Recent changes in Irish society have been profound, as a society marked by centuries of emigration is now experiencing immigration on an unprecedented scale. This immigration is taking place against a background of projected Irish and European demographic decline and the successful economic and social integration of immigrants of diverse backgrounds will be a key area of national and EU policy.
The MA in Contemporary Migration and Diaspora Studies is an exciting new, inter-disciplinary taught programme addressing all aspects of migration, integration and diaspora studies in Ireland. The programme will fill a major gap in teaching and research, as there is currently no specialist postgraduate programme in the jurisdiction focusing on this field. It will also meet the needs of the developing voluntary sector in Ireland, which wishes to develop its own research and advocacy programmes and to professionalise its staff capacities.
Finally, the contemporary Irish Diaspora continues to be a very substantial worldwide community of Irish people and their descendants, yet few opportunities have been available up to now for focused teaching and research into the Diaspora within the Irish university system.
The programme will seek:
* To equip students with a thorough knowledge of the major theoretical and empirical issues in migration and diaspora studies today
* To equip students with an understanding of the significance of migration and diaspora debates for Irish and European society today, with reference to policy and legal perspectives, geographical and social science debates, diaspora and Irish identity, new communities, and a range of specific applied issues in connection with rights, identities, citizenship, status and welfare
* To train students in a range of specific skills-based social science research methodologies, including qualitative methods, with a specific emphasis on life narrative approaches, multi-method research, action research and critical policy analysis
* To enable students to deploy these skills by means of a dissertation using a range of theoretical, empirical, policy and action research perspectives