Migrants, Minorities and Belonging in Denmark

Home , Migration studies, Pakistanis in Denmark

Draft Syllabus

DIS – Danish Institute for Study Abroad, Fall 2017 SOC, 3-credit Elective Course Related Disciplines: Ethnic Studies, Religious Studies, Sociology.

Program Director: Neringa Vendelbo Program Assistant: Alex Berlin

Mondays and Thursdays: 11:40 – 13:00 Location: TBA

Migrant Communities and Religious Diversity in Denmark I DIS – Danish Institute for Study Abroad Related Disciplines: Ethnic Studies, Religious Studies, Sociology.

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Draft Syllabus

Course Description This course is about the story of the lives of migrant communities in Denmark. Migration has never been more relevant as millions of people around the world leave their homes to travel and stay in faraway places in search of work, an education, to form families, or escape from political persecution and civil wars in their homelands. Economic globalization, decolonization, cheap international airfares, the revolution in communication technology, wars, and natural catastrophes have massively increased the movement of people around the world during the last century. Migrating to a new country however involves a new set of challenges for those who are on the move such as finding a new source of livelihood, learning a new language, adapting to new cultural customs, keeping links with the homeland, finding life partners, and raising families in different cultural settings. In Denmark, immigrants are often portrayed in rather stereotypical ways such as “good, hard-working, and high skilled” professionals, religious extremists, or parasites on the Danish welfare system. This course aims at challenging such stereotypes, nuancing the debate on immigration in Denmark by focusing on the diversity and experiences of a variety of immigrant communities that come from different national, ethnic, religious and socio-economic backgrounds.

Learning Objectives By the end of course, students should be able to

 Explain concepts and theories of migration and integration covered in the course

 Evaluate immigration laws, policies, and debates in Denmark with reference to class discussions, obligatory course readings, and Danish/international media reports

 Compare and contrast experiences and challenges faced by migrant communities and religious minorities in Denmark in terms of work, religious, family and social life from their own point of view with the viewpoints of Danish/international media

The course is divided into four parts:

Part I: Understanding Migration. In the two (2) introductory sessions, we will discuss the following concepts and approaches to explain the phenomenon of migration and its effects on migrant communities, their self-perceptions, perceptions of the host country and their linkages with their countries of origin: (a) global migration, transnationalism and diaspora and; (b) travel, mobility and cultural identities: immigrant racialization in contemporary Europe Part II: Immigration in Denmark: Laws and Integration Policies. This module includes seven (7) sessions which will deal with (a) Immigration in Denmark from late 1960s onwards: Integration policies; (b) Current Refugee Crisis and Europe; (c) Migrant Life in Denmark: Asylum-seekers and Refugees in Denmark; (d) Labour Migrants from Central and Eastern European Countries and ‘Social Dumping’; (e) High-Skilled Migrant Life in Denmark; (f) Migrant Life in Denmark: Health and Linguistic Challenges; and (g) Migrant Life in Denmark: Health and Linguistic Challenges.

Migrant Communities and Religious Diversity in Denmark I DIS – Danish Institute for Study Abroad Related Disciplines: Ethnic Studies, Religious Studies, Sociology.

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Part III: Immigrant Communities in Denmark. This part includes four (5) sessions which will examine diverse immigrant communities in Denmark, their background for immigration, opportunities available to them and challenges they may have faced in terms of family life, business, job market, food, language, and religious practices. This part of the course will also explore the modes of interaction that immigrants have with the host society. These are (a) Pakistani Migrant Community; (b) Turkish Mirgant Community; (c) German Minority in Denmark; (d) Chinese and African migrants (mainly including Somalis and Ghanaians); and (e) American immigrant community.

Part IV. Religious (and other) Minorities. This part will deal with key religious (and other) minority communities, their life and experiences in Denmark. The four (4) sessions will be dedicated to (a) Jews in Denmark; (b) Muslims in Denmark; (c) Sikhs, Hindus, and Buddhists in Denmark; and (d) LGBT.

Teaching Approach This course will use a combination of lectures, class activities, group work, debates, student presentations, exercises, fieldwork and cases. Similarly, field studies are meant to complement the course work by placing you in the practical field to extend and rethink what you read about, discuss in class, and encounter in real life situations. Similarly, by way of writing an academic paper, the students will have the opportunity of gaining an in-depth knowledge of the subject.

Students are expected to be: a) active participants in class discussions b) regularly study course readings to have background knowledge of topics discussed in class c) collaborate in groups during class time for knowledge exchange d) bring their journal to class and write in it frequently e) take an active part in creating a sincere, interesting, and safe classroom environment

Attendance You are expected to attend all DIS classes when scheduled. If you miss a class for any reason, please contact the faculty no later than the day of the missed class. If you miss multiple classes the Director of Teaching and Learning, and the Director of Student Affairs will be notified and they will follow-up with you to make sure that all is well. Absences will jeopardize your grade and your standing at DIS. Allowances will be made in cases of illness, but in the case of multiple absences you will need to provide a doctor’s note.

Academic Honesty Plagiarism and Violating the Rules of an Assignment DIS expects that students abide by the highest standards of intellectual honesty in all academic work. DIS assumes that all students do their own work and credit all work or thought taken from others. Academic dishonesty will result in a final course grade of “F” and can result in dismissal. The students’ home universities will be notified. DIS reserves the right to request that written student assignments be turned in electronic form for submission to plagiarism

Migrant Communities and Religious Diversity in Denmark I DIS – Danish Institute for Study Abroad Related Disciplines: Ethnic Studies, Religious Studies, Sociology.

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Draft Syllabus

detection software. See the Academic Handbook for more information, or ask your instructor if you have questions.

Use of Laptops or Phones in Class Computers and iPhones are allowed in class PURELY for note taking purposes as well as making online search for topics as class exercises. In case of other uses such as Facebook, emails or internet surfing, it will have a negative impact on your participation grade. Cell phones are to be shut off during class and texting/SMS'ing etc. during class will have a negative impact on your participation grade. It is important that we create a collaborative and engaging class culture.

Program contact details This course falls under the Sociology Program. If you have any questions or concerns with this course, please contact one of the following people:

Neringa Bigailaite Vendelbo Alex Berlin Program Director, SOC Program Assistant, SOC V5.25 V5.25

Course Requirements Class attendance and field study trips are mandatory. The final grade will be based on the following evaluation: Assignment Percentage Pages

Engagement & Class 20% n.a. Participation

10% n.a. Class Assignment (Quiz)

Interview + Class 15% + 15% n.a. Presentations

Migrant Communities and Religious Diversity in Denmark I DIS – Danish Institute for Study Abroad Related Disciplines: Ethnic Studies, Religious Studies, Sociology.

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Final Paper

Submission of Research Question

Submission of a brief written 40% 6-9 account of DataCollection/Literature Review

First Draft

Final Paper

Engagement 20% means being on time and attending classes and field studies, doing the readings, meeting assignment deadlines, and, most importantly, being actively engaged in all class sessions. Contribution to the class is critical for both individual and class success. The quality of each student’s work on group activities will be considered as part of the class participation grade. In other words, it will not be enough to “be there” for a group activity; YOU MUST BE A PRODUCTIVE PARTICIPANT in the process and your work must contribute significantly to the final product. I expect students to come to class having completed the assignments thoroughly and thoughtfully and, therefore, to arrive ready to discuss, debate, engage, reflect, and question. I expect students to respect various points of view, but also to challenge one another’s thinking and my thinking too. Good class participation is not the same as “talking the most” rather, a measure of each student’s contributions to our shared learning experiences. Class Assignment 10%: You will be given a quiz based on the course materials covered so far in class. Details will be provided in class prior to the quiz. Interview + Class Presentation 15% + 15%: In this assignment, you are required to form groups, and make class presentations. You will self-divide into groups of 3-5, and will be required to do background research on one immigrant/minority organization that each group has chosen to talk about. Groups should contact the chosen migrant/minority organization, conduct an interview with one or more member(s) of this organization prior to your class presentation. The grade for the interview would depend on your ability to contact a migrant/minority organization, set up an appointment for an interview, prepare an interview guide that is based on the course learning objectives and other themes relevant for the course and finally conduct a semi-structured interview with the members of the

Migrant Communities and Religious Diversity in Denmark I DIS – Danish Institute for Study Abroad Related Disciplines: Ethnic Studies, Religious Studies, Sociology.

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organization. In class, your group should then make a PowerPoint presentation which is followed by a discussion of your topic with fellow classmates. Apart from brief profiles of the organization, class presentation should provide answers to the following questions: a) What were the motives for the members of this organization to come to Denmark?; b) What are the socio-cultural and socio-economic backgrounds of the members of this organization?; c) What are the most significant challenges members of this organization face in Denmark in terms of their work, social, religious, family life or interaction with Danish state authorities?; d) How do they cope with these challenges? Your presentation will be assessed by the course instructor.

Final Paper 40% Toward the end of the course, you are required to submit a paper on one of the topics covered in the course curriculum. The process of writing your final paper will be divided into four parts. During the first four weeks of the course, you will be developing a research question under my supervision. We will also devote at least two sessions on how a research question is formulated, how empirical data is generated, how relevant theories are selected, and how analysis of the empirical data is conducted. You will have the chance to submit first draft of your paper to me, get feedback and continue writing the final draft of the paper. You are asked to write a 8-10 page (double spaced) paper. It is an individual paper.

Guidelines for the written assignments*: All assignments must be double-spaced, Times New Roman 12-point font, 1-inch margins. At DIS, one page equals 300 words. You are expected to use correct citing formats (either APA or MLA) on all assignments. See http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/2/ for guidelines concerning the two different citing formats. Papers not adhering to these guidelines will be deducted points.* Detailed information about the assignments will be presented in class.

The D or F paper either has no main argument or has one that is strikingly vague, broad or uninteresting with little indication that the writer understands the material being presented. The paragraphs do not hold together; ideas do not develop from sentence to sentence. The paper has mechanical faults, errors in grammar and spelling. The B paper is well organized, it presents a worthwhile and interesting idea, and the idea is supported by sound evidence presented in a neat and orderly way. The spelling is good, and the punctuation is accurate. Above all, the paper makes sense throughout. It has a thesis that is limited and worth arguing. The A paper has all the good qualities of the B paper, but in addition it is lively, well paced, interesting, even exciting. The paper has style. Everything in it seems to fit the thesis exactly. Reading the paper, we can feel a mind at work. We are convinced that the writer cares for his or her ideas, and about the language used to express them.

To be eligible for passing this class, you must complete all of the assigned work.

Field Studies- Examples of Previous Field Studies  Meeting with Anna Mee Allerslev, Mayor of Employment & Integration, Copenhagen Kommune  A Stroll Through Superkilen and Jægersborggade in Nørrebro Migrant Communities and Religious Diversity in Denmark I DIS – Danish Institute for Study Abroad Related Disciplines: Ethnic Studies, Religious Studies, Sociology.

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Course Schedule Course Schedule, in terms of subjects and readings, may be subject to change to benefit student learning and in keeping up to date with current research.

PART I THEORETICAL CONCEPTS FOR UNDERSTANDING MIGRATION, TRANSNATIONALISM AND BELONGING

Session 1: Global Migration, Transnationalism, and Diaspora

Main points of attention for your preparation to class:  Migration as physical travel as well as travel across time, cultures, political landscapes, and income differences.  Migration: Belonging and citizenship  What are diaspora communities?  What are transnational ties? The individual level, The collective level, The public sphere

Readings on Canvas

Rainer Bauböck & Thomas Faist (eds.). Diaspora and Transnationalism: Concepts, Theories and Methods. Amsterdam University Press 2010. Chapter 2: Bruneau,

Michel (2010). “Diasporas, transnational spaces and communities”, pp.35-49. Chapter 10: Boccaigni, Paolo (2010). “Private, Public of both? On the scope and impact of transnationalism in immigrants’ everyday lives”, pp.185-203.

Session 2: Travel, Mobility and Cultural Identities: Immigrant Racialization in Contemporary Europe

Main points of attention for your preparation to class:  Categorizing migrants into overlapping tropes of the nomad, the laborer, the uprooted victim, the hybrid cosmopolite, and the (Muslim) transmigrant.

 Perceiving and defining the immigrant

 Travel/migration as a source of creation of mobile spaces, places, landscapes and identities with familiarity and difference.  Links between processes of human displacement and existing and newly Migrant Communities and Religious Diversity in Denmark I DIS – Danish Institute for Study Abroad Related Disciplines: Ethnic Studies, Religious Studies, Sociology.

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emerging identities

Readings on Canvas

Paul A. Silverstein (2005). Immigrant Racialization and the New Savage Slot: Race, Migration, and Immigration in the New Europe, Annual Review of Anthropology, Vol. 34, 363-384.

Recommended Myrberg, Gunnar. 2010. “Who is an Immigrant?”, in Bo Bengtsson, et al. (eds.) Diversity, Inclusion and Citizenship in Scandinavia, New Castle: Cambridge Scholars Publishing. pp.47-73.

PART II IMMIGRATION TO DENMARK: LAWS AND INTEGRATION POLICIES

Session 3: 1. Immigration in Denmark from late 1960s onwards: Integration policies.

2. Discussion based on current newspaper and electronic media and public debates regarding immigration and integration policies and challenges therein. What are the media of communication mainly focused on? What DOES NOT catch media attention and WHY?

Main points of attention for your preparation to class:  Different Ways of Understanding the Term Integration

 Development of Danish immigration laws and integration policies.

Reading 1. Heidi Vad Jønsson and Klaus Petersen (2012). Denmark: A National Welfare State Meets the World, in Grene Brochmann & Anniken Hagelund (eds.) Immigration Policy and the Scandinavian Welfare State 1945-2010. Palgrave Macmillan. 2. Per Mauritsen & Christine Hovmark Jensen (2014). Integration Policies in Denmark. INTERACT Research Report 2014/06. European University Institute. 3. Line Vikkelsø-Slot & Ulf Hedetoft (eds.). (2004) Migrants, Minorities, Belonging and Citizenship: Glocalization and Participation Dilemmas in EU and Small States. The Case of Denmark. Glocalmig Series. International Migration and Ethnic Relations. BRIC Bergen. University of Bergen. Pp. 1-56

Session 4: How to Write an Academic Paper? How to formulate a Research Question?

Guest Lecturer: Dr. Peter Lund-Thomsen, Associate Professor, Department of

Migrant Communities and Religious Diversity in Denmark I DIS – Danish Institute for Study Abroad Related Disciplines: Ethnic Studies, Religious Studies, Sociology.

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Intercultural Communication and Management, CBS

Session 5: Current Refugee Crisis and Europe 1. EU-Turkey Agreement 2. Tension between EU Countries: Denmark and Sweden 3. Increase in European Border Control 4. Brexit

Readings Articles from newspapers and other online sources will be posted on Canvas which should be read prior to class.

CORE COURES WEEK - No elective classes

Session 6: Class Assignment – Quiz

Group formation topic selection for Class Presentations – A list of immigrant/minority organizations will be handed out for students to contact for interview appointments

Session 7: Migrant Life in Denmark: Asylum-seekers and Refugees in Denmark

Guest Talk: Members of ASIG (Asylum Seekers Information Group) TBA!

Main points of attention from reading material:  Family life at Danish refugee centers  Well-being of refugees in asylum centers  Whose definition of integration? Refugees in Scandinavian Welfare Societies

Reading on Canvas

1. Kathrine Vitus (2011). Zones of indistinction: family life in Danish asylum centres, Distinktion: Scandinavian Journal of Social Theory, 12:1, 95-112.

2. Karen Fog Olwig (2011). ‘Integration’: Migrants and Refugees between Scandinavian Welfare Societies and Family Relations, Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 37:2, 179-196.

Session 8: Labour Migrants from Central and Eastern European Countries and ‘Social Dumping’

Migrant Communities and Religious Diversity in Denmark I DIS – Danish Institute for Study Abroad Related Disciplines: Ethnic Studies, Religious Studies, Sociology.

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Monday Main points of attention from reading material:

 What are the patterns of migration, working conditions and recruitment practices among the migrants from Central & Eastern Europe?  What is ‘social dumping’ and what are the challenges associated with it?

Readings 1. Friberg, J.H., et al. (2013). “Labour market regulation, migrant workers and varies of ‘social dumping’ in Oslo, Copenhagen and Reykjavik”, in Jon Horgen Friberg and Line Eldring (eds.) Labour Migrants from Central and Eastern Europe in the Nordic Countries: Patterns of Migration, Working Conditions and Recruitment Practices. Nordic Council of Ministers, Denmark. Pp. 45-58. 2. Stuvøy, I. and Andersen, S. K. (2013). “Temporary staffing and labour migration to Denmark”, in in Jon Horgen Friberg and Line Eldring (eds.) Labour Migrants from Central and Eastern Europe in the Nordic Countries: Patterns of Migration, Working Conditions and Recruitment Practices. Nordic Council of Ministers, Denmark. Pp 231-271. FIELD STUDY Field Study Trip

Meeting with Anna Mee Allerslev, Mayor of Employment & Integration, Copenhagen Municipality

Session 9: High-Skilled Migrant Life in Denmark

Guest Lecture: Dr. Sudhanshu Rai, Associate Professor, Department of Intercultural Communication & Management, CBS

Main points of attention for your preparation to class:  Immigrants’ incorporation in Danish labor market  High-skilled immigrants and paths to economic opportunities in Denmark

Reading Dr Anika Liversage (2009). Finding a Path: Investigating the Labour Market Trajectories of High-Skilled Immigrants in Denmark, Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 35:2, 203-226.

Session 10: Class Presentations

Migrant Communities and Religious Diversity in Denmark I DIS – Danish Institute for Study Abroad Related Disciplines: Ethnic Studies, Religious Studies, Sociology.

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Session 11 Class Presentations

LONG TOUR 1/BREAK 2 - No elective classes

During the first half of class, we will discuss methods of data collection as well as literature review for your final paper Session 12: Migrant Life in Denmark: Health and Linguistic Challenges

(Class Exercise: Find stories in the electronic and print media regarding challenges in migrants’ access to health system and learning the language)