The riots in Paris in November 2005 highlight tensions surrounding population pressures in Europe.

Native populations of Europe are reproducing slowly and aging quickly. How will these countries provide social services for the elderly and maintain a labor force?

Descendants of immigrants who arrived in Europe 30 years ago have come of age with the belief that they should have the same rights and opportunities of all other citizens in their country, only to find out that their last name or perhaps their clothing creates walls that they did not know existed. How will the second-generation integrate and assimilate, or will multiculturalism be tolerated?

There is increasing demand from other countries to accept new immigrants. Africans who walked for hundreds of kilometers through the Sahara Desert charged at reinforced fences around the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla in September and October of 2005. Many more potential immigrants die each year on boats trying to get to the southern fringes of the EU. What should be the policy response? Who should be allowed in and under what conditions?

This course examines these issues with a focus on the cultural consequences of population strains within the EU and possible policy responses to alter, reverse, or maintain these trends. This discussion-based course will allow students to debate issues surrounding the complex intersection of demography, culture, and politics in present day Europe.

• Syllabus