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Migration and Development (DEVT90067)

Graduate courseworkPoints: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)

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Overview

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July - On Campus
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Migration is a powerful driver of social change across the contemporary world. This subject explores the key issues and debates at the intersection of migration and development, drawing on conceptual, theoretical, and empirical work in economics, development studies, gender studies, human geography, anthropology, sociology, demography, and political science. Through class debates and practical exercises, students will engage critically with the conceptual models and theoretical frameworks used to analyse migration and its impacts on development. Core concepts - including transnationalism, neoliberalism, forced migration, global care chains, governmentality, and global householding - will be examined and critiqued. The subject also considers the economic, social, and cultural implications of migration for development processes at both micro and macro levels, assessing its relationship to broader debates on globalisation, poverty, gender, and social change.

Intended learning outcomes

On completion of this subject, students should be able to:

  • Explain the range of factors and circumstances that drive human mobility in the contemporary world
  • Analyse the implications of migration for development processes
  • Recognise and apply different scales of analysis - global, national, and local - when examining mobility
  • Demonstrate key empirical, theoretical, and methodological knowledge related to human mobility and development
  • Think critically and argue effectively about issues concerning migration and development.

Generic skills

On completion of this subject, students should be able to: 

  • Conduct independent research using a wide range of sources and media to prepare oral and written work
  • Exercise critical judgment and analytical thinking in academic writing and debates
  • Demonstrate strong oral and written communication skills, presenting ideas clearly and persuasively in both academic and collaborative settings. 

Last updated: 16 March 2026