COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY. Immigration and the Transformation of American Society Spring 2014

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1 COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY Immigration and the Transformation of American Society Spring 2014 Professor: Van C. Tran Office: TBA Phone: TBA TBA Course time: Mondays & Wednesdays, 4:10-5:25 p.m. Office hours: Wednesdays, 2:00-4:00 p.m. Website: TBA Course Description: In 2010, one in eight residents of the United States was born outside the country. The arrival of these newcomers affects the cultural, economic, political and social dynamics of our society. Since immigration shows no signs of slowing down in the United States or in many other countries of the world the causes, consequences and repercussions of immigration will be one of the most important topics of the 21st century. The course will proceed in four parts. In the first part, we begin the class by looking at why people move and the policies that let some people in while keeping others out. In the next two parts, we will consider assimilation and incorporation, the processes by which immigrants become integrated (or not) into their new home in the U.S. We will examine both the experiences of the immigrants (i.e. the first generation) and their U.S.-born children (i.e. the second generation). We will explore how sociologists theorize, measure, and evaluate immigrant incorporation. Of particular interest are theoretical debates around straight-line vs. segmented assimilation. We will also look at the challenges immigrants bring to American society: post-9/11 concerns about security, questions about democracy, participation and language use, and debates about tolerance and multiculturalism. In the final part, we will pay special attention to the growth of unauthorized immigrants, to their experiences in the U.S. and to the contentious politics surrounding them. In particular, we highlight the pitfalls of immigration control and border policies. We will spend some time talking about new immigrant destinations and how processes of incorporation and integration might unfold differently in this context. We will then close with discussion of how immigration is reshaping the future of the American color line. The course focuses on receiving countries and the lives of immigrants, not the impact of migration on those left behind. There are no prerequisites to the course and it is open to all undergraduates. Because immigration is an interdisciplinary field of study, the course welcomes students from all disciplinary backgrounds, including sociology, urban studies, political science, economics, social anthropology and history. It is also open to anyone with an interest in immigration and a willingness to examine the difficult moral, political, and academic questions that immigration raises in the 21 st century. Students may audit the course with the permission of the instructor. 1

2 Course Objectives: In this course on immigration, we will: 1. Develop an understanding of major trends on contemporary immigration. 2. Become familiar with key theoretical debates on immigrant assimilation. 3. Explore key concepts through which sociologists study the experience of immigrants. 4. Have hands-on experience doing some empirical research on the topic of immigration. Course Requirements: 1. Class participation (10% of final grade) 2. Three short papers (60% of final grade) 3. In-class final exam (30% of final grade) Three Short Papers More details about each of these three assignments will be distributed in class. You will be expected to do some original research and to write approximately 6-8 pages per assignment. 1. Group statistical profile of an immigrant community in the U.S., due February Interview paper with an immigrant about the immigrant experience, due March Memo to a local mayor advising a stance on an issue related to immigration, due April 23 In-Class Final Exam The final exam will cover materials from the entire course. There will be three essay questions that require a synthesis of the course readings, lectures, and class discussions. Course Policies: 1. Doing the reading is essential to your comprehension and participation in class. Some questions to ponder for each reading assignment include: What data and methodology is employed by the author? What is the main argument or thesis? What claims are being made by the author? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the author s argument? Do you agree or disagree with the author? If so, why? How does the reading relate to the lecture materials? How does it relate to current events or public opinion? Thinking about and answering these questions will help prepare you for class discussions and written assignments. 2. Please complete assigned readings before each class and come prepared to discuss them. Everyone should join in, even those who are naturally shy. The quality of your comments is more important than the quantity. Your active participation in class is strongly encouraged. I will set aside some time during my lectures for discussion, so you can raise any questions that you might have then. If you don t understand something, it is often the case that some of your classmates might also have the same questions, but they might be too shy to ask them. By raising questions about the reading materials, you will help all of us to learn better. 2

3 3. I am happy to meet with you individually during my office hours to answer questions on any aspects of the course. I also would like to get to know you, to learn more about your interests and to see how I can help you. I would encourage you to sign up for a 15-minute appointment with me early on in the semester. Before major assignment deadlines, I will make an effort to provide extra office hours, but it is always best to plan ahead if you anticipate needing any help. I often try to stay a few minutes after each class. If you have small questions, then this will be an excellent time to approach me. I would like you to do as well as you can in my course, so please do not hesitate to ask questions and to get feedback on your work. Your teaching fellows could also be great resources, so I would encourage you to approach them as well. 4. Paper assignments should always be submitted in hard-copy in class on the day they are due. Papers will be lowered by a third of a grade for every day late. For example, if your paper would receive a B+, it will get a B if you are one day late, a B- if you are two days late, and so on. No extensions will be granted, except in case of serious illness. If you are seriously ill, you should go to see your physician and provide a note to support any extension request. 5. Technology in the classroom can be both a blessing and a distraction. If you must use your laptop during class, I would recommend that you turn off your internet browsers and clients. Laptop should be used for note-taking purposes only. We will rely on the honor code for the reinforcement of this rule, so please help me and your classmates in our effort to create a classroom environment that is truly conducive to learning and sharing. Course Materials: Books Alba, Richard and Victor Nee Remaking the American Mainstream: Assimilation and Contemporary Immigration. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. Nancy Foner From Ellis Island to JFK: New York s Two Great Waves of Immigration. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. Levitt, Peggy The Transnational Villagers. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. Marrow, Helen B New Destination Dreaming: Immigration, Race, and Legal Status in the Rural American South. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. Phillip Kasinitz, John H. Mollenkopf, Mary C. Waters and Jennifer Holdaway. Inheriting the City: The Children of Immigrants Come of Age. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Portes, Alejandro and Rubén G. Rumbaut Immigrant America: A Portrait. 3 rd Edition. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. Articles Other readings include journal articles and book chapters that will be made available on the course website and on reserve in the library. 3

4 TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE AND READING ASSIGNMENTS PART I: INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW Wednesday, January 22 Introduction to the Course Questions, Concerns and Myths about Immigration Monday, January 27 Wednesday, January 29 Immigrant America: Introduction and Overview Portes, Alejandro and Rubén G. Rumbaut Immigrant America: A Portrait. 3 rd Edition. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. Chapters 1-2, pp Sassen, Saskia America s Immigration Problem. Pp in Saskia Sassen, Globalization and Its Discontents: Essays on the New Mobility of People and Money. New York: The New Press. Massey, Douglas S Why Does Immigration Occur? A Theoretical Synthesis. Pp in The Handbook of International Migration: The American Experience, edited by C. Hirschman, P. Kasinitz and J. DeWind. New York: Russell Sage Foundation. Monday, February 3 Wednesday, February 5 Immigration to the United States: 1776 to 1965 Nancy Foner From Ellis Island to JFK: New York s Two Great Waves of Immigration. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. Chapters 1-4, pp Monday, February 10 Wednesday, February 12 Immigration to the United States: 1965 to present Nancy Foner From Ellis Island to JFK: New York s Two Great Waves of Immigration. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. Chapters 5-8, pp PART II: INCORPORATION OF THE IMMIGRANT FIRST GENERATION Holiday, February 17 Wednesday, February 19 Theory of Straight-Line Assimilation: Key Theoretical Foundations Alba, Richard and Victor Nee, Remaking the American Mainstream: Assimilation and Contemporary Immigration. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Chapters 1-4, pp

5 Monday, February 24 Wednesday, February 26 First paper due February 26 Theory of Straight-Line Assimilation: Main Empirical Findings Alba, Richard and Victor Nee, Remaking the American Mainstream: Assimilation and Contemporary Immigration. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Chapters 5-7, pp Monday, March 3 Wednesday, March 5 Measuring Immigrant Assimilation: Settlement, Work, Participation and Language Portes, Alejandro and Rubén G. Rumbaut Immigrant America: A Portrait. 3 rd Edition. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. Chapters 3, 4, 5 and 7. Monday, March 10 Wednesday, March 12 Assimilation and Transnationalism Levitt, Peggy The Transnational Villagers. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. Cohen, Yinon, and Yitchak Haberfeld Self-Selection and Return Migration: Israeli-born Jews Returning home from the U.S. during the 1980s. Population Studies 55: Spring Recess March 17 March 21 PART III: INCORPORATION OF THE IMMIGRANT SECOND GENERATION Monday, March 24 Wednesday, March 26 Second Paper due March 26 Theory of Segmented Assimilation Farley, Reynolds and Richard Alba The New Second Generation in the United States. International Migration Review 36 (3): Gans, Herbert Second-Generation Decline: Scenarios for the Economic and Ethnic Futures of the Post-1965 American Immigrants. Ethnic and Racial Studies 15(2): Portes, Alejandro and Min Zhou The New Second Generation: Segmented Assimilation and Its Variants. Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 530: Portes, Alejandro, and Rubén G. Rumbaut Legacies: The Story of the Immigrant Second Generation. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. Chapter 3, pp

6 Portes, Alejandro, Patricia Fernandez-Kelly, and William Haller Segmented Assimilation on the Ground: The New Second Generation in Early Adulthood. Ethnic and Racial Studies 28 (6): Monday, March 31 Wednesday, April 2 Challenges to Segmented Assimilation: The New York Story Guest speaker, Professor Philip Kasinitz, The Graduate Center, The City University of New York Phillip Kasinitz, John H. Mollenkopf, Mary C. Waters and Jennifer Holdaway. Inheriting the City: The Children of Immigrants Come of Age. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Monday, April 7 Wednesday, April 9 Challenges to Segmented Assimilation: Other Perspectives Cohen, Yinon, and Yitchak Haberfeld Economic Assimilation among Children of Israeli Immigrants in the US. International Migration 41(4): Alba, Richard, Philip Kasinitz and Mary C. Waters The Kids Are (Mostly) Alright: Second-Generation Assimilation. Social Forces 89(3) Neckerman, Kathryn M., Prudence Carter, and Jennifer Lee Segmented Assimilation and Minority Cultures of Mobility. Ethnic and Racial Studies 22 (6): Agius Vallejo, Jody Socially Mobile Mexican Americans and the Minority Culture of Mobility. American Behavioral Scientist 56: Waldinger, Roger, and Cynthia Feliciano Will the New Second Generation Experience Downward Assimilation? Segmented Assimilation Re-Assessed. Ethnic and Racial Studies 27 (3): Waters, Mary C., Van C. Tran, Philip Kasinitz and John Mollenkopf Segmented Assimilation Revised: Types of Acculturation and Socioeconomic Outcomes in Young Adulthood. Ethnic and Racial Studies 33(7): PART IV: LEGAL STATUS, NEW DESTINATIONS AND THE FUTURE OF AMERICA Monday, April 14 Wednesday, April 16 Unauthorized Immigration and Policy Solutions Passel, Jeffrey S. and D Vera Cohn Unauthorized Immigrant Population: National and State Trends, Washington, DC: Pew Hispanic Center. 6

7 Massey, Douglas S. and Karen A. Pren "Unintended Consequences of U.S. Immigration Policy: Explaining the Post-1965 Surge from Latin America." in Population and Development Review, March 38(1): Donato, Katharine M. and Amada Armenta What We Know about Unauthorized Migration. Annual Review of Sociology 37: Douglas Massey, Beyond the Border Buildup: Towards a New Approach to Mexico-US Migration Immigration Policy In Focus 4(7):1-12. Monday, April 21 Wednesday, April 23 Third Paper due April 23 How Legal Status Matters Vargas, José A My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant. New York Times (June 22). Bean, Frank D., Mark A. Leach, Susan K. Brown, James D. Bachmeier, and John R. Hipp The Educational Legacy of Unauthorized Migration: Comparisons Across U.S.-Immigrant Groups in How Parents Status Affects Their Offspring. International Migration Review 45(2): Gonzales, Roberto G Learning to Be Illegal: Undocumented Youth and Shifting Legal Contexts in the Transition to Adulthood. American Sociological Review 76(4): Roberto G. Gonzales Wasted Talent and Broken Dreams: The Lost Potential of Undocumented Students Immigration Policy In Focus 5(13). Monday, April 28 Wednesday, April 30 New Immigrant Destinations Massey, Douglas and Chiara Capoferro The Geographic Diversification of U.S. Immigration. Pp in Douglas S. Massey, ed., New Faces in New Places: The Changing Geography of American Immigration. New York: Russell Sage Foundation. Marrow, Helen B New Destination Dreaming: Immigration, Race, and Legal Status in the Rural American South. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. Marrow, Helen B Assimilation in New Destinations. Dædalus: The Journal of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences: forthcoming. Monday, May 5 Immigration and the Changing American Color Line 7

8 Jiménez, Tomás R Mexican-Immigrant Replenishment and the Continuing Significance of Ethnicity and Race. American Journal of Sociology, 113(6): Alba, Richard Blurring the Color Line: The New Chance for a More Integrated America. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Marrow, Helen B New Destinations and the American Colour Line. Ethnic and Racial Studies 32(6): Lee, Jennifer and Frank D. Bean A Post-Racial Society or a Diversity Paradox? Race, Immigration, and Multiraciality in the Twenty-First Century. Du Bois Review 9 (2):1 19. In-class final exam on May 12 A Final Note on Academic Integrity: *** The intellectual endeavor in which we are all engaged requires of faculty and students alike the highest level of personal and academic integrity. As members of an academic community, each one of us bears the responsibility to participate in scholarly discourse and research in a manner characterized by intellectual honesty and scholarly integrity. Scholarship, by its very nature, is an iterative process, with ideas and insights building one upon the other. Collaborative scholarship requires the study of other scholars work, the free discussion of such work, and the explicit acknowledgement of those ideas in any work that inform our own. This exchange of ideas relies upon a mutual trust that sources, opinions, facts, and insights will be properly noted and carefully credited. In practical terms, this means that, as students, you must be responsible for the full citations of others ideas in all of your research papers and projects; you must be scrupulously honest when taking your examinations; you must always submit your own work and not that of another student, scholar, or internet agent. Any breach of this intellectual responsibility is a breach of faith with the rest of our academic community. It undermines our shared intellectual culture, and it cannot be tolerated. Students failing to meet these responsibilities should anticipate being asked to leave Columbia. If you have any questions about what constitutes a primary source to be cited, please come to see me during my office hours and we can talk in more details. For further information, please see: 8