One of the most rewarding elements of the course is that it attracts students from diverse origins and with widely differing experiences, including refugees from Africa, Asia, the Middle East, the Americas and Western and Eastern Europe.

In addition to lectures and seminars, you will benefit from access to workshops and conferences organised by the Centre for Migration, Refugees and Belonging, the Centre for Social Justice and Change, the Feminist Research Group and other university-wide groups.

This means you have the opportunity to link up with key researchers in the area and gain an insight into the latest thinking on critical issues.

You will also benefit from access to the Refugee Archive at the University of East London, which is one of the largest collections of materials on refugees and forced migration.

The archive contains materials on refugees in all parts of the world, with special emphasis on the UK. For more than 30 years it was housed at the Refugee Council – the lead organisation in Britain on refugee issues.

As an optional extra, you may also be involved in internships with local and international organisations and agencies working with refugees. 

Our academic staff are actively involved in some of the key international research and are therefore well connected with major bodies such as UNICEF as well as government departments and NGOs.

Who will teach on this course

Afaf Jabiri

The teaching team includes qualified academics, practitioners and industry experts as guest speakers. Full details of the academics will be provided in the student handbook and module guides.

The core modules give you a wide-ranging introduction to forced migration and a detailed study of research methods. You will also have the opportunity to study specialist options on social, cultural, political, legal and psychosocial aspects of refugee studies and community development. 

A distinguishing feature of the course is its emphasis on the lived experience of refugees and of refugee communities. You will develop a full appreciation of refugee experiences, achievements and needs.

You will study refugees from the point of view of the law, politics and anthropology and you will analyse their experiences on a global and local scale.

The course looks at how NGOs and the United Nations work with refugees and also how some people have sought to criminalise them.

The course will equip you with advanced skills in interdisciplinary analysis and research.

You will learn from the first-hand experience of refugees and people who have worked with refugees.

Your studies will focus on two core modules: Introduction to Forced Migration and Research Methods, and two specialist option modules in the area of social, cultural, political, legal and psychosocial aspects of refugee studies and community development. This will prepare you to begin a dissertation during the summer term for submission in September.

This course is suited to people who are working in areas concerned with human rights, legal representation of refugees, counselling, education, social and community issues and refugee welfare.

If you are already working in this area, the course will give you the confidence and experience to apply for more senior positions.

If you are aiming to enter the field for the first time, it will give you the skills to apply for roles with NGOs, government departments or other organisations working closely with refugees. 

Our course will also prepare you to undertake further research in the fields of forced migration and diasporic studies, legal studies and social policy.  You will benefit from working closely with experienced academics in the field. If you are interested to continue to PhD level, our course gives you the opportunity to apply for ESRC funding through the UBEL Doctoral Training Partnership Programme. 

Dr Giorgia Doná is Professor of Forced Migration and Refugee Studies and her research focuses on forced migration and refugee movements, violence and society, child protection and psycho-social assistance, with a geographical focus on Central America and East Africa. She has undertaken consultancy work for UNICEF, governments and NGOs.

Dr Afaf Jabiri is Senior Lecturer in Refugee Studies and NGOs management. Her research focuses on forced migration and refugees in the Middle East, Palestinian refugees, gender and religion; and gender and development. She is a member of the Harvard Kennedy School’s Carr Centre for Human Rights’ Global Initiative on violence against women. She was the Regional Director of the Karama (Dignity) Network and the Director of the Jordanian Women’s Union Aid Centre and Shelter for Women’s Survivors of Violence. She has also worked as women’s protection officer at UNHCR and served as a policy and advocacy advisor for international and domestic NGOs and UN agencies.

Dr Maja Korac-Sanderson is Reader in Migration and Refugee Studies and is a co-founder of the Women in Conflict Zones Network (WICZNET), an international network of scholars, policymakers and grassroots women’s groups from around the world. Her research focuses on conflict, gender and displacement, as well as conflict, intervention and development.

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