2022 Fall
SOCIOL C146M 001 - LEC 001
Membership and Migration: Empirical and Normative Perspectives
Sarah Song, Irene Bloemraad
Class #:31386
Units: 4
Instruction Mode:
In-Person Instruction
Offered through
Sociology
Current Enrollment
Total Open Seats:
3
Enrolled: 72
Waitlisted: 0
Capacity: 75
Waitlist Max: 0
No Reserved Seats
Also offered as:
LEGALST C134
Hours & Workload
3 hours of instructor presentation of course materials per week, 8 hours of outside work hours per week, and 1 hours of the exchange of opinions or questions on course material per week.
Final Exam
TUE, DECEMBER 13TH
08:00 am - 11:00 am
Birge 50
Other classes by Sarah Song
Other classes by Irene Bloemraad
Course Catalog Description
We will explore questions about migration and membership in the contemporary world by drawing on empirical and normative perspectives. By “empirical,” we investigate what social science evidence tells us about the drivers of migration or the benefits of citizenship. By “normative,” we think through questions of what a society ought to do: what is the morally right, just, or fair thing to do about issues of migration and citizenship?
Class Description
Migration and Membership: Empirical and Normative Perspectives
Fall 2022
(Legal Studies C134 | Sociology C146M)
In this course we will explore questions about migration and membership in the contemporary world by drawing on empirical and normative perspectives. By “empirical,” we investigate what social science evidence tells us about the drivers of migration or the benefits of citizenship. By “normative,” we think through questions of what a society ought to do: what is the morally right, just, or fair thing to do about issues of migration and citizenship?
The first half of the course will focus on membership. How should we conceive of membership—as a formal legal status (e.g., citizenship status), entitlement to a set of rights, active participation in self-governance, an identity, or something else? What is the relationship between membership, on the one hand, and class, race, gender, sexuality, and national origin, on the other? What rights have historically been associated with citizenship status, and what rights have been extended to noncitizens living in a country? How is citizenship acquired? How should it be acquired? What would cosmopolitan citizenship look like?
The second half of the course will focus on migration. Why do people migrate across international borders? Should people be allowed to migrate across borders? States exert control over migration but what, if anything, justifies this control? What is the impact of migration on sending countries, receiving countries, and migrants themselves? What are the key dynamics in the history and politics of immigration and how do they shape immigration policymaking? What are the current immigration categories and priorities in U.S. immigration law? What kinds of immigration policies should the U.S. and other liberal democratic countries pursue?
This will be a demanding and rewarding class, requiring that you move back and forth between different types of thinking, from data and evidence-based evaluation to reflection on normative questions about justice and fairness. We expect all students to treat each other – and their ideas – with respect, even as we might disagree with each other.
Rules & Requirements
Repeat Rules
Course is not repeatable for credit.
Requirements class fulfills
Meets Philosophy & Values, L&S Breadth
Meets Social & Behavioral Sciences, L&S Breadth
Reserved Seats
Current Enrollment
No Reserved Seats
Textbooks & Materials
See class syllabus or https://calstudentstore.berkeley.edu/textbooks for the most current information.
Guide to Open, Free, & Affordable Course Materials