The University of Miami Institute for Advanced Study of the Americas will host its 2019 symposium on migration, global change, and policy on Friday. The symposium aims to discuss contemporary migration issues, identify on-going and planned University research initiatives that might be expanded, and cultivate an organizational vision for migration-oriented scholarly and creative activity at the University of Miami.
The symposium will feature a series of moderated discussions and panels by faculty and administrators across the University. Justin Stoler, associate professor for the Department of Geography and Regional Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences, is one of the main organizers of the symposium. He will moderate an overview of human migration trends in the 21st century and discuss relationships with the overarching field of population studies.
Also among the event moderators is Merike Blofield, professor of political science in the College of Arts and Sciences. Blofield will moderate a discussion highlighting an overview of domestic laws and policies (in the U.S. and other countries in the Americas) that govern migration, comparing and contrasting them to international law standards.
“The Initiative on Migration, Global Change, and Policy was initiated to help cultivate an organizational vision for migration-oriented scholarly and creative activity at the University of Miami, and is a reflection of Miami's pivotal role in the Western Hemisphere,” they said.
Blofield and Stoler said the workshop will foster rich engagement between faculty and graduate students on contemporary migration issues.
Professor Louis Herns Marcelin, associate dean for Program Development and director of the Global Health and Society program, will be introducing a discussion on migration from the perspectives of health, gender, and social development.
“I am excited with the new prospects raised by the symposium; one that will warrant the University of Miami’s leadership in shaping migration research as well as new modes of engagement between academics, migrants, and policy makers,” Professor Herns said.
The workshop will take place from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Shalala Student Center, Iron Arrow Room. Attendance is open to all UM faculty and graduate students who wish to attend. Additional speakers include President Julio Frenk, who will be delivering a keynote address on “Human migration and health care systems; Jeffrey Duerk, executive vice president for academic affairs and provost; Anthony E. Varona, dean and M. Minnette Massey Professor of Law at the School of Law; and Felicia Marie Knaul, director of the Institute for Advanced Study of the Americas.
The event highlights the University’s Roadmap to Our New Century, supporting the University-wide study of the hemisphere and providing opportunities for research, education, and innovation across the hemisphere. The Institute for Advanced Study of the Americas works to advance research on issues influencing the Americas in the 21st century including hemispheric health, Latin American research studies, and social justice in America.
To learn more about the institute, visit: https://mia.as.miami.edu/index.html
