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    Overview

    Through this course students engage with key contemporary global/regional events, issues and changes through geographical lenses. Migrant workers are a global phenomenon as they work in many different countries, employment contexts and contribute hugely to economic and social development in the contemporary world. Some work transnationally crossing national borders, others are migrant workers in their own countries who travel for employment in other parts of the country.

    Using a migrant worker lens we will be exploring a range of global contexts where workers, employers, families are all included whether as employees, labour brokers, ‘left-behind’ children as parents transmigrate or migrate internally to seek out better prospects and lives for their families.

    About this paper

    Paper title Special Topic in Human Geography
    Subject Geography
    EFTS 0.15
    Points 18 points
    Teaching period Not offered in 2024 (On campus)
    Domestic Tuition Fees ( NZD ) $1,173.30
    International Tuition Fees Tuition Fees for international students are elsewhere on this website.
    Prerequisite
    GEOG 102 or 108 points
    Schedule C
    Arts and Music, Science
    Contact

    geography@otago.ac.nz

    Teaching staff

    Course Co-ordinator: Professor Tracey Skelton

    Paper Structure

    Key features of migration and migrant workers will be examined and explored from different geographical perspectives drawing upon social, cultural and political geographies. Different scales, space, places and geographies will be examined in different country contexts and employment landscapes.

    Key topics will be formations of migration; the diverse roles of workers; gendered issues of migrant employment; displacement issues; family formation/deformation; complexities of transmigration; diverse vulnerabilities, risks and support for migrant workers; climate change and migrant workers.

    Teaching Arrangements

    Assessment – 60% Internal Assessment and 40% Final Examination

    Internal Assessment – 30% Small Group Research Project and 30% Individual Assignment (selected from a range of set topics)
    Final Examination – Answer two of four examination questions

    Textbooks

    A range of readings (textbook and journal) will be offered via eReserve.

    Graduate Attributes Emphasised

    Global perspective, Interdisciplinary perspective, Scholarship, Communication, Cultural understanding, Environmental literacy, Research, Self-motivation, Teamwork.
    View more information about Otago's graduate attributes.

    Learning Outcomes

    Students who successfully complete the paper will:

    • Examine contemporary events, issues and changes through geographical lenses
    • Explore a selection of contemporary issues in great depth
    • Apply geographical knowledge to specific contexts
    • Learn to co-operate and delegate learning and research tasks within through their peer-learning
    • Practice and develop skills in data acquisition from a range of sources
    • Conceptually frame data within scholarly debates and contexts
    • Present a set of coherent analyses and arguments from geographical perspectives determined by the topic area selected and the subsections within this
    • Produce a range of visual texts and written assignments.

    Timetable

    Not offered in 2024

    Location
    Dunedin
    Teaching method
    This paper is taught On Campus
    Learning management system
    Blackboard
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