Short Courses

CANADA 
Centre for Refugee Studies, York University, Toronto
Programme name: Summer Course on Refugee and Forced Migration Issues 
Website: http://www.yorku.ca/crs/summer.htm
Programme Contact: Irene Tumwebaze, Summer Course Coordinator 
Email: summer[at]yorku.ca 
Phone: +1 41 673 65423

 “The Summer Course provides an interdisciplinary, interactive and experiential approach to the study of forced migration. Through attending lectures and related small group sessions, course participants develop a deepened understanding of the political, economic, social and cultural contexts of forced migration, and the major state and non-state institutions involved in refugee protection and advocacy. The Summer Course is unique in that its program includes simulated refugee hearings held at the Immigration and Refugee Board, Toronto. In this intensive exercise, course participants are assigned roles to carry out mock refugee hearings closely modeled on the framework of the Canadian refugee determination system. 
The course will begin May 8-16th 2010
Times: Full course days will run 8:30 am – 5:00 pm.

Location: York University
Toronto, Keele Campus

Forms and Information may be accessed from
http://www.yorku.ca/crs/summer.htm Application materials may be
submitted either electronically, by fax or by mail. To register, applications must be submitted before February 26, 2010.

CYPRUS 
University of Nicosia 
Programme name:  Overview Course on Refugee Studies
Website: http://www.humanitariannet.deusto.es/noticia_des.asp?id=219
Programme Contact: Dr. Peter Penz 
Email: penz.a[at]unic.ac.cy

“This short course offers an overview of refugee studies. It is intended for practitioners and students who may be familiar with a particular facet of the field, but are in need of an overview. This overview is interdisciplinary and covers political, legal, social and economic aspects. It also deals with refugee studies in the broad sense of forced migration by whatever phenomena give rise to it, whether war, persecution, environmental change, famine or socio-economic development. Nevertheless, it clearly distinguishes between legal entitlement to refugee status and broader displacement processes that do not give rise to such entitlement. While providing a global overview, the course will take advantage of its particular venue and give special attention to refugee issues manifested in Cyprus. 
This Certificate course will be offered 4-12 July, 2009, following the 12th Annual IASFM Conference."

EGYPT
The American University in Cairo 
Department: Center for Migration and Refugee Studies
Programme name: International Law on Migrant and Refugee Women and Children, 31 May – 4 June 2009 
Degree awarded: Short Course Certificate 
Website: http://www.aucegypt.edu/ResearchatAUC/rc/cmrs
Programme Contact: 
Email: cmrs[at]aucegypt.edu 
Phone: +202-2797 6762
Application deadline: 15 April 2009

“This course aims at giving the students a thorough overview and understanding of international law instruments pertaining to migration movements and to migrant and refugee women and children in particular. The course will have a human rights focus. The course will be structured around an examination of two groups and their rights; women and children. No single international treaty governs migration and migrants’ rights, but that does not mean that there is no “international migration law”. General Human Rights Conventions, such as the International Covenants on Civil, Political and on Economic, Social and Cultural rights are not only relevant for nationals but also for non-nationals who may count on the rights in these instruments for protection. Furthermore, specific instruments have been adapted to protect women and children, recognising their specific needs and corresponding rights and also the specific form of abuse from which these groups need particular protection. Likewise, specific vulnerable groups such as victims of trafficking may count on international instruments for protection. Both groups been characterised as “vulnerable” with particular needs and rights which derive particular attention – for example, the special rights of children who migrate in order to work or of women who are hired as domestic workers. The course will be legal and does require of the students that they have a basic knowledge of how international law operates, but will be structured so that also non-lawyers may follow without difficulty. Active participation will be required and the students will be asked to present short (1 page) papers as a reaction to the reading material they have been given and as a basis for discussion. Concrete cases before regional and international courts on migrants’ rights will be used for students to actively debate for and against a certain sentencing. National legislation will be used as examples and should be evaluated in the context of international obligations.” 

The American University in Cairo 
Department: Center for Migration and Refugee Studies
Programme name: Advanced International Refugee Law, 7 – 11 June 2009 
Degree awarded: Short Course Certificate 
Website: http://www.aucegypt.edu/ResearchatAUC/rc/cmrs
Programme Contact: 
Email: cmrs[at]aucegypt.edu 
Phone: +202-2797 6762
Application deadline: 15 April 2009

 “The course will cover various advanced topics in international refugee law. Topics to be covered include ethical and professional obligations while representing clients undergoing refugee status determination; the “nexus” requirement of the refugee definition; the expanded grounds for protection under the OAU Convention and UNHCR”s mandate; the possibility of socio-economic “persecution”; the distinction between prosecution and “persecution”; the non-refoulement and expulsion provisions of the Convention; refugee rights guaranteed by the Convention; and, the interaction between the Convention and domestic and international human rights protections. The focus of the course will be on these topics as they may arise during the representation of refugee claimants. Each of the topics will be covered using case-studies drawn from the Global South. 
Participants in the course should already have a basic to intermediate understanding of international refugee law (or be prepared to engage in a specified course of pre-study of the topic).”

The American University in Cairo 
Department: Center for Migration and Refugee Studies
Programme name: Meeting the Psychosocial Needs of Refugees, 14 – 18 June 2009 
Degree awarded: Short Course Certificate 
Distance learning: - 
Website: http://www.aucegypt.edu/ResearchatAUC/rc/cmrs
Programme Contact: 
Email: cmrs[at]aucegypt.edu 
Phone: +202-2797 6762
Application deadline: 15 April 2009

 “In this course, participants will increase their understanding of the psychosocial and mental health issues of refugees and learn how to implement effective interventions. Topics will include: Review of Inter Agency Standing Committee Guidelines (IASC) for Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) for Emergency Settings and the implications for interventions, Latest research about the psychosocial and mental health consequences of war and violence; Skills for assessment of need; Culturally and contextually sensitive interviewing skills; Methods for working with translators; Introduction to individual, family, group and community interventions; Overview of methods for monitoring and evaluating the impact of intervention; and Specific mechanisms workers and organizations can use to minimize staff burnout and maximize organizational effectiveness.”   

INDIA 
Mahanirban Calcutta Research Group 
Programme name: Annual Winter Course on Forced Migration 
Degree awarded: Short course Certificate 
Distance learning: Two and a half months of distance learning followed by a fifteen day workshop in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta). 
Website: www.mcrg.ac.in
Programme Contact: Course Coordinator 
Email: forcedmigrationdesk[at]mcrg.ac.in
Phone: +91 33 23370408 

“Applications are invited for a 15-day orientation course on Forced Migration to be held in Kolkata, India (1-15 December 2009). The Course, certified by the UNHCR and Calcutta Research Group, will be preceded by a two and a half month long programme of distance education. The course is intended for younger academics, refugee activists and others working in the field of human rights and humanitarian assistance for victims of forced displacement. The curriculum deals with themes of nationalism, ethnicity, partition, and partition-refugees, national regimes and the international regime of protection, issues relating to regional patterns of forced migration in South Asia, internal displacement, the gendered nature of forced migration and protection framework, resource politics, climate change and environmental degradation, and several other themes related to the forced displacement of people. The course puts emphasis on experiences of displacement, creative writings on refugee life, critical legal and policy analysis, and analysis of relevant notions such as vulnerability, care, risk, protection, return, and settlement. The course also includes fieldwork and various assignments. Last date of application reaching CRG is 31 May 2009.” Application forms and details of the course may be downloaded from the MCRG website. The programme is supported by UNHCR, the Government of Finland, Panos South Asia, and the Brookings Institution."

KENYA 
Rift Valley Institute, Nairobi, Kenya 
Programme name: Horn of Africa Field Course 2009 
Programme type: Short course 
Website: http://www.riftvalley.net/
Programme Contact: 
Email: horn.course[at]riftvalley.net
Phone: +254 20 434 3190
 
“The Horn of Africa Course is a one-week, intensive, graduate-level, residential programme that provides a fast-track introduction to the history, political economy and culture of Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, South-central Somalia, Puntland, Somaliland and northern Kenya. The Course is designed for aid workers, diplomats, peacekeepers, researchers, campaigners, business people and journalists, who are living and working in the region or about to start. The course examines the historical and cultural patterns of this diverse region and the contemporary issues and challenges faced by people in these countries. The residential nature of the course provides extensive opportunity for informal exchanges between students and teaching staff.  
This course will be held 20 June to 26 June 2009 in Lamu, Kenya. The Institute will also offer a 2009 RVI Sudan Field Course, 24 to 30 May 2009, in Rumbek, Southern Sudan. A prospectus and application for either programme may be requested via email.” 

UNITED KINGDOM
Refugee Studies Centre, University of Oxford 
Programme name: International Summer School in Forced Migration 
Programme type: Short course 
Website: http://www.rsc.ox.ac.uk/index.html?main
Programme Contact: Outreach Programme Manager 
Email: summer.school[at]qeh.ox.ac.uk
Phone: +44 1865 270723

 “Understanding the causes and consequences of forced migration and possessing the practical skills to deal effectively with its challenges are essential, both for the development of effective programmes to assist refugees, and in addressing the root causes of human displacement. The Refugee Studies Centre’s international summer school fosters dialogue between academics, practitioners and policymakers working to improve the situation of refugees and other forced migrants. It provides the time and space for them to reflect on their experiences and to think critically about some of the aims and assumptions underlying their work. The summer school offers an intensive, interdisciplinary and participative approach to the study of forced migration. It aims to enable people working with refugees and other forced migrants to reflect critically on the forces and institutions that dominate the world of the displaced. 
This short course will be offered at the University of Oxford 6-24 July 2009. The closing date for applications is 1 March 2009 for applicants requesting sponsorship through the RSC, 1 May 2009 for all other applicants. As the summer school is typically oversubscribed, we advise you to apply in good time.”