Borders and Immigration

Today, the movement of peoples across the Earth and consistent attempts to control or prevent that movement are ubiquitous global phenomena. There is hardly any land on the planet that is not claimed as the territory of one state or another. Borders have become the most common, although by no means only, site in which states try to assert their power over movement. The causes, impacts, and ethical stakes of border crossings have become fixtures of both national and international political discourse.

This course will examine questions about the politics and ethics of borders and immigration in the modern world. To inform our discussion, we will engage with ideas from a variety of disciplinary perspectives, including political theory, history, law, political science, and sociology. While this course will focus on the US context and pay special attention to the history and dynamics of US immigration policy, we will also survey how immigration and borders intersect with global politics.

This course is designed to be a 6-week intensive class. The first two weeks concern foundational questions and key concepts. These include the question of what constitutes membership in a political community (citizenship), what exactly borders are and what functions they serve.  Week 3 turns to the question of why people migrate, what the most prominent migration policy regimes are, and the history and present state of American immigration policy. Week 4 turns to the moral question of whether states should be entitled to their territory and, if so, whether they have a right to control their borders. We will examine debates both for and against open borders. Week 5 examines further questions on who immigration regimes prioritize and who they do not. Week 6 turns to the causes, law, and ethics of refugees and asylum seekers.