PACS 3540: Migration, Human Rights, and Conflict in the Mediterranean (Maymester)

collage of peacebuilding images

About the Course

*Please note that this course is suspended until Maymester 2023 due to the Covid-19 emergency.

The purpose of this 3-credit global seminar is to introduce students to the complex phenomenon of international migration, particularly in the context of Malta. Malta is a European Union member state comprised of three islands in the Eastern Mediterranean. Over the last decade, Malta -- along with EU members Greece and Italy -- has been disproportionately affected by the challenges of irregular migration, caused in part by wars and degraded economic opportunities in the Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa. However, the challenges of migration are not just limited to these countries. Across the whole of EU, migration has become a rallying point for a resurgent nationalism and violence, placing enormous stress on governing bodies and local populations to balance the needs of their communities with their responsibilities to upholding international law.

structure in malta
As part of the Peace, Conflict, and Security Program (PACS) at CU Boulder, this seminar provides students with an opportunity to meet local and international actors working in the areas of migration, conflict, and human rights in Malta. Students will interact with local NGOs and activists, as well as receive presentations from European Asylum Support Office (EASO), Maltese government officials, and representatives from the United States Embassy. The global seminar will be run in partnership with Dr. Omar Grech of the University of Malta’s Centre for the Study and Practice of Conflict Resolution.

To view costs and more specific details on the seminar, please see the listing on CU Education Abroad's website here. This seminar is restricted to 15 students and takes place Maymester of each year.

A $500 scholarship is available to select students. Students must be registered for the PACS Certificate and have completed both PACS 2500 and PACS 3700 or PACS 3850 prior to the start of the global seminar. Please contact seminar director, Dr. Michael English, for more information. Scholarships for the seminar are partially funded through the generosity of The Colorado Peace Studies Endowment and its donors.

Syllabi

This course is offered during Maymester. A copy of a previous syllabus is available here.

Class Attributes

  • This course counts for Arts & Sciences General Education: Distribution-Social Sciences

  • This course counts for Arts & Sciences General Education: Diversity-Global Perspective

  • This course counts under the European Geographic Concentration for International Affairs Majors

  • This course is cross-listed as IAFS 3540 for International Affairs Majors

  • This course counts as an elective for students registered for the PACS Certificate