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851-0014-00L 3 Credits BSC , DS , MSC , NDS D-GESS , D-ARCH

Interdisciplinary Seminar on Migration and Mobility

Lecturers & Examiners: Dr. Elena Valdameri, Dr. Lisa Schurrer
The course addresses primarily Master's students of the D-GESS.
VVZ CR n/a

Last Updated: 2026-02-05 16:08:37

Abstract

This course aims to approach the phenomenon of migration from different scientific disciplines, namely history, political science, philosophy and policy analysis. While the different disciplines are introduced in the first part of the seminar, the students will apply and deepen their newly acquired skills in interdisciplinary groups.The course addresses primarily Master's students of the D-GESS.

Objective

Students shall gain insights into research methods beyond their own disciplinary background and acquire the ability to collaborate in interdisciplinary settings. Engaging with different approaches to migration and mobility and adopting an interdisciplinary lens to the topic will enable students to recognize that the integration of other perspectives can be helpful to enhance their knowledge.

Content

On a curricular level, students at the D-GESS are usually not in touch with each other, despite the interesting common threads existing between the BA Staatswissenschaften, MA CIS, MA GPW and MSc STP programmes. Considering the increasing call for interdisciplinarity exchange in university teaching, a course on migration and mobility seems promising in connecting the different disciplines and in providing a fruitful experience for everybody involved, offering the opportunity to create a collaborative learning environment. As a matter of fact, being core topics of our global and interconnected world and having shaped human societies historically, migration and mobility are phenomena that can be analyzed from very different perspectives and can include issues as diverse as migrating people, the circulation of ideas and goods, knowledge transfers, transportation and pollution, religious peregrination, etc. The seminar has a twofold structure: during the first part, researchers provide a short introduction into migration and mobility from their respective disciplines, present related themes and explain the different methodologies in order to offer an insight into their approach on the topic. The second part consists of interdisciplinary group activities by the students based on the previous sessions and on the assigned reading material, where they will apply and deepen their newly acquired skills. Together, the focus of the seminar is to enhance students’ ability to critically engage with research methods beyond their fields. A further goal of the seminar is to make the results of the group work visible to a broader public through channels that will be discussed with the students during the course.

General Information

Language
English
Levels
BSC , DS , MSC , NDS

Examination

Type
graded semester performance
Group presentation and final paper (format TBD)

Registration & Places

Max Places
35

Course Components

Type Title Time & Place Hours
seminar Interdisciplinary Seminar on Migration and Mobility
  • Fri 14:15-16:00 (IFW B 42)
2 h weekly

Offered In