a successful student will be able to:
• Discuss domestic and international legal regimes regarding migration.
• Examine laws, major legal cases, and regulatory frameworks.
• Produce a policy-oriented research report on a topic of interest using current migration data and sources of information.