Politics 33500-01
Crossing Borders/Global Migrations
Prof. Chip Gagnon
Spring 2009
Last revised 4/9/2009
Tu 1/20 Introductions: Migrations and movements
We'll meet each other and talk a bit about our own experiences with movement
and borders.
Th 1/22 Images of Immigrants and Immigration
Required readings:
- Castles and Miller, Chapter
1, "Introduction"
- Langewiesche, "Invisible Men", pp.1-8
- Family Migration Chart (to
be discussed in class)
- BBC Poll Results, p.9
Links of interest:
- Immigration agencies of various countries
Tu 1/27 Theories of International Migration
Required reading:
- Castles and Miller, Chapter 2, "The Migratory Process and the Formation
of Ethnic Minorities" up to page 32.
- Morawska, "Origin and Process of Immigration to the US", pp.10-16
Essay #1 due Tu 1/27:
Think about movement in terms of your own life and family. In a short (3-4 page)
essay, answer the following questions: Where do you come from? What kinds of
migrations have you and/or your family undertaken? Why did the move(s) occur?
What kinds of borders did you cross? How did the move(s) change or affect
you? Explore the question broadly: consider changes in your sense of dependence,
freedom, age, class, desires, habits. Also think about why you did not move
at certain times (or perhaps ever). More generally I'd like you to think
about the relationship between where you come from, where you are, and who you
are.
Th 1/29 International Migration: History
Required reading:
- Castles and Miller, Chapter 3, "International Migration before 1945"
Tu 2/3 Immigration into the US: Changes over time
Required reading:
- Piore, from Birds of Passage, "Historical evolution of long-distance
migration in US", pp.17-32
To think about:
What has been the driving force behind migration to and within the US from Piore's
perspective? If this were a story, who would be the characters and what are
their motivations? What changes over time?
Th 2/5 US immigrant experience: late 19th century
Required reading:
- Proulx, Accordion Crimes, part 1, pp.33-51 (Also available online)
To think about:
Immigrant experiences then and now.
Suggested viewing:
The Gangs of New York (Miramax, 2003)
Tu 2/ 10 Immigration: Other experiences
Required reading:
- Emmer, "Immigration into the Caribbean: The Introduction of Chinese and
East Indian Indentured Laborers between 1839 and 1917" , pp.52-68
Th 2/12 Migration and the Global Economy
Required reading:
- Harris, "Introduction: Capitalism and Migration" in CR, pp.69-79
To think about:
What does capitalism have to do with migration? How does economic globalization
-- in trade, goods, services, and investments -- drive labor migration?
Tu 2/17 See Wed
W 2/18 Film: Journey of Hope (7:20pm CNS 112) (111 minutes)
Th 2/19 Migrations and social networks
Required reading:
- Harris, "Social Networks and Migration" in CR, pp.80-92
- Tilly, "Transplanted networks" in CR, pp.93-101
To think about:
What are social networks? How does looking at them help us to understand migration?
Think about social networks and movements in your own life or the life of your
family.
Tu 2/24 Migration: The rural to urban factor
Required reading:
- Gilbert and Gugler, "The Urban-Rural Interface and Migration",
pp.102-114
Videos of interest:
- Peasants
Migrate (China)
- The Long
Train Home (China)
- Interview
with migrant construction worker (China)
Th 2/26 Gendered Migration: The case of Mexico and the US
Required reading:
- Sotelo-Hondagneu, "Immigration, Gender and Settlement", pp.115-128
- Sotelo-Hondagneu, "Gendered Immigration", pp.129-139
To think about:
What do we learn about migration and migrants by examining them through the
lens of gender?
Tu 3/3 Why Most People Don't Migrate
Required reading:
- Malmberg, "Time and Space in International Migration", pp.140-154
To think about:
Why do most people not migrate? Think about the results of the BBC poll, p.9
Th 3/5 Film: Pretty Dirty Things (in class Tu 3/3 and Th 3/5)
Essay #2 on Histories Section, due Th 3/5 4pm (15%
of grade)
Spring Break, no classes Tu 3/10 - Th 3/12
Tu 3/17 Migration to the Global North
Required reading:
- Castles and Miller, Chapter 4, "Migration to Highly-Developed Countries
since 1945"
Tu 3/24 Migration into Japan
Required readings:
- Cornelius, "Japan: Illusion of Immigration Control", pp.193-213
- French, "Insular
Japan Needs, but Resists, Immigration", pp.214-215
- Milly, "What
Japanese Policymakers Should Know about How Government Contributes to Irregular
Immigration" pp.216-225
- Onishi, "As
Its Work Force Ages, Japan Needs and Fears Chinese Labor" pp.226-230
Video of interest:
- China's
Human Traffic - Japan (ABC Australia)
To think about:
The tension between economic growth and the concept of the nation-state.
Th 3/26 Migration into the US
Required readings:
- Massey, "Closed
Door Policy", pp.231-233
- "Labor Urges Amnesty for Illegal Immigrants" in CR, p.234
- "US to Expand Labor Rights" in CR, pp.234A-234B
- Brownell, "Declining Enforcement of Employer Sanction" in CR, pp.235-242
- Jordan, "Arizona Squeeze on Immigration Angers Business", pp.243-244
- "Immigrants, economy heading south" p.245
Tu 3/31 [Immigration into Western NY State: See April 23}
We will not be meeting in class today (see
showing of film Hate, 4/27)
Th 4/2 Asylum and Refugees
Required reading:
- Moorehead, "The
homeless and the rightless" pp.292-303
- Drakulic, "High-heeled shoes," pp.304-309
- Kristoff, "Seeking Asylum..." p.310
- "How the UK's government's asylum proposals will create racism and social
exclusion" from the UK-based Institute of Race Relations in CR, pp.311-315
- "Definition of Refugee" US Citizenship and Immigration Service,
pp.316
- "Affirmative
Asylum Process at a Glance" US Citizenship and Immigration Service,
pp.317-318
Links of interest:
- Asylum
issues, from Human Rights First
- Institute of Race
Relations, London. Information on asylum and refugees throughout Europe.
Written
assignment due 4/2 (ungraded): Compare US asylum and
refugee policies to those of one other country of your choice, based on official
government information:
- United States: Bureau
of Citizenship and Immigration Services
- Canada: Citizenship
and Immigration
- United Kingdom: UK
Border Agency
- Australia: Department
of Immigration & Citizenship
- South Africa: Services
to Foreigners of the Department of Home Affairs
- Ireland: Irish
Naturalisation and Immigration Service
- Japan: Immigration
Bureau of the Ministry of Justice
April 6 is the last day to withdraw from the course
Tu 4/7 Film: Lost Baggage (TBA)
Essay #3 on Theories and Migrants Sections
due Tu 4/7, 4pm (20% of grade)
Th 4/9 National identity, immigration
and the US
In class: Fear and Learning at Hoover Elementary
Required readings:
- Martin, "Proposition 187 in California," pp.319-323
- look over "Proposition
187: Text of Proposed Law" online
- "Fear and Loathing in Prime Time" pp.341-361
- "Playing Politics on Immigration" pp.362-363
- Saltonstall, "Smiling on our Immigs." pp.364-365
Tu 4/14 Racism, immigration, and whiteness
Required reading:
- Roediger, "Whiteness and ethnicity in the history of white ethnics in
the US", pp.366-375
- Huntington, "The Hispanic Challenge", pp.324-339
- "Three Cheers for Assimilation" (interview with Huntington), p.340
To think about:
How and why did the definition of who was "white" change over time
in the US? How could someone who was Irish not be considered to be white?
Th 4/16 Critique of liberal multiculturalism
Required reading:
- Hage, "Good White Nationalists", pp.483-496
Research paper: Assignment 2, Annotated Bibliography,
due 4/16, 4pm
Tu 4/21 Immigration and Multiculturalism: South Africa
Required readings:
- Daley, "New
South Africa Shuts the Door on its Neighbors" pp.390-392
- "Unfair to see illegals as the job-snatchers" pp.393-395
- Croucher, "South Africa's illegal aliens: constructing national boundaries
in a post-apartheid state", pp.396-417
- McGreal, "Thousands
seek sanctuary as South Africans turn on refugees" pp.418-420
- "The Perfect Storm: The Realities of Xenophobia in Contemporary South
Africa" pp.421-427
Th 4/23 Migration into Western New York and
agriculture
Guest speaker: Mary Jo Dudley, Director of the Cornell Farmworker
Program
Required reading:
- Bowe, "Shameful
Harvest", pp.246-247
- "Dark Harvest: A Season in Apples", pp.248-257
- "Inside Migrant Worker Camps", pp.258-259
- Facts on Farmworkers in the US, p.260
- Facts on Farmworks in New York State, p.261
- "A
profile of immigrants in the New York State Economy" pp.262-267
Suggested reading:
- Schlosser, "In
the Strawberry Fields", pp.268-291
M 4/27 Showing of film Hate
Film: Hate
(97 minutes)
7pm, Textor 101
Tu 4/28 Migration and multicultural society:
Europe
Discussion of Film: Hate
(97 minutes)
Required readings:
- Background: look over the Official
guide to the film (at IC library online)
- Essay on significance of Hate (La Haïne) in France, pp.428-435
- Hamilton, "The
Challenge of French Diversity", pp.436-445
- Zappi, "French
Government Revives Assimilation Policy", pp.446-447
- Bouteldja, "Explosion
in Suburbs", pp.448-449
- "France
and the Muslim Myth", pp.450-452
- Vlahos, "The
Muslims are coming! The Muslims are coming", pp.453-456
Link of interest:
Switzerland
Immigration Laws
Th 4/30 Immigration and citizenship
Required reading:
- Oezcan, "Germany:
Immigration in Transition," in CR, pp.457-464
- "Swiss voters will assess immigrants" in CR, p.465
- "Dutch set would-be immigrants a 'blue movie' test" p.466
- "Testing the Limits of Tolerance" pp.467-468
To think about:
Who should be a citizen and why? Who should have rights? Who should be deprived
of rights? Which rights?
Research paper: Assignment 3, Literature Review,
due 4/30, 4pm
Essay #4 due during finals week, Tu 5/5,
4:30pm
Last revised 4/9/2009