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2024

Refugee and Migration Studies Summer School 2024

 

Important Information at a Glance

Dates: 5 - 28 July 2024

Application Period: 25 November 2023 - 22 January 2024

Open to: 32 participants from universities across the world

In particular:

  1. 16 students and practitioners will be selected by the RMS Hub to join
  2. 16 Harvard graduate students, doctoral candidates and college seniors

The RMS Hub welcomes applications from undergraduate and graduate students, doctoral and postdoctoral researchers as well as young scholars and practitioners.

Cost of Participation: 

For students who will need accommodation in Athens: 3.850 Euros

For students who already have accommodation in Athens: 3.100 Euros

Location: Greece: Athens, Ancient Olympia and Nafplio, Lesvos

About the Summer Course

The François-Xavier Bagnoud (FXB) Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard University, in collaboration with the Refugee and Migration Studies Hub at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece, and with the support of the Harvard Center for Hellenic Studies in Greece and the U.S., is offering a three-week intensive, interdisciplinary course on migration and refugee studies. The course is designed to offer participants both conceptual and practical engagement with key issues related to contemporary forced migration.

The course will include lectures, seminars, interactive class sessions and fieldwork. It will be held in four sites – Athens, Ancient Olympia, Nafplio and Lesvos. Enrollment will be limited to 32 students (16 Harvard graduate students and 16 students from other Universities across the world). Expert lecturers will include leading scholars, politicians, leaders of international organizations, civil society organizations and migrant/refugee groups. The course will be taught in English and organized around a multidisciplinary, rights-based curriculum that draws on legal, medical, environmental and broader social science approaches to migration policy and practice.

Course Structure

Located at the crossroads of three continents, Greece has become a frontline migration country for distress migrants, and a testing ground for Europe’s new migration management policies. Due to its significant role in receiving and managing large-scale distress migration in recent years, Greece provides an important location for studying both the theoretical and practical aspects of refugee studies, and the associated challenges of addressing large scale forced migration in context. The program will take place in four Greek locations:

  • Athens, the capital of Greece and city with the largest concentration of asylum seeking and refugee migrants;
  • Lesvos, the Aegean island, which more than 500.000 forced migrants have landed on since 2015, becoming one of Europe’s largest migration hotspots;
  • Nafplio, a historic city, the first capital of the Modern Greek State, and headquarters of the Harvard Center for Hellenic Studies in Greece;
  • Ancient Olympia, one of the most influential ancient Greek sanctuaries. The city was famous beyond the borders of mainland Greece for hosting the Olympic Games every four years, starting in 776 BCE.

Application Process 

All applicants are required to submit a short application that includes:

  • Basic personal information
  • A description of previous academic, professional and/or extracurricular experiences relevant to refugee and migration issues
  • A statement of interest in enrolling in the course

Prospective applicants (who are not Harvard students) should apply here.

Accommodations

In Athens, Nafplio and Ancient Olympia participants will share double occupancy rooms. In Lesvos students will stay in single occupancy rooms. 

Breakfast is offered in all hotels. Lunch will also be provided most days. Though some dinners will be covered by the program, students will need to make their own dinner arrangements for the majority of their stay. Ground and sea transportation for specifically defined program activities will be covered by the program.

Cost and Expenses

Fees for students who will need accommodation in Athens: 3.850 Euros

Fees for students who already have accommodation in Athens: 3.100 Euros

The cost of participation includes:

  • Accommodation
  • Lunch and some dinners
  • All program activities, including scheduled cultural activities
  • Ground and sea transportation for planned program activities

There are a number of expenses that are not covered by the program fee that students are responsible for. These expenses include:

  • International airfare
  • Ground transportation for personal reasons
  • Personal expenditures, communication, course materials, and incidentals
  • Health and travel insurance

It should be noted that students who need a visa to travel to Greece are responsible for securing their visas themselves. An invitation letter to support the visa application can be provided by the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.

Program Cancellations

In the event of cancellation of the whole course, all amounts paid towards the course cost will be refunded to students, including the deposit. The program is not responsible for refunding airfare, visa application fees, or any other incurred expenses not covered by the course fee. While planning for your trip, consider purchasing travel insurance or refundable airline tickets.

If students decide to cancel their participation for personal reasons, the deposit is nonrefundable. The remaining amount is not refundable if participants decide to cancel their participation for personal reasons after 1 June 2024. Individual cases will be considered and refunds of the remaining amounts will be at the discretion of the organizers.

Important Dates to Remember

  • 25 November 2023: Application process opens
  • 22 January 2024: Application process closes
  • 31 January 2024: Notification of successful applicants
  • 20 February 2024: Payment of 1.500 Euros deposit to secure place in the program
  • 30 March 2024: Payment of full amount
  • 5 July 2024Arrival to Athens 

You can find our Brochure here