Immigration and the American Melting Pot
by admin - October 15th, 2016
The next several class periods will explore the history of immigration in law and society in the early part of the 20th century (keeping in mind, of course, the continuing relevance of that debate to our own time).
Tuesday 10/18 The “Long View” of Contested American Citizenship. Reading / prepare to discuss: Linda Kerber, “The Meanings of Citizenship” (1997). Bring to class: an immigration story to share (your own, a family story, someone else’s story, from any time period).
Links for Today:
Vote (Early!) PSA from Pres Obama
Election Wisdom from Ultra Spiritual Life
Thursday 10/20 Immigration Law. Reading: *NOTE this is a CHANGE FROM THE SYLLABUS* Ngai, “The Architecture of Race in American Immigration Law” (1999) AND Collins, “Aliens v. Free Born” (1930). Also, Soapbox #4 [Tim, Alex, Simone, Michael, Monica, Amanda, and Rebeca]
Tuesday 10/25 Special Location for Today = LRC 121. We will be screening the film “Citizen USA” and we’re opening it up to the campus as a Democracy Café event, so we’ll meet in a bigger room with some more seating for guests.
Thursday 10/27 Petitioners at the Gates. We will have a special guest speaker today from the local field office of US Citizenship and Immigration Services, in addition to Soapbox #5 [Robert, Janine, Dave, Aleta, Kevin]. Reading: The compelling personal account of Lee Puey You at Angel Island Immigration Station in 1939, Yung “Bowlful of Tears.”
Links for Today:
Citizens Initiative Review pilot project about MA Question 4
Lousiana law about documentation required for marriage
First Native American named an ambassador
America is a Bad Boyfriend (College Humor)
Tuesday 11/1 [Note this is a typo on the syllabus, it’s not the 18th obviously] Melting Pot. Reading: Horace Kallen’s 1915 Essay “Democracy vs. the Melting Pot” (in 2 parts: Part 1, Part 2) *and* Barrett, “Americanization from the Bottom Up.” Due in class: your CITIZEN Project Draft and Bibliography
Thursday 11/3 Workshop in Class on Japanese American Internment During World War II. Reading ahead of time: Goldstein-Shirley, “Enemies in Their Own Lands.” Bring laptops to class, we’ll be working in groups with a variety of documents related to the experience of Americans during wartime internment.
