AMST 55A-1
Race, Ethnicity, and Immigration in American Culture
Brown 218
Tuesdays and Thursdays
3:30-4:50
Instructor: Dr. Jillian Powers
Office: Brown 326
Office Hours: Tuesday & Thursday 11-3
“Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
– The New Colossus
A Nation of Immigrants:
The United States is a country always in the process of becoming. Migrants transform communities and regions requiring a reassessment of the cultural, educational and political institutions of our social system. Because of this, immigration continues to be one of the most significant forces in American society today. However, racial and ethnic migrants experience different advantages and disadvantages. Many important stories and experiences are lost to the large brushstrokes of national memory and current approaches to multiculturalism like “color blind racism” and “diversity happy-talk.” Therefore, entrenched metaphors like the melting pot or tossed salad fail to capture how different social groups fared in America at different historical moments.
In this course we focus on the intersection of race, ethnicity, and class to understand contemporary and historical immigrant experiences. Designed to provide students with a multidisciplinary overview of race, ethnicity and immigration in American Culture, we will examine sociological trends, historical material, written and oral first-hand accounts, and popular texts and objects in order to include and examine the variety of experiences so often overlooked in the larger national conversation about immigration.
We will use critical theory, intersectionality, and the disciplinary foundations of ethnic and American studies to reflect on the unique experiences as well as similarities between immigrant communities/cohorts to understand the processes of becoming American and the possibilities for future assimilation and integration. We will use these skills to direct our critical eye upon our own immigrant narratives. We will examine how not only the views of immigrations have changed, but also how America itself has evolved. We will spend our time together asking; how does one become American? What does it mean to become American? How does that look in different eras and for different populations? How do immigrants transition and transform? What is the immigrant experience like and how does that relate to an American national identity? And, finally, how does the history of immigration in the U.S. inform our present and influence our decisions as a culture, nation, and as an individual?
AMST55a is partnered with the 2-credit Practicum, EL 16a: “The Immigrant Experience in Waltham: A Service-based Practicum”. As an adjunct to this course, the practicum is entirely voluntary, but something that you are encouraged to consider. The practicum application (due Monday Aug 31 at 12 noon) and the practicum syllabus are on the LATTE site for this course.
Four-Credit Course (with three hours of class-time per week)
Success in this 4 credit hour course is based on the expectation that students will spend a minimum of 9 hours of study time per week in preparation for class (readings, papers, discussion sections, preparation for exams, etc.).
Course Objectives:
By the end of this course, you should be able to:
-Utilize scholarship in American Studies and other disciplines to construct and support your own arguments about immigration, race, and ethnicity
-Make connections between theory and everyday life
-“Read a text” by utilizing a variety of approaches and representations of race, ethnicity, and nationality
-Recognize and articulate more nuanced representations of immigration, race, and ethnicity and move beyond binary arguments
-Improve critical reading and writing skills
Course Requirements:
- Complete all readings and actively participate in discussions 10%
- Daily memos on course material10%
- Immigration Op-ed5%
- Family immigration story 5%
- Thanksgiving ethnographic essay10%
- Family interview and essay20%
- Final Paper (plus revisions)40%
Participation, attendance and classroom engagement: Readings are to be completed before the class period for which they are assigned. Attendance is a crucial aspect of class and you are expected to come prepared, ready to engage, and willing to participate in a respectful and thoughtful manner. Three unexcused absences will result in the deduction of a whole letter grade from your overall score (An ‘A’ will be reduced to a ‘B’). Five or more unexcused absences, you fail the course. Please send me an email if you are unable to attend class by 11 AM that morning. There will be an attendance sheet passed out each class period. You are responsible for signing only your name on the attendance sheet.
Memos: For each class period you will draft a short outline of the material covered to help facilitate class discussion. Summarize the main objectives/research questions/scholarly perspectives, methodologies, and findings and conclusions (to the best of your ability) and draft a few thoughtful questions or concerns to discuss in class. These are supposed to be rough and will not be graded for style or writing – use these to work on your comprehension and to pose questions that intrigue you or confuse you. If you focus on what you find most intriguing and what you find most confusing, you will come to class prepared and ready to engage.
Each memo should be about a page. Make sure to write the date and your name on each submission. Email this to me by MIDNIGHT the night before class. Throughout the semester you must submit 15 memos—use your free days wisely. It is your responsibility to keep track of your memo tally—any missing memos will negatively influence your grade.
Family Immigration Story: What is your family immigration/migration story? 1-5 pages. Due September 3
Opinion/Oped on Current Events: Write an Op-ed or opinion piece to be submitted to a campus, local or national newspaper of your choosing. Document your observations and reflections on a contemporary issue of immigration and ethnicity and race (not covered on the syllabus) related to the themes and readings in this course (immigration debates, current discussions of race in the media, local communities and assimilation). I welcome all of your interests and thoughtful commentaries as long as they directly discuss issues or race, class, ethnicity and immigration. Use the readings and classroom discussions to shape your op-ed. These should be polished and structured. 750 words. Rough Draft Due October 16th. Final Draft due a week after comments have been returned—provide proof of submission, and if published, proof of publication.
Some Guidelines
-Assess the merits and drawbacks of a policy andanalyze the possible consequences. Are the consequences equal across, race, gender and other social status factors like class (or disability, sexuality, etc.)? Do policies like this perpetuate inequalities? Remember to be mindful to the matrix of domination!
-You can be for or against this policy or proposal. You will not be graded on your position but on your ability to craft an argument and construct your position using facts and data.
How to Write a Letter to the Editor:
First, look at recently published letters in the newspaper of your choosing to understand how to format and write your letter.
-Address the letter as “Dear Editor”
-Begin by writing your interest in the issue.
-Write 2-3 sentences validating your interest/reason for writing this letter. These may be facts and data that highlight the intensity and importance of this issue.
-Use the next few paragraphs to expand: flesh out the facts, and give some of your personal opinions (it is ok to have “I” in your letter).
-The body of the letter should explain your position with information and further detail
-Conclude your letter by restating your position and briefly review your reasons.
-Remember to include your name and contact information.
-Proofread and make sure your paragraphs are well organized and flow nicely.
Thanksgiving Ethnographic Essay: Refer to the readings on Thanksgiving and the work we have done up to this point. First describe in detail your thanksgiving meal, how it is prepared, who are the major players, etc. How does your Thanksgiving celebration relate to a national American identity/an immigrant identity? How do we know this? What details can you share that show this? 5 pages. Due Tuesday December 1.
Family Interview & Essay: Interview someone in your family about your family immigration story. First conduct the interview. After you have transcribed the interview, analyze the data and write an essay describing their version of this story and how it relates to the story you shared in the beginning of the semester. Do you see any differences/similarities? Why? What moments or memories does this person focus on and what larger narratives of immigration and immigrant assimilation/the immigration experience do they speak to? 5 pages. I suggest doing this early!Due December 4.
Final Paper: Revisit your family’s immigrant or migration story and ground it in the historical moment taking into consideration the intersection of race, ethnicity, class, and gender. Use outside sources, your thanksgiving analysis, the interview, and do some historical digging of your own. Use at least 3 outside academic peer-reviewed sources (journal articles, books, etc., if you are in doubt as to what “counts,” ask). You can approach this in any way that inspires you. How does history, migration, identity, memory and American myth play into your personal story? What memories and processes of socialization reflect your niches or minoritized spaces, how do you and your family interact with these memories and narratives? How does time, space, and place interact in the representation of your migration/immigration story? How do history and present immigration realities influence your narrative? Your paper must:
1-Ground your story in the historical moment
2-Show by providing “thick description” and detail
3-Analyze the particulars of your family story and critically engage with those examples of “thick description”
4-Be well written. Expand upon your family story with data and numbers; create an insightful final product by paying attention to voice, context, and complexity. Further details will be discussed in class. 10 pages. Rough draft (optional) December 14, Final Draft Due December 18th.
5-Have a works cited page complete with 3 outside academic sources (along with any course material you find useful).
The final paper will be graded on the following criteria:
- Organization and fluency of written work
- Strength of argument
- Attention to detail, and accuracy of facts provided
- References from readings and other sources, properly cited
Late Policy: NO LATE COURSEWORK WILL BE ACCEPTED. All coursework must be completed on time unless we have come to an agreement before the due date, nothing will be accepted after the last day of class.
Evaluations
Your final grade will be determined by your performance on the above requirements. All assignments will be graded on a standard scale of 0 to 100 (except the memos).
The final grade will be given using the letter grade system standard at Brandeis University. The table below shows how the numeric grades will be converted into letter grades:
97-100A+
93-96A
90-92A-
87-89B+
83-86B
80-82B-
77-79C+
73-76C
70-72C-
67-69D+
63-66D
60-62D-
below 59F
University Policies
Academic Accommodations: If you are a student who has academic accommodations because of a documented disability, please contact me during the first two weeks of the semester and give me a copy of your letter of accommodation. Federal law and university policy require provision of reasonable accommodation for students with diagnosed learning disabilities that may affect how they participate in the class or meet class requirements. I encourage students who believe they need such accommodation to contact the Academic Services Office early in the term. Detailed information on policies, procedures, and resources related to learning disabilities can be found at this link:
If you have any questions regarding documenting a disability, contact Beth Rodgers-Kay in the undergraduate Academic Affairs Office (x63470, ). Accommodations cannot be granted retroactively.
University Policy on Academic Integrity: You are expected to be familiar with and to follow the University’s policies on academic integrity. You are expected to turn in work that is completed, written, and designed by you! This means use footnotes and quotation marks to indicate the source of any phrases, sentences, paragraphs, or ideas found in published volumes on the Internet or created by another student.[1] I will refer any suspected instances of alleged dishonesty to the Office of Academic Affairs.
Violations of may result in failure of the course or on the assignment or in suspension or dismissal from the University. If you are in doubt about the instructions for any assignment in the course, it is your responsibility to ask for clarification. Do not test me! Ask if you have any concerns before compromising your undergraduate experience!
See:
I encourage all students to visit the Brandeis writing center if you would like to improve your writing.
TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOM
Laptops, PDAs, cell phones, headphones, and all other technological distractions MUST BE OFF AND AWAY at all times during class-time.
On Controversial Subjects and Classroom Community
We will be discussing many contemporary issues that are the subject of intense controversy, such as immigration reform, racial inequality, and ethnic studies in high school curricula. You may have strong feelings about these issues, and those feelings or opinions may be opposed to some of the articles and chapters you’ll be reading. I will encourage discussion and debate on these topics, as I believe that one duty of the course is to critically examine what we may accept as “common knowledge” or accepted practice. However, to ensure that your own personal opinions do not affect your class performance and to keep discussions and debates civil and academically-focused, I ask you to keep the following points in mind:
1.Students are expected to serve as resources for each other and fully commit to the collaborative and supportive community required to successfully complete a course/project of this nature
2.Be aware that understanding arguments made in the readings does not require accepting those arguments. Indeed, even if you disagree with an argument, you must first understand it to make a reasoned critique. Do not simply dismiss them.
3.Opinions are not acceptable arguments in discussion. If you wish to critique a concept, you must provide some evidence or data from the readings (or outside material, if you so wish, as long as it is scholarly). Do not be afraid, however, to speculate on potential consequences or impacts based upon existing data or to inquire about the existence or quality of data with regard to an argument.
4.Anecdotes are not data. Just because something happened to one person at one time does not imply a pattern or trend. The difference between an anecdote and an example is that examples are illustrations based on systematic data (this point will be crucial for your final paper!)
5.Do not become emotional or engage in personal attacks. While you may have strong feelings on these issues, remember to always keep a cool head and show respect for differing opinions.
Required Texts
The Routledge Companion to Race and Ethnicity. Edited by Stephen M. Caliendo and Charlton D. McIlwain. Routledge: London. 2011.
The Ethnic Myth: Race, Ethnicity and Class in America. Stephen Steinberg. Beacon Press: Boston. 2001.
A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America. Ronald Takaki. Back Bay Books: New York. 2008.
The Four Immigrants Manga: A Japanese Experience in San Francisco, 1904-1924. Henry (Yoshitaka) Kiyama and Frederik L. Schodt. Stone Bridge Press. 1999.
Course Schedule
Syllabus and schedule subject to change, the most recent version can be found on LATTE
INTRODUCTION
August 27
Overview of syllabus
Discussion:
How do you define immigration?
How is it related to national and global American Identity?
Naturalization Test
Reading:
Introduction: Aliens, Inc. pp. 1-16 in Immigration and American Popular Culture: An Introduction, by Rachel Rubin and Jeffrey Melnick. 2007 in LATTE
Ethnicity and American Popular Culture. Introduction. pp. 319-324, in American Immigration and Ethnicity: A Reader. Eds David A. Gerber and Alan M. Kraut. Palgrave: New York. 2005. In LATTE
“16 People on Things They Couldn’t Believe about American until they moved here,” by Michael Koh. November 22, 2013. Thought Catalog.
Assignment: What is your immigration story? 1-5 Pages. Due September 3
RACE, ETHNICITY, IMMIGRATION AND CITIZENSHIP
September 1 & 3
Discuss Readings from last week
Keywords Race, Ethnicity, Immigration
Chapters 1-3, pp. 3-28 in the Routledge Companion to Race and Ethnicity. Edited by Stephen M. Caliendo and Charlton D. McIlwain. 2011.
Racial Formations. Michael Omi and Howard Winant in LATTE
Chapter 7, pp. 55-63 in the Routledge Companion to Race and Ethnicity. Edited by Stephen M.
Caliendo and Charlton D. McIlwain. 2011.
Models of American Ethnic Relations: Hierarchy, Assimilation, and Pluralism, pp. 123-135 by
George M. Fredrickson in Doing Race: 21 Essays for the 21st Century, 2010 in LATTE
Assignment: What is your immigration story? 1-5 Pages. Due September 3
WHOSE COUNTRY IS THIS?
September 8
The Crisis of National Identity, pp. 3-20 in Who Are We? The Challenges to America’s National
Identity by Samuel P. Huntington in LATTE
White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack by Peggy McIntosh pp. 49-53 in Race, Class, and Gender: An Anthology in LATTE
A Different Mirror: The Making of Multicultural America. By Ronald Takaki in A Different
Mirror pp. 3-22.
Race Class and Gender: An Anthology Selections: in LATTE
Why Race, Class, and Gender Still Matter
Missing People and Others