Queens College Department of Urban Studies Urban Studies 107 Immigrant Communities in Queens

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1 Queens College Department of Urban Studies Urban Studies 107 Immigrant Communities in Queens Course Description New York City s status as a global city reflects, in part, its diverse and dynamic population. This course will focus on immigrant community formations in the borough of Queens, where racial and ethnic diversity is unparalleled. Students will examine the changing demographics and intercultural relations that mark multicultural Queens. They will see how these communities are addressing issues ranging from economic struggles to the formation of new socio-cultural identities to new forms of civic and political participation. This course provides an opportunity for students to analyze their individual identity in the context of the cultural diversity of Queens and to perceive their own community within an increasingly globalized world. Course Objectives 1. Understand current debates and key research topics in immigrant incorporation and urban development, especially in a post-1965 political economic context. 2. Gain familiarity with a range of contemporary theories on the immigrant experience including the concepts of ethnic succession, segmented assimilation, transnationalism, enclaves, and ethnic economies. 3. Gain facility in presenting and discussing complex ideas in class and in written work. 4. Prepare and present a research project that utilizes mixed methods including ethnographic fieldwork, participatory action research, archival research, and visual sociology. General Education Through its discussion of the racial and ethnic diversity of Queens, it fulfills the US Experience in its Diversity requirement in Pathways. Course Grading Attendance and Class Participation 15% Student Discussion Leadership and Reading Synthesis Paper 15% Research Paper/Project 40% Final Exam 30% 1

2 Course Schedule Week 1 Week 2 Introduction Immigrant Neighborhoods in Global Cities Samers, Michael Immigration and the Global City Hypothesis: Towards an Alternative Research Agenda. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 26, 2: Marcuse, Peter "The Enclave, the Citadel, and the Ghetto: What has Changed in the Post-Fordist US City." Urban Affairs Review, 33, 2: Hum, Tarry Chapter 1, Immigrant Places: Toward a Theory of Global Neighborhoods, Making a Global Immigrant Neighborhood: Brooklyn s Sunset Park, Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press. Week 3 Immigrant Enclaves Zhou, Min Chinese: Divergent Destinies in Immigrant New York, in New Immigrants in New York, ed., Nancy Foner, New York, NY: Columbia University Press. Smith, Christopher and John R. Logan Flushing 2000: Geographic Explorations in Asian New York, in Wei Li, ed., From Urban Enclave to Ethnic Suburb: New Asian Communities in Pacific Rim Countries, University of Hawaii Press. Li, Wei Beyond Chinatown, Beyond Enclave: Reconceptualizing Contemporary Chinese Settlements in the United States, GeoJournal, 64, 1: Week 4 Latino Urbanism Miyares, Ines M From Exclusionary Covenant to Ethnic Hyperdiversity in Jackson Heights, Queens. The Geographical Review, 94, 4: Ricourt, Milagros and Ruby Danta Introduction and Chapter 1. Hispanas de Queens: Latino Panethnicity in a New York City Neighborhood. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. Jones-Correa, Michael Chapter 1. Between Two Nations: The Political Predicament of Latinos In New York City. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. Film: My American Girls Week 5 South Asians in Queens Khandelwal, Madhulika Introduction, Chapters 1 and 7. Becoming American, Being Indian: An Immigrant Community in New York City. Cornell University Press. 2

3 Maly, Michael Chapter 4, Beyond Segregation: Multiracial and Multiethnic Neighborhoods in the United States, Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press. Chhaya CDC Deepening Roots and Creating Space: Building a Better Future for New York s South Asians. Week 6 Black and Afro-Caribbean Queens Gregory, Steven. Chapter 2. Black Corona: Race and the Politics of Place in an Urban Community, Princeton University Press. Sutton, Constance The Caribbeanization of New York City and the Emergence of a Transnational Sociocultural System. Center for Migration Studies, 7, 1: Roberts, Sam Black Incomes Surpass Whites in Queens. New York Times, October 1. Powell, Michael and Janet Roberts Minorities Affected Most as New York Foreclosures Rise. New York Times, May Powell, Michael That Comeback Trail for the Economy? Here, It s Littered With Foreclosures. New York Times, February 6. Neighborhood Economic Development Advocacy Project What s Going On? df Week 7 Community Boards and Urban Governance Sanjek, Roger Color-Full before Color Blind: The Emergence of Multiracial Neighborhood Politics in Queens, New York City. American Anthropologist, 102, 4: Hum, Tarry Planning in Neighborhoods with Multiple Publics: Opportunities and Challenges for Community-Based Nonprofit Organizations. Journal of Planning and Education Research, 29, 4: Week 8 Migrant Civil Society and Political Incorporation 3

4 McAlevey, Jane Make the Road New York: Success Through Love and Agitation. The Nation, Theodore, Nik and Nina Martin Migrant Civil Society: New Voices in the Struggle over Community Development. Journal of Urban Affairs, 29, 3: Su, Celina "Whose Budget? Our Budget? Broadening Political Stakeholdership via Participatory Budgeting," Journal of Public Deliberation, 8, 2, 1, Week 9 Immigrant Integration and Citizenship Rights Bloemraad, Irene and Els de Graauw Immigrant Integration and Policy in the United States: A Loosely Stitched Patchwork. April, University of California Institute for Research on Labor and Employment Working Paper Series -- Vimo, Jackie and Chung-Wha Hong. A Vision for a Stronger Immigrant New York. Toward a 21 st Century City for All: Progressive Policies for New York City in 2013 and Beyond, ed. by John H. Mollenkopf, The Center for Urban Research, CUNY Graduate Center. Week 10 Immigrant Entrepreneurship Min, Pyong Gap Chapter 3 and 4. Caught in the Middle: Korean Communities in New York and Los Angeles. University of California Press. Kim, Dae Young Beyond Coethnic Solidarity: Mexican and Ecuadorian Employment in Korean-owned Businesses in New York City. Ethnic and Racial Studies 22. 3: Queens Bowles, Jonathan. Immigrant Entrepreneurism: An Engine for Economic Recovery. Week 11 Immigrant Labor Markets Ness, Immanuel Chapters 1 and 2. Immigrants, Unions, and the New U.S. Labor Market. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press. Hum, Tarry Persistent Polarization in the New York Workforce: New Findings of Labor Market Segmentation. Regional Labor Review, Center for the Study of Labor and Democracy, Hofstra University, Spring-Summer, 13: Week 12 Remaking Queens: Downtown Flushing Framework 4

5 Moses, Robert From Dump to Glory. Saturday Evening Post, January 15. Hum, Tarry From Dump to Glory : Flushing River and Downtown Transformation. CUNY Forum, 1, 1: New York City Economic Development Corporation and New York City Department of City Planning Development Framework: Downtown Flushing. queensalive.org/pdf_boa/downtown_flushing_framework.pdf. Paul, Brian and Tom Angotti Flushing Commons: An Analysis of Impacts on Local Business. Business%20Impact%20-%20FINAL.pdf Vatner, Jonathan For Flushing and Its Waterfront, Time to Think Big. New York Times, April Week 13 Remaking Queens: Flushing Meadows Corona Park Fairness for Queens Coalition - Pratt Center Queens Triple Play: Willets West, Major League Soccer, and the National Tennis Center. _queens_triple_play_final_2.pdf. Meadows, Sarah Flushing Meadows and the Battle for the Real New York. Sánchez, Arturo Ignacio Flushing Meadow Corona Park: Immigrant Civic Engagement or Marginalization? English Language Version, Originally published in QueensLatino.com, November. Sánchez, Arturo Ignacio MLS Soccer Stadium and Community Economic Development? English Language Version, Originally published in QueensLatino.com, December. Week 14 Week 15 Student Presentations Final ExamContent Guidelines for Critical Essays 5

6 Research Paper The research paper will be completed in six stages Stage 1 Queens Demographics Due: week # 3 In your first assignment, you will collect quantitative data about the borough of Queens and represent them on maps. You must present your data in a written report and in a series of maps that you will create. The data you will collect are as follows: Racial and Ethnic Diversity Describe the racial and ethnic diversity of Queens. Include a detailed quantitative discussion of Queens racial/ethnic composition. Also, tell me the extent to which the borough s racial/ethnic composition is similar to, or different from, that of other NYC boroughs. Try to figure out the extent of racial/ethnic segregation in the borough. Tell me where racial and ethnic groups seem to share the same residential spaces and where they appear to live separately. Poverty and Income Inequality Describe the geography of poverty and income inequality in Queens. Looking at income and poverty data, tell me if Queens is richer or poorer than other NYC boroughs, and tell me which are the borough s richest neighborhoods and which are its poorest. Compare household incomes in Queens many neighborhoods with those in other well-known NYC neighborhoods. Property Ownership, Housing Abandonment, Foreclosure Rates Describe the geography of property ownership, property abandonment and foreclosures in Queens. Which Queens neighborhoods have the highest (and lowest) property ownership rates, and how do these rates compare to those in other boroughs? Is there a high rate of property abandonment and foreclosure in Queens neighborhoods? If so, where? Please write up three to five paragraphs that summarize your findings and create two to three maps, graphs and/or charts based on data that you collect. You are especially encouraged to find quantitative information reflecting change over time. 6

7 To get you started, I provide for you here a few potential quantitative data sources: United States government census data - New York government community profiles Infoshare Population statistics, immigration trends, socio- economic indicators for NYC neighborhoods Social Explorer demographic information about the United States, from 1790 to present. Gotham Gazette, Demographics Pages A list of newspaper articles by Queens College Professor Andrew Beveridge, who has written extensively about NYC demographics. All of these data sources are available on QC intra-net computers. Important Note: You must submit complete citations for all sources, including materials downloaded from the web. Instructions for Mapping Census Data through Social Explorer To access the most current data on Social Explorer (a database that contains demographic data, maps, and reports from the U.S. Census, from 1940 to 2007), you will need to create an account. To do this, you need to access Social Explorer while on campus or through remote access. 1. Go to the Queens College Library Database list [ 2. The databases are alphabetically organized; select Social Explorer. 3. Click on New Account, and follow the instructions. Log in to the database with your username and password. (You may need to log out and log back in for the settings to register.) Once you are in Social Explorer, you can make maps and/or reports. There is a very helpful 7

8 video tutorial available under the Help section; you should watch it first: [ Then: 1. To create Maps, click on Maps. 2. Select your data set: Census To get to the location you are interested in, either click on the Find button (on the top row) and enter in the site or use the three circular buttons in the top row to zoom in, zoom out, and drag/pan across the screen. If you use the Find button, you can enter information at different levels (e.g. state, city, borough, neighborhood, street) to make different maps. 4. To import the data you want, use the drop-down menu on the right-side of the screen to select three items: 1) Census Year; 2) Category (e.g. Race, Income, Poverty, Unemployment); 3) Specific variable within the category (e.g. Average Household Income, % Living in Poverty) 5. Social Explorer will generate the map. 6. To save a map, temporarily, you can click on one of the blank slides underneath the map. You can also save a map by clicking on the File button (upper left of map screen) and then click on Save. You will need to name the project. You can access your saved map files anytime by clicking on File, and then Open; this will lead you to a list of your Projects. 7. You can also Print directly from this screen by clicking on the Print button. Social Explorer also has a Report feature, which displays the Census data in words and numbers. You can convert the information on your map into a report by selecting the Report button (on the right end of the top of the map screen) and then follow the instructions to select a type of report and a geographical area. 8

9 Stage 2 - Due Week # 5 In your second project assignment, you will pick a Queens neighborhood and collect historical and quantitative data about it. You are especially encouraged to find two kinds of evidence: historical evidence and quantitative information reflecting demographic shifts, changes in the neighborhood s housing market, and changes in the commercial character of the neighborhood. There is some scholarly work on Queens neighborhoods. A thorough search of past and present newspaper reporting on the neighborhood is also essential for this stage of the project (use Lexis Lexus). Profiles of Jackson Heights are also available from You might also explore the following sources: New York government community profiles 8. Academic Search Premier, JSTOR, Lexis Nexus, WorldCat databases available through the QC library Important Note: You must submit complete citations for all sources, including materials downloaded from the web. Stage 3 - Due: Week # 7 Describe the struggle over space in the neighborhood you picked to study. Drawing on evidence from newspaper reports and secondary sources, you must compile a list of important people, organizations and institutions. Each item should include a short, one sentence description. In three to five paragraphs, describe no fewer than three major controversies over zoning, gentrification, parks, libraries, use of public amenities, real estate, major institutions such as schools, hospitals, shopping centers, etc. that occurred in the last Stage 4 - Due Week # 9 Visit the neighborhood, making sure to go to at least 5 of the major institutions or sites of conflict that you write about for Stage 3. Write a paper reflecting your impressions of neighborhood based on the walking tour. Immediately after the walking tour, sit down while your impressions are fresh and write a 2-3 page response in which you compare the impressions of the community that you gained from the walking tour to the impressions that you had formed through your reading and research. Give specific examples from both the walking tour and the readings. At the end of the paper, write down at least five questions (about the residents, real estate, neighborhood divisions, and so forth) that you 9

10 would like the group to pursue as part of the neighborhood project. Stage 5 - Due week # 11 Collect interview data from people in the neighborhood. The purpose of the data is to gain an understanding of the struggle over space in the neighborhood. This includes information about how different groups perceive the neighborhood, its people, and its major institutions.. You should focus your interviews on people associated with three main arenas: real estate, government and residential life. You should develop a list of relevant organizations and institutions for each arena and then develop a plan to interview representatives from each group. Try to do 6 interviews or more, total. Note that the organizations and institutions in each arena are diverse. They do not necessarily have one point of view. Fourth, you must conduct what social scientists call a cognitive mapping exercise with your informants. The optimal time for this is immediately following the interview. The purpose of this exercise is to gain a sense of your informants subjective geographic perspectives on the neighborhood. I have attached a list of questions that will guide you through the exercise with your informants. Stage 6 - Cognitive Mapping Exercise - Due Week 13 First, ask your informants the following questions and record his or her answers here: 1) Where is the center of your center of your neighborhood? Is there a street, shopping place, park or school that is at the center of your neighborhood? 2) What landmarks are in your neighborhood? Is there a church, school, government building, or fire station? 10

11 3) Where is your favorite place to go in the neighborhood? 4) Where is your least favorite place? 5) How do you get from your house to work/school/church /synagogue/mosque and so forth? 6) What three things would you do to make your neighborhood better? 7) How big is your neighborhood? Where does your neighborhood stop and another neighborhood begin? Next, ask your informant to draw a map of her or his neighborhood on the other side of this sheet. Ask him or her to draw the answers to the questions he or she just answered onto his or her map. Be sure to include the informants name and his or her organizational affiliation. FINAL PAPER - Write a paper summarizing your findings -- Due Week 15 11

12 Write up a paper (8-10 pages) based on the interview and cognitive mapping exercise data you collected with background added from your preliminary research. In the paper, you should describe in as much detail as possible your informant s experiences in and perspectives on the neighborhood. The paper should not be a summary of the data you collected. Rather, it should be an analysis of that data. To accomplish this, please read through your field notes, listen to your taped interviews, and take a look at the cognitive maps you collected. Then write up a paper in which you relate findings from your data to the class themes. Ideally, you should incorporate into your report direct quotes from your informants, and you should make explicit reference to your informants cognitive maps. 12