The co-taught course "Global Migration" is being offered for the spring semester 2018 at Al-Akhawayn University in Ifrane and Roskilde University. The course aims to give methodological and practical skills to students to work with and understand migration, and sharing knowledge and teaching with students in another national context.

The experimental course on Global Migration explores the push-pull factors of migration, migration as a historical phenomenon and migration policies in Moroccan and Danish national contexts. The course seeks to mix field-work, online-encounters and classroom teaching. 

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​"The course offers a new perspective, on a subject we're familiar with. It shows the very dichotomized worlds" said one AUI-student, during an evaluation of the course. 

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​In practical terms, the students at each university shared audio recordings, text files and notes from field research on Wikispaces. The two professors share each others lectures and powerpoint presentations during each lecture, and also engaged in a short term exchange as guest-lectures. In this way, the course is truly co-taught. 

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​Follow up from the 3rd International CEA Conference

The idea for the course on Global Migration was initially thought of at the collaboration workshop at the 3rd CEA Conference at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences. The collaboration workshop sought to think of new ways in which the CEA could expand and deepen cooperation between CEA partners. 

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​In the following six months, the professors Garbi Schmidt and Doris Gray worked towards developing the course form and literature. An amount of technical support was provided by Al-Akhawayn university for developing the Wikispaces platform. 

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Innovative teaching 

The course, a first of its kind within the Critical Edge Alliance, represents several of the ideals of the organization. First of all, it represents an exchange of knowledge across continents and culture. The combination of field-work and theory also works towards the ideals of the Critical Edge Alliance. 

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​Global Migration, a hard-pressing social issue, both in Morocco, Denmark and the world at large, is a subject-matter very suited to this form of innovative teaching. 

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Future development

At the 4th CEA Conference at Universidad de los Andes, Garbi Schmidt will, on behalf of the two professors, present the ideas and purpose of the pioneering course, including the challenges and future development, 

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​Going forward, the Critical Edge Alliance will host another collaboration workshop at the upcoming Conference. The CEA hopes that the course on Global Migration can be an inspiration to others. Courses such as this one are excellent ways to cooperate, teach and exchange in an innovative way!