Key facts
UNE unit code: PEAC388
*You are viewing the 2025 version of this unit which may be subject to change in future.
- Not offered in 2025
- Armidale Campus
- Yes
- No
- No
- 6
Unit information
In this unit you will focus on the experiences of refugees and forced migrants in the 21st Century from the joint perspectives of rights and responsibilities.
Studying this unit, you will start by exploring the conflicts which create refugees around the world, and you will compare and contrast the responses of the developed countries to refugees and asylum seekers, especially over the past decade. In contrast, you will also examine the developing countries’ record of hosting millions of refugees despite their own poverty and challenges.
The linkages between the political manipulation of refugee issues and the fate of multiculturalism and humanitarian values are a major focus of this unit, alongside the reasons for the particular global reactions to ‘boat people’. Refugees’ own perspectives are voiced through their oral histories, writings and creative art, and issues surrounding the creation and treatment of ‘environmental refugees’ are also explored.
Intensive schools
There are no intensive schools required for this unit.
Enrolment rules
Notes
Contribution to online discussion is encouraged.
Please refer to the student handbook for current details on this unit.
Unit coordinator(s)
Learning outcomes
Upon completion of this unit, students will be able to:
- analyse individual country's legal obligations under the 1951 UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Refugee Protocol;
- demonstrate a broad and coherent body of knowledge and a global perspective on the factors which result in the creation of refugee out-flows;
- demonstrate an understanding of the history of developed country attitudes towards asylums seekers and refugees;
- describe government policies towards asylum seekers and refugees in a range of countries across the world;
- document the contributions made by earlier waves of refugees to their host countries; and
- engage in an informed discussion of the issues of racism, religious intolerance and empathy in the refugee context.
Assessment information
Assessments are subject to change up to 8 weeks prior to the start of the teaching period in which you are undertaking the unit.
Title | Must Complete | Weight | Offerings | Assessment Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Assessment 1 | Yes | 40% | All offerings | Essay No. Words: 2000 |
Assessment 2 | Yes | 60% | All offerings | Essay No. Words: 2500 |
Learning resources
Textbooks are subject to change up to 8 weeks prior to the start of the teaching period in which you are undertaking the unit.
Note: Students are expected to purchase prescribed material. Please note that textbook requirements may vary from one teaching period to the next.
Refugees: A Very Short Introduction
ISBN: 9780198811787
Gil Loescher, Oxford University Press 2021
Text refers to: All offerings
Note: Recommended material is held in the University Library — purchase is optional.
What is a Refugee?
ISBN: 9781925321869
Maley, W., Scribe Publications 2016
Text refers to: All offerings
Asylum Speakers: Stories of Migration From the Humans Behind the Headlines
ISBN: 9780241627013
Jaz O'Hara, Dorling Kindersley 2023
Text refers to: All offerings
Refugee Rights and Policy Wrongs
ISBN: 9781742236520
McAdam, J. and Chong, F., University of New South Wales Press 2nd ed. 2019
Text refers to: All offerings
Human Rights Overboard
ISBN: 9781921372407
Briskman, L., Latham, S. and Goddard, C., Scribe Publications 2009
Text refers to: All offerings
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