U.S. Immigration

Catalog description

In this course, students will critically engage with the politics of immigration in the United States. While the national narrative broadly celebrates the arrival and incorporation of newcomers, these processes have been highly contested and problematic both in popular discourse and public policy since the country's founding. The question of 'who immigrates' has been, and continues to be, shaped by decisions on how to manage geopolitical and geoeconomic forces, domestic political, economic and social preferences, popular sentiment and humanitarian considerations. Furthermore, understanding how immigrants integrate in society necessarily involves examining 'difference' on a number of axes, including race and ethnicity, language and culture, religion, gender, socioeconomic and educational levels, and legal status. This course provides students with the opportunity to explore key aspects of the discourse and reality of immigration to the U.S., including the American Dream, assimilation, ethnic neighborhoods, transnationalism, borders and security by considering the values, interests and roles of actors at all levels, including civil society organizations, national and sub-national governments, communities, households and individuals in the continuous re-making of the U.S. as a nation of immigrants.