HI 310: 2016 M/W/F/:1-2 CAS

Transcription

1 HI 310: Immigration and the Modern United States Boston University, Spring 2016 M/W/F/:1-2 CAS 233, Professor Michael Holm History Department Office: 226 Bay State Road, # mholm@bu.edu. Phone: (617) Office Hours: Tuesday and Friday COURSE DESCRIPTION/FORMAT: The United States prides itself on being a nation of immigrants and a melting pot, a country in which people of all ethnicities and races have sought new lives, new opportunities, and freedom from political or religious persecution. Present-day debates over illegal immigrants, terrorism, jobs, and border protection are reminders, however, that this is also a nation that guards its golden door fiercely. In this course students will encounter the immigrant experience in America from the great waves of European, and Asian, and Mexican immigration during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, to more recent immigrant and refugee communities from Southeast Asia and Latin America. We will explore the personal experiences of immigrants from different societies, what drove them here, how they got here, what they sacrificed to get here, and the roles different cultures have played in shaping American society from politics to food culture, to religion, and much more. Students will also encounter the American political and social response to newcomers from different parts of the world, the power of nativism, aggressive anti-immigration policies, and how immigration in the process shaped and shapes American national identity. Throughout the course we will discuss and debate how immigration influenced, and was influenced by, U.S. foreign policies, and how the topic of immigration helps create a window through which to interpret America s role in the world. 1

2 REQUIRED READINGS: Mae Ngai, Impossible Subjects: Illegal Aliens and the Making of Modern America Hasira Diner, Hungering for America: Italian, Irish, and Jewish Foodways in the Age of Migration Donna R. Gabaccia, Foreign Relations: American Immigration in Global Perspective Mae Ngai & Jon Gjerde, Major Problems in American Immigration History Books are available the Barnes and Noble Bookstore. Additional assigned readings will be uploaded to the course Blackboard site. On the syllabus these are designated **. COURSE WEBSITE: The course s Blackboard site is your location for readings, the course syllabus, and practical information regarding writing assignments and grading criteria. GRADE BREAKDOWN: Midterm: (25%): Take-Home Exam. Details on format and requirements to follow. Due in class March 14 Analytical Paper, pages (25%): Due in class April 15. This is a primary source based paper. The nature of the paper assignment and the criteria for determining your grade for the course will be explained in greater detail in class. The analytical paper is due in lecture April 19. A first draft (no less than 7-8 pages) is due for an in-class assignment on March 30; no exceptions and no make-up. The first draft will constitute 10% of the final paper grade. Failure to bring a draft to class on March 30 will result in a 0 for the draft. Note that handing in the paper after the April 19 due date will result in a penalty of three points per day. For more information see the Paper Pointers handout. Discussion Participation and Attendance (25%) Your participation grade will be based on your overall participation in our in-class discussions Final Exam: Take-Home Exam. Due May 6. (25%) NOTE ON WRITING ASSIGNMENTS: For a detailed description of the proper format for historical essays, students should consult the BU History Department Writing Guide. You must complete all requirements to pass this course. The grading criteria for this course will be accordingly: A A B B B C C C D 0-49 F 2

3 NOTE ON PLAGIARISM: Remember that plagiarism is a serious offense. The Boston University Code of Academic Conduct defines plagiarism as any attempts by a student to represent the work of another as his or her own. Plagiarism is subject to serious sanctions, including reprimand, suspension, and expulsion. For a detailed description of Boston University s rules, consult the code of conduct at: Schedule of Lectures and Weekly Assignments January 20 January 22 January 25 January 27 January 29 February 1 February 3, 5, 8 February February 15 Introduction to the course Discussion: Immigration, Identity, and American Politics Gabaccia, Foreign Relations, 1-23 Approaches to Immigration History Ngai and Gjerde, Major Problems, 1-35 Broad Perspectives: For and Against Immigration Daniels & Graham** Law and Immigration: A Complicated History Ngai, Impossible Subjects, 1-14 Is Ted Cruz Eligible to be President? Two Views on the complex nature of citizenship** president/2016/01/12/1484a7d0-b7af-11e5-99f3-184bc379b12d_story.html?hpid=hp_no-name_opinion-cardb%3ahomepage%2fstory ** Discussion: Citizenship and Migration in Early America Ngai and Gjerde, Major Problems, European Immigration in the 19 th Century Ngai and Gjerde, Major Problems, Gabaccia, Foreign Relations, Asian Immigration Ngai and Gjerde, Major Problems, ; Chinese Exclusion Act** Articles and cartoons on the CEA Note: Discussion February 12 Presidents Day: No Class 3

4 February 16 February 17 February 19 February 22 February 24 February 26 February 29 March 2 March 4 March 14 March 16-18: March 21 March Colonialism and Immigration Ngai and Gjerde, Major Problems, Discussion Empire and Immigration Ngai, Impossible Subjects, Ellis Island: Documentary in Class Constructions Against the Other: Ellis and Angel Island John Richardson, The Ellis Island Tests ** H. M. Lai, Island of Immortals: Chinese Immigrants and the Angel Island Immigration Station ** Francis Walker, Restrictions of Immigration, (1896)** Coming to America: Food and the Italian Experience Diner, Hungering for America, 1-83 Discussion: Coming to America: Food and the Irish Experience Diner, Hungering for America, Discussion: Coming to America: Food and the Jewish Experience Diner, Hungering for America, Urbanization and Immigration Ngai and Gjerde, Major Problems No Class: Take Home Exam The Rise of Nativism Ngai, Impossible Subjects, New York Times and Washington Post on the National Origins Act** Midterm exam due in-class Wars and Hyphen-Americans: Ngai, Impossible Subjects, Analytical Paper Pointers Discussion: Identity and Immigration Ngai and Gjerde, Major Problems ; ; Mexican Immigration Ngai, Impossible Subjects, Ngai and Gjerde, Major Problems, ; Recommended Readings on Mexican Immigration** 4

5 March 28 March 30 April 1-4 April 6 April 8 April April 15 April 20 April 22 Discussion: The Internment of the Japanese Ngai and Gjerde, Major Problems, ; Documents on internment** Analytical paper workshop First draft no less than 7-8 pages - of paper due for in-class assignment. Cold War America and Immigration Ngai, Impossible Subjects, Discussion: The Cold War and Immigration Ngai, Impossible Subjects, Ngai and Gjerde, Major Problems, The Vietnam War and Immigration after Hart-Cellar Gabaccia, Foreign Relations, Immigration in the 1980s and 1990s Ngai and Gjerde, Major Problems, Documentary on Asylum Seekers Paper due in class Discussion: Refugees and American Immigration Ngai & Gjerde, Major Problems, Illegals, Immigration and the Contemporary Debates Gutierrez, The New Normal? ** Samuel Huntington, Who Are We? (excerpt)** April 25 Discussion: American Identity and Immigrants in the 21 st Century I: Ngai & Gjerde, Major Problems, April 27 April 29 Discussion: American Identity and Immigrants in the 21 st Century II: Ngai & Gjerde, Major Problems, Discussion: The 2016 Election and Immigration Recent debates** Final Exam: Take-Home Exam. Due in Professor Holm s Office, May 6 5

6 Professor Michael Holm Boston University Primary Source Reading Guide: DON T JUST READ: PROCESS! When you are reading and analyzing primary sources, you need to: identify the source and the author, engage his or her argument, identify the purpose and meaning of the source and situate it within the appropriate historical context. The following should serve as a roadmap as you prepare for discussions in this course and will help you tremendously when you prepare for exams. Note that not all sources will provide answers to all of these questions. Think of the suggestions below as a portal that helps you think historically about the material we will cover this semester. I: Identify the author and the source: a) What type of source is it? a. Significance? b) Who is the author/speaker? Or if a government documents, who is the organization or state(s) involved? a. Significance? c) What else have they written or made? What is their political or ethnic affiliation? Are they associated with a particular viewpoint, alliance, institution, or period? d) What is the significance of the author? II: Engaging the source: a) What are the main points or themes? b) Does the source make an argument? If so, how are the arguments presented? c) What kind of language does the author rely on? What strikes you about it (pick out particular phrases, key words etc.)? How does the language assist the author s message? d) Can you find any weaknesses in the argument? How would you evaluate it? Are you convinced by the message? 6

7 III: Situate the piece in its historical context: a) Failure to understand the context means that you have nothing b) Consider date, year, moment in time. How does this piece relate to or explain the events of the time? c) Who is the author s intended audience? d) What kind of reaction did this piece elicit? What kind of influence did it have? e) What does it tell us about this particular time period? IV: Analyze and assessing the source: a) What do the source s arguments or ideas tell us? b) What are its weaknesses or limitations? c) What conclusions does the source, by itself or in conjunction with others, allow you to draw? d) What questions does the source or object raise? V: Reflection: a) So what? Why should we be reading this? What does it tell us? b) Write one summarizing paragraph for each source you read to help you be ready for in-class discussions and to ease you midterm and final exam preparation. 7