Global Child Migration

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

This course is a comprehensive look at the mobility of children around the world, the causes and effects from sociological, economic, social psychological and legal perspectives. The class will show why their identity as children, not adult migrants, should drive the way children are processed by immigration authorities and government policies. We will study refugee children seeking asylum and children who are migrating for economic reasons as well as children who are internally displaced inside their country of origin. Special consideration will be given to minors who enter another country not accompanied by parents as well as children accompanied by undocumented migrant parents who enter a country without authorization. The United States previous executive order of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) will be assessed. We will compare the approaches taken by European and other governments. We will look at the many diverse situations of children around the world including the exploitation of children through sexual and labor trafficking and the dangers of cross border smuggling in Africa, Asia and both Latin America and North America. Students will gain a sophisticated understanding of the highly diverse and complex phenomenon of children on the move.