Contemporary Labor Issues: Immigration ((4 Credits))

Catalog description

This course examines the social and political phenomena of migration and borders, tracing how they impact workers, labor markets, and the policy discussions that aim to address the issue of immigration. Using the tools of social science and critical analysis, we will analyze the global dynamics of migration, as well as the economics and cultural politics of undocumented immigration in the US. We will place these issues in historical and contemporary context, looking at both the evolution of immigration controls, how they are experienced by migrants, and how the US Labor Movement has responded. This will allow the class to move toward a framework that sees the limited rights & inadequate labor protections of the undocumented as the root issues. The class will also assess recent literature that presents possible solutions, and explores whether such proposals hold the potential to break away from the current deadlock and transform a system that enables exploitation. It is also only offered in-class at the college’s Harry J. Van Arsdale Jr. School for Labor Studies in New York City.