Why Do People Migrate? Facts (FutureLearn)

Why Do People Migrate? Facts (FutureLearn)

Get an introduction to one of the most misunderstood issues in the modern world: migration. Migration often makes headlines; it’s become a key issue of politicians worldwide. But what is the reality of migration? This course will introduce you to key challenges of irregular migration and asylum seeking worldwide.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see FutureLearn's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

You’ll look at key cases from around the globe, including asylum seekers arriving in Europe via the Mediterranean and Syrian refugees in Turkey, Central American labour migration to the USA and the Rohingya refugee challenge in Southeast Asia.

What topics will you cover?

  • Definition of regular migration and asylum seeking
  • Forced and voluntary migration
  • The Syrian refugee crisis
  • The EU asylum regime
  • Politicising migration debates
  • Mexican and Central American labour migration to the USA
  • Gender and Latin American labour migration
  • The case of the Rohingya in southeast Asia

-The ‘Pacific solution’ policy in Australia

Learning on this course
You can take this self-guided course and learn at your own pace. On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you'll be able to...

  • Identify main terms and concepts used to discuss irregular migration and asylum
  • Discuss key case studies from different world regions
  • Explore future scenarios of international migration
  • Assess the challenges that international migration poses for different countries

Who is the course for?
This course is for anyone interested in learning about migration, you don’t need any past experience

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Migrants and Refugees in Education: A toolkit for teachers (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
British Council

Migrants and Refugees in Education: A toolkit for teachers (FutureLearn)

Learn how to teach and support young people across the globe affected by violence, conflict or displacement. Find out how to help students dealing with trauma. You’ll hear from experienced teachers talking about the challenges, what they learnt, and strategies they have used when teaching migrant and refugee learners both in countries affected by conflict and in host countries.

Apr 18th 2022
4 Weeks
Introduction to Political Citizenship (Coursera) Coursera
University of Geneva

Introduction to Political Citizenship (Coursera)

This course provides a comprehensive introduction to political citizenship from both a theoretical and empirical perspective, with a particular emphasis on its participatory dimension. Participants will engage with fresh teaching materials, alongside insightful interviews and case studies, thanks to contributions from researchers in the Department of Political Science and International Relations at the University of Geneva as well as international experts on political participation, citizenship, and migration. The various components of the MOOC offer a diverse and well-rounded approach to understanding citizenship.

Nov 2nd 2026
4 Weeks
Teaching Migration Through Data and Storytelling (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
SOAS University of London,PositiveNegatives,MIDEQ

Teaching Migration Through Data and Storytelling (FutureLearn)

Explore how migration can be taught using both visual storytelling and big data sets. Help learners understand where, why, and how migration happens. There have been urgent recent calls for curricula to address issues of migration. Yet 78% of British teachers asked by the Runnymede Trust said they needed more support “to equip them to teach migration more sensitively and effectively.” On this course, teachers can develop their skills to explain where and why migration happens.

Dec 5th 2022
3 Weeks
Pathways to Civic Engagement (Coursera) Coursera
University of North Texas

Pathways to Civic Engagement (Coursera)

This course will examine the various ways that individuals engage in a democratic society during the 21st century. Students reflect on their involvement, and sense of responsibility to something beyond individual pursuits, and how they can make a difference within the various contexts of neighborhoods, communities, nationally and globally.

Nov 16th 2026
4 Weeks
Migration Law (edX) EdX
LouvainX,Université Catholique de Louvain - UCL

Migration Law (edX)

Law

Learn the fundamentals of Migration Law. This course analyses in a theoretical and practical way the evolution of international migration law. Who can migrate? What are the conditions to move from one country to the other? How are the numbers of migrations evolving over the recent years? Migration is both an ancient and a contemporary question, as it always existed and will never stop.

Self Paced
13-24 Weeks
Migration and Cities (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
European University Institute - EUI

Migration and Cities (FutureLearn)

Learn about how migration has shaped cities around the world and the particular issues that migrants face in urban contexts. Discover the fundamental links between migration and cities. Migration has always played a fundamental role in urban development. Without some form of inward migration – be it international or internal – cities would not develop or grow.

Nov 21st 2022
3 Weeks
Global Intimacies: Sex, Power, Gender and Migration (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
National Tsing Hua University

Global Intimacies: Sex, Power, Gender and Migration (FutureLearn)

Law

Study the evolution of intimacy in the context of global capitalism and probe the intersections of sex, love, labour and mobility. Explore how freedom of movement impacts sex, gender and our ideas of intimacy. In this time of global capitalism, travelling between countries for work and leisure is common. Global mobility has blurred the boundary between strangers and changed the meaning of intimacy.

Self Paced
4 Weeks
Volunteering with Refugees (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
Cambridge Assessment English,The Human Hive

Volunteering with Refugees (FutureLearn)

Understand how to best support the emotional, linguistic, and social needs of refugees who are settling into a new country. Learn how to identify and respond to the needs of refugees and asylum seekers. When volunteering with refugees, it’s important to understand their backgrounds, current situations and needs in order to provide the best support.

Self Paced
3 Weeks