On the Road Again: The Causes and Consequences of Domestic Migration

Catalog description

When we think about migration, it is usually in an international context. But in geographically vast nations like the United States, millions of citizens have moved and continue to move within national borders. Whether motivated by economic challenges, racial/ethnic discrimination or expulsion, or other factors, this sorting of humans has tremendous ramifications for the political, social, and economic fabric of communities - both at origin and destination. In this course, we will explore these consequences through two major domestic migration episodes in American history: the Trail of Tears and the Dust Bowl. Both profoundly shaped America in general and Oklahoma in particular, with the former leading to the forced resettlement of Native Americans to Oklahoma and the latter causing Oklahoma to lose hundreds of thousands of residents due to natural disasters. We will study these events through narrative accounts, history, literature, and music, leveraging Tulsa’s network of museums documenting their societal impact. Throughout the course, students will use our study of these migrations to explore the ramifications of contemporary geographic sorting in America and beyond. This course will be offered in January-Term 2026. This course will be taught at NYU Tulsa and will count as an Away J-Term course.