XYHX010 Refugee Resettlement and Integration (2–4 cr)

Content

Jyväskylä is one of the places where growing numbers of refugees are settling. This course offers students insight into the reasons behind the refugee flows, how Finland is responding in policy, and a range of challenges and possibilities created by refugee flows at a local and everyday level.

Topics
- Introduction to refugee politics and law
- Finnish policy and practices regarding refugee admission and integration
- How refugees’ background and experiences affect their adaptation to a new environment
- Interpersonal relationships within integration process (developing new relationships, dealing with losses, transnational networks)
- Trust and social support among refugees and officials, neighbors, etc.
- Conflicts over belonging and national identities /
- As part of the process, we will examine questions of where integration happens and how can we understand the range of responses among Finns.

Completion methods

The pedagogical foundation relies heavily on experiential learning (e.g. Kolb) and active learning (e.g. Bonwell & Eison; Revans). Learning methods include lectures, readings (to be specified later) discussions and exercises during the classes. Further, field visits, individual / group assignments are to be completed during the course, partly outside the lecture hours. Students are encouraged to contribute to the lectures actively through discussions.