Description: This seminar will examine how governmental institutions, political actors, and socio-political processes have both shaped and responded to immigration to the United States from the beginning of the Republic, but with an emphasis on the period after 1965. In particular, this seminar examines how immigration has affected domestic politics and public policy in the United States. Topics include the politics and policies of immigrant admission to and deportation from the United States as well as the nature and consequences of immigration at the national, state, and local levels. Topics also include the politics and policies related to the societal integration (and exclusion) of immigrants residing in the United States, with a focus on their language, identification, citizenship, and voting rights. The instructor will use mixed media—demographic data from the U.S. Census Bureau, video clips, political cartoons, and her own original research—to enable students to develop a solid understanding of concepts, theories, and data related to the politics of immigration and immigrant rights in the United States.
Learning Objectives: Students in this seminar will learn to:
Interpret and asses information from a variety of sources and points of view.
Evaluate evidence and arguments critically and analytically.
Identify and analyze major themes and consequences of immigration to the United States.
Analyze the role of Congress, the President, the courts, the media, public opinion, various civil society organizations, and immigrants themselves in the development of both immigration and immigrant rights policies in the United States.
Schedule: Day #1 (Monday April 23)
Introductions and Overview
Debating Immigration in the Context of the United States
Immigration, the 2016 Elections, and Donald Trump
Day #2 (Tuesday April 24)
The Racial Politics of Immigrant Exclusion between the 1880s and 1920s
Civil Rights and the Rebirth of Immigration after 1965
The Geopolitics of Refugee and Asylum Admissions
Day #3 (Wednesday April 25)
Federal Politics of Undocumented Immigration
State and Local Responses to Undocumented Immigration Since 2000
Day #4 (Thursday April 26)
Theorizing Immigrant Integration and Immigrant Rights
Challenges to Integration: Race, Ethnicity, and Undocumented Status
Linguistic Integration and Immigrant Language Rights
Day #5 (Friday April 27)
Civic Integration and Immigrant Identification Rights