SOWK5552

SOWK

5552

CHILD MIGRATION AND U.S. IMMIGRATION POLICY: FACULTY LED PROGRAM

Prerequisite: Baccalaureate degree from accredited institution. This course will examine the factors leading to the recent increase in Central American children coming to the U.S. border. This course will focus on: (1) U.S. immigration policy towards children, including law and procedure; (2) current push and pull factors leading to child migration from Central America and to a lesser extent other parts of the world; (3) the intersection between immigration policies, refugees, asylum seekers, trauma and social well-being; (4) best practices in working with children in crisis across cultures; (5) the challenges of reintegration after deportation, specifically considering family connection, economic inequality, and poverty; and (6) indigenous culture and colonialism related conflict. Students will learn the reasons why children emigrate and the difficulties they face in the United States, and after repatriation. This course includes a required study tour to Guatemala during spring break and is open to any interested graduate student pending study tour faculty approval.