300690 Research Class: Transnational Studies. Work in Progress (S) (SoSe 2020)

This seminar focuses on social formations emerging out of sustained cross-border processes (transnational social spaces), their consequences (transnationalization), and corresponding social practices (transnationality). In this seminar participants discuss (1) conceptual work dealing with cross-border perspectives on issues relating to migration, citizenship and development, and (2) work-in-progress which broadly deals with questions of the global social order. At the core are issues of development politics and policies, transnational social policy, international migration and integration, inequalities and equalities, democracy and citizenship. This seminar identifies questions for further research and offers some methodological venues for the study of cross-border transactions.
In particular, this seminar is meant to help doctoral candidates to conceptualize their thesis papers, conduct research and write the final version. Among other things students learn to select relevant literatures, develop a research design and evaluate empirical data.
The core of the seminar is the presentation of work-in-progress by all participants. The papers discussed are accepted dissertation proposals (for beginners), or drafts of individual chapters from the ongoing dissertation (for advanced dissertation writers). Registered participants are required to upload their papers to ekVV Lernraum seven days in advance. Papers distributed later will not be considered for discussion. The length of papers is ca. 10-20 pages. All papers are introduced by a statement on the overall project (ca. half page). Also, the participants will indicate the questions they wish to be discussed in the seminar. We will devote ca. 90 min (1,5h) to each paper. There will be no oral presentation by the author prior to the discussion. We will delve into the discussion of the paper right away.
All participants required to comment on other papers. In addition, once the schedule is established, the instructor will assign formal commentators for each paper. In case participants miss a session, they are expected to give written comments to the author of the paper, and send these notes to the instructor as well.

Literaturangaben

Faist, Thomas. 2019. The Transnationalized Social Question: Migration and the Politics of Social Inequalities in the 21st
Century. Oxford: Oxford University Press.