Course Description
01:595:298 Latinos and Migration
- Course Code: 01:595:298
- Semester(s) Offered: Fall
- Major Requirement: Society, Community, and Environment
- Instructor: Shantee Rosado, Ph.D. | Ulla Berg, Ph.D.
- Description:
This course examines the origins and processes of international and intra-national migration by peoples from Latin America and the Hispanic Caribbean to, from and within the United States. We will explore the social, cultural, economic, and political histories of migrants‘ countries of origin, including the effects of U.S foreign policy and economic power in these regions, which have lead to the creation of past and present US-bound migratory flows, and discuss the relationship between migration and larger global, imperial, and/or colonial socio-economic forces. We will focus particularly on the transnational links that migrants create and maintain with their countries of origin in the process of migration and settlement – whether temporary or permanent. The course is inter-disciplinary and will provide canonical and alternative readings from sociology, anthropology, history, demography, political science, legal studies, Latino Studies, and American studies. Students will become familiar with different discipline-based theories and approaches to migration and with central analytical concepts in migration studies.
- Learning Goals:
After completing this course, students will be able to:
- Define central concepts in migration theory and distinguish economic and sociological approaches from more culturalist readings of migration.
- Describe the economic, political, social, and cultural dimensions of past and present migrations from Latin America and the Hispanic Caribbean to the United States and understand how US economic and political interests have led to the influx of migrants from these regions.
- Compare and contrast the experiences of Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, Cubans, Mexicans, Central Americans, and other U.S. Latino groups of Latin American origins.
- Analyze how migration as social process and experience vary according to factors such as national origin, legal status, gender, race, ethnicity, class, and generation.
- Critically assess the impact of past and present migration on the U.S. economy and society and the place of „immigration“ and of „immigrants“ in the contemporary U.S. public sphere.
- Required Reading:
Abrego, Leisy 2013. Sacrificing Families: Navigating Laws, Labor, and Love Across Borders. Stanford University Press (ISBN 978-0804790512).
Please consult Rutgers Barnes & Noble for current books for the course. Additional readings, primary sources, websites, and articles are available on Sakai.
- Evaluation:
Attendance and class participation – 15%
Moderate one class discussion – 5%
Five 2-page writing exercise – 25%
Midterm – 25%
Final paper – 30% - Credits: 3
- SAS Core Certified: SCL
- Disclaimer: The information in this course description is subject to change. For up-to-date course information, please refer to the syllabus on Canvas.
