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Freedom of Movement, Refugees, Traffickers, and Smugglers

Investigate the role, reach, and scope of border controls in generating modern forms and means of flight.

  • Duration

    4 weeks
  • Weekly study

    3 hours
  • 100% online

    How it works
  • Included in an ExpertTrack

    Course 2 of 3
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Discover the laws that govern human migration

Where we are born and the borders we’re allowed to cross is a matter of chance. Some people are free to move almost anywhere in the world because of their nationality, while others are in very different situations.

On this course, you’ll examine the complex network of laws and policies that inform human migration in the 21st Century and explore the significant tension between international legal obligations and national sovereignty.

Examine the right to freedom of movement

With tensions between the right to freedom of movement and the sovereign right to control borders, you’ll explore the human right to leave any country and what’s left of it when states strengthen their borders and deter people from arriving in, or leaving, their territories.

You’ll then look at the Refugee Convention, identifying what constitutes a refugee and the protections it provides refugees. With this in mind, you’ll consider the Convention’s overall strengths and weaknesses, especially as it relates to 21st Century migration.

Explore the consequences of deterritorialisation

Today, border controls of the state of destination are often implemented inside the state of origin or on the high seas, far from the borders of destination states. This deterritorialisation prevents travellers from leaving their own country, let alone reaching the border of the country of destination.

Analyse trafficking and smuggling protocols

On this course, you’ll examine the ways in which the anti-trafficking and the anti-smuggling treaties serve to further strengthen border controls and increase the vulnerability of migrants fleeing violence and persecution etc.

What topics will you cover?

  • Border controls and freedom of movement
  • De-territorialisation of border controls
  • Asylum seekers and refugees
  • Human trafficking and smuggling of persons

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Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Identify the role(s) that borders have in the generation of modern forms and means of flight
  • Evaluate some of the shortcomings of the Refugee Convention 1951
  • Explore the right to freedom of movement in the context of modern migration patterns
  • Evaluate the UN anti-smuggling and anti-trafficking regimes and their impact on migrants and migration

Who is the course for?

This course has been designed for anyone looking to develop a critical understanding of migration laws. It will be of specific interest to people working for national and international governmental and non-governmental organisations involved in the field of migration, and also lawyers wanting to deepen their knowledge base.

Who will you learn with?

I am Senior Lecturer in Law at Kent Law School, University of Kent. I specialise in International Human Rights Law and International Migration Law.

Who developed the course?

The University of Kent

The University of Kent, the UK’s European university, is one of the country’s most dynamic universities. Established in 1965, it now has 19,850 students studying at its various campuses.

About this ExpertTrack

Examine the history, context, and ever-evolving development of migration control exercised by sovereign states around the world.

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  • Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
  • Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
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Map your progress

  • As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
  • Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
  • Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

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