WNGERII916: Contested Identities in Displacement: Dilemmas for Global Refugee Education

Main Learning Objectives
The main goal of the course is to introduce PhD students to current dilemmas of global refugee education as it relates to identity formation.
More specifically, the course problematizes the notion of identity (and identity formation) by looking at situations where children and youth grow up in displacement, including in refugee camps in the Global South, and among asylum-seekers and refugee children in the Global North. Students will engage with this subject-matter through case studies and will critically examine the role of education in perpetuating (and potentially mitigating) issues of identity among children and youth who are trapped in involuntary exile.

Key content
• Theories of identity formation
• Political global drivers of protracted displacement
• Identity and belonging in context of displacement
• Global refugee education

By completing the course, the Ph.D. students will have met the following learning objectives, which are here categorised as knowledge, skills, and general competence:

Knowledge
Upon completing the course, the student…
• can outline key theories related to identity formation and contestation.
• possesses knowledge of global political drivers of the ‘Global Refugee Crisis’, specifically as it relates protracted refugee situations.
• is familiar with current research in the field of global refugee education and identity formation in contexts of long-term displacement.
• possesses specialized knowledge on the link between identify formation and education in displacement, within a chosen focus area (demonstrated through the written assignment).

Skills
Upon completing the course, the student…
• can explain how global politics influence displacement and refugee education;
• can apply abstract theories of identity to concrete cases and lived experiences of people trapped in displacement.
• is able to challenge established conceptualizations of identity formation, specifically as it relates to children and youth in protracted displacement;
• can argue for different educational and pedagogical approaches to the challenges presented by global forced displacement;
• can process and analyse relevant literature as it relates to a topic of their choice.
• demonstrates the ability to form a coherent and theoretically grounded argument on the link between identity formation and global refugee education.

General Competence
Upon completing the course, the student…
• is able to masters relevant terminology within the field of identity formation, forced displacement, and global refugee education.
• is able to formulate research statements and -questions based in the fields of forced migration, refugee education, and identity formation in contexts of displacement;
• is able to communicate the significance of identity formation in contexts of forced displacement, and its implications for refugee education.

The maximum number of course participants is 20. PhD candidates from WNGERII member institutions will be prioritized.