2015: Fortress Europe (V1428)
Time and Place 2015: Fortress Europe and the Migration Crisis
Module V1428
Module details for 2023/24.
15 credits
FHEQ Level 5
Module Outline
2015 marked the height of the European refugee crisis with more than one million seeking refuge in the countries of the European Union after fleeing (civil) war and repressive regimes at home. More than 30,000 have paid with their lives, after a comprehensive system of European border fortifications had forced them onto the open sea. Those lucky to survive were brought to detention centres waiting for their fate to be decided or have started to make a new home in Europe. Others, however, are still on their way towards the Mediterranean Sea for their chance to embark on this perilous journey or find themselves in yet another network of detention camps set up to prevent them ever getting there.
This module will trace how Europe has treated refugees in the last hundred years. We will look at how Europe dealt with at times large numbers of people seeking help and try to understand why this has often resulted in trying to keep them away. We will explore
- the reasons for this ever more stringent approach,
- its implementation from drafting restrictive legislation to setting up specially trained
police forces guarding the borders,
- attempts to enlist the help of other states to prevent refugees ever reaching European borders
- how refugees are housed and treated once they have crossed the border, legally or illegally,
- (political) self-organisation by refugees to safeguard their interest
- the chances of being granted asylum or even integrated into the host society.
In this module we will analyse how national policies in the 20th and 21th Century have contributed to shaping refugee policies in the European Union and how an increasing mobility for citizens inside the member states came to be accompanied by a sealing-off the borders to the outside world, creating a `Fortress Europe'.
Module learning outcomes
Critically evaluate the historiography around a particular moment
Critically evaluate the applicability of historical concepts to particular cases.
Supply evidence of these skills in extended essay form.
Demonstrate ability to use limited amounts of primary source material in extended historical argument
| Type | Timing | Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | 100.00% | |
| Coursework components. Weighted as shown below. | ||
| Essay | A2 Week 1 | 100.00% |
Timing
Submission deadlines may vary for different types of assignment/groups of students.
Weighting
Coursework components (if listed) total 100% of the overall coursework weighting value.
| Term | Method | Duration | Week pattern |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring Semester | Lecture | 1 hour | 11111111111 |
| Spring Semester | Seminar | 2 hours | 10101010100 |
How to read the week pattern
The numbers indicate the weeks of the term and how many events take place each week.
Dr Hana Qugana
Assess convenor
/profiles/526043
Dr Gerhard Wolf
Assess convenor, Convenor
/profiles/100044
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