Politics 310-33500-01

Crossing Borders/Global Migrations

Daily Reading Assignments

Prof. Chip Gagnon
Spring 2006

Last revised 4/21/06

I. Introduction: How do we think about immigration and immigrants?

M 1/16 Introductions: Migrations and movements
We'll meet each other and talk a bit about our own experiences with movement and borders.
Required reading:
- Castles and Miller, Chapter 1, "Introduction"
- Family Migration Chart (to be discussed in class)
Link of interest:
Results of a BBC poll on attitudes towards the US (BBC poll of 11,000 people in 11 countries)

W 1/18 Images of Immigrants
Required reading:
- Langewiesche, "Invisible Men", pp.1-8

F 1/20 Popular images of immigration in the West
Required reading:
- Buchanan, "The Coming Great Migrations", pp.9-22
- Buchanan, "La Reconquista", pp.22-38
To think about:
What story is Buchanan telling?  Who are the major characters?  What kinds of change do the characters undergo, and why?


M 1/23 Immigration and the US
Required reading:
- Brimelow, "Immigration Has Consequences: Cultural, Social, Environmental...", pp.39-45
- Brimelow, "What, then, is to be done?", pp.46-52
- "Acclaim for ...Alien Nation", pp.53-55
To think about:
What story is Brimelow telling?  Who are the major characters?  What kinds of change do the characters undergo, and why?
Essay #1 due M 1/23:
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.

W 1/25 Immigration Politics continued
Required reading:
- Ungar, "Coping with Diversity", pp.56-68
- Also look over the following US government statistics:
     - "Immigrants admitted by type and selected class of admission: fiscal years 1986-2004" (excel spreadsheet online), and in CR, p.69
     - "Immigrants admitted by major class of admission and selected demographic characteristics: fiscal year 2004" (excel spreadsheet online), in CR, p.70
Link of Interest: Immigration agencies of governments:

• United States: Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (successor agency to the old INS).
  Check out the laws passed by the US Congress since 1986 regarding immigration at the INS Public Law website as well as the specific Immigration regulations (click on "Title 8, Code of Federal Regulations (8 CFR)") that determine who gets into the US and how.
• Canada: Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration
• United Kingdom: Immigration and Nationality Directorate
• Australia: Department of Immigration & Multicultural & Indigenous Affairs
• South Africa: Permanent Residence Subdirectorate of the Ministry of Home Affairs
• Ireland: Immigration, Asylum and Citizenship information from the Department of Justice, Equality and Law
• Japan: Immigration Bureau of the Ministry of Justice

II. Global Migration: Historical background

F 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.72-78
 

M 1/30 International Migration: History
Required reading:
- Castles and Miller, Chapter 3, "International Migration before 1945"
 

W 2/1 Immigration into the US: Changes over time
Required reading:
- Piore, from Birds of Passage, "Historical evolution of long-distance migration in US", pp.79-94
To think about:
What has been the driving force behind migration to and within the US from Piore's perspective? Who are the characters and what are their motivations?

F 2/3 US immigrant experience: late 19th century
Required reading:
- Proulx, Accordion Crimes, part 1, pp.95-113 (Also available online)
To think about:
Immigrant experiences then and now.

M 2/6 Immigration: Other experiences
Required reading:
- Emmer, "Immigration into the Caribbean: The Introduction of Chinese and East Indian Indentured Laborers between 1839 and 1917" , pp.114-130
 

III. Causes of Global Migration: Theoretical understandings

W 2/8 Migration and the Global Economy
Required reading:
- Harris, "Introduction: Capitalism and Migration" in CR, pp.131-141
To think about:
What does capitalism have to do with migration? How does economic globalization -- in trade, goods, services, and investments -- drive labor migration?

F 2/10 Migrations and social networks
Required reading:
- Harris, "Social Networks and Migration" in CR, pp.142-154
Suggested reading:
- Tilly, "Transplanted networks" in CR, pp.155-163
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.

M 2/13 Migration: The rural to urban factor
Required reading:
Gilbert and Gugler, "The Urban-Rural Interface and Migration", pp.330-342 (*Note, this reading is out of order in the course reader)
Essay #2 on Histories Section, due M 2/13 (15% of grade)

W 2/15 Gendered Migration: The case of Mexico and the US
Required reading:
- Sotelo-Hondagneu, "Immigration, Gender and Settlement", pp.164-177
- Sotelo-Hondagneur, "Gendered Immigration", pp.178-188
To think about:
What do we learn about migration and migrants by examining them through the lens of gender?

F 2/17 Why Most People Don't Migrate
Required reading:
- Malmberg, "Time and Space in International Migration", pp.189-203
To think about:
Why do most people not migrate? Think about the results of the BBC poll we looked at on the first day of class.

IV. Migration and Migrants

M 2/20 Migration to the Global North
Required reading:
- Castles and Miller, Chapter 4, "Migration to Highly-Developed Countries since 1945"

M 2/20, 7pm, CNS 117
Film: Journey of Hope


W 2/22 Discussion of Journey of Hope
Think about how the film fits into the theories we've been discussing
Film reaction paper due on Journey of Hope

F 2/24 Migration within the Developing World
Required reading:
- Harris, "The Sweated Trades in the Developing World", pp.204-218

M 2/27 Migration into Japan
Required readings:
- Cornelius, "Japan: Illusion of Immigration Control", pp.253-273
- French, "Insular Japan Needs, but Resists, Immigration", pp.274-275
To think about:
The tension between economic growth and the concept of the nation-state.

W 3/1   Migration into the US
Required readings:
- Massey, "Closed Door Policy", pp.276-278
- Stern, "Labor Contractors", pp.279-280
- Stern, "Illegal Immigrant Bill Weakened", pp.281-285
- McDonnel, "Border Crackdown Paradox Studied", pp.286-288
- "Labor Urges Amnesty for Illegal Immigrants" in CR, p.289
- Brownell, "Declining Enforcement of Employer Sanction" in CR, pp.290-297

F 3/3 No Class (make up for film 2/20pm)

Spring Break, no classes M 3/6 - F 3/10

M 3/13 Discussion of Essay 3
Essay #3 on Theories and Migrants Sections due M 3/13 4pm (20% of grade)

V. Migration and the Concepts of Refuge and Asylum

W 3/15 Asylum and Refugees
Required reading:
- Drakulic, "High-heeled shoes," pp.343-348
- "Definition of Refugee" US Citizenship and Immigration Service, pp.349
- "Affirmative Asylum Process at a Glance" US Citizenship and Immigration Service, pp.350-351
- equivalent information from official government site of another state, for example:

- Canada: Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration
- United Kingdom: Immigration and Nationality Directorate
- Australia: Department of Immigration & Multicultural & Indigenous Affairs
- South Africa: Permanent Residence Subdirectorate of the Ministry of Home Affairs
- Ireland: Immigration, Asylum and Citizenship information from the Department of Justice, Equality and Law
- Japan: Immigration Bureau of the Ministry of Justice

Written assignment: Compare US asylum and refugee policies to those of one other country of your choice, based on official government information

F 3/17 Politics, war, and refugees
Required reading:
- Ungar, "Manipulated by History: The Hmong" in CR, pp.352-362
- Kristof, "Seeking Asylum, Some Immigrants Find a Fate Worse than Criminal", p.363
- Lewis, "Is this America?", p.364
- Lewis, "Now We are Ashamed", p.365
To think about:
What is a refugee? What is asylum? Who should be given asylum? Who should not? Why do countries have refugee and asylum policies?
Links of interest:
Asylum issues, from Human Rights First

M 3/20 Refugees and deportations
Guest speaker: Charles Venator Santiago
Required reading:
- Brotherton, "The Deportees", pp.392-395
- "Executive Office of Immigration Review," Testimony of Charles Venator Santiago (handed out in class)

W 3/22 Asylum and Migration into Europe
Required reading:
- "Stonethrower from Eisenhuttstadt", p.366-371
- Fijalkowski, "Aggressive nationalism in Germany", pp.372-378
- "Populist anti-asylum movement born in Kollum", pp.379-385
- "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.386-391
Link of interest:
Institute of Race Relations, London. Information on asylum and refugees throughout Europe.

F 3/24 no class (makeup for film 2/20pm)

M 3/27 Refugees: The case of Palestinians
Required reading:
- Sayigh, "Palestinians: A Refugee People", pp.414-422

VI. Migration, Racism, Multicultural Societies

W 3/29 - M 4/3 National identity, immigration and the US
In class: Fear and Learning at Hoover Elementary
Required readings:
- Martin, "Proposition 187 in California," pp.423-427
- look over "Proposition 187: Text of Proposed Law" online
M 4/3 Film reaction paper due on Fear and Learning at Hoover Elementary

F 3/31 (no class, film to be shown evening of April 10)

W 4/5 Immigration and identity: US and Europe
Required reading:
- Huntington, "The Hispanic Challenge", pp.428-443
- "Three Cheers for Assimilation" (interview with Huntington), p.444
- Vlahos, "The Muslims are coming! The Muslims are coming", pp.445-448

F 4/7 Racism, immigration, and whiteness
Required reading:
- Roediger, "Whiteness and ethnicity in the history of white ethnics in the US", pp.449-458

Assignment 1 due: Topic and sources

M 4/10 Migration and multicultural society: Europe
Film: Hate ,
7pm. Showing of Hate (CNS Rm.119) (we won't be meeting at 2pm)
Required readings:
Essay on significance of Hate (La Haïne) in France, pp.459-466

W 4/12 Discussion of Hate
Required readings:
- Hamilton, "The Challenge of French Diversity", pp.467-475
- Zappi, "French Government Revives Assimilation Policy", pp.476-477
- Bouteldja, "Explosion in Suburbs", pp.478-479
- "France and the Muslim Myth", pp.480-482
Film Reaction paper due on Hate. Also rewrites of assignment #1 due.

F 4/14 Critique of liberal multiculturalism
Required reading:
- Hage, "Good White Nationalists", pp.483-496

M 4/17 Immigration and multiculturalism: South Africa
Required readings:
- Daley, "New South Africa Shuts the Door on its Neighbors", pp.497-499
- "Unfair to see illegals as the job-snatchers". pp.500-502
Link of interest:
South Africa Migration Project
Assignment 2 due: Annotated Bibliography

W 4/19 Immigration and citizenship
Required reading:
- Soysal, "Changing Citizenship in Europe" in CR, pp.503-509
- Oezcan, "Germany: Immigration in Transition," in CR, pp.510-517

F 4/21 Migration into the US and Western New York and agriculture
Guest speakers: Luis Torres of Rural Migrant Ministry
Required reading:
- Bowe, "Shameful Harvest", pp.312-313
- "Dark Harvest: A Season in Apples", pp.314-323
- "Inside Migrant Worker Camps", pp.324-325
- Facts on Farmworkers in the US, p.326
- Facts on Farmworks in New York State, p.327
- "Exclusion of Farmworkers from NY's Labor Laws: A Summary", pp.328-329
Suggested reading:
- Schlosser, "In the Strawberry Fields", pp.298-311

M 4/24 Immigration and citizenship
Required reading:
- "Swiss voters will assess immigrants" in CR, p.518
- "US to Expand Labor Rights" in CR, pp.519-520
To think about:
Who should be a citizen and why? Who should have rights? Who should be deprived of rights? Which rights?
Link of interest:
Switzerland Immigration Laws

W 4/26 Discussion of research topics.

VII. The Future

F 4/28 Conclusion 
Assignment 3 due.

Final assignment: Choice of one of the following (15% of final grade)
1. Essay #4 due Thursday May 4, 4pm
2. Write the first draft of your research paper. Due Thursday May 4, 4pm
3. Accept your grade as is.

Last revised 4/21/06