American Immigration
SSW 849
Sherrie A. Kossoudji
Course
Instructor
Office
Phone
email
SSW 849 American Immigration
Sherrie A. Kossoudji
2788 SSW Building
734-763-6320
kossoudj@umich.edu
Write ssw849 in the subject heading and responses will be quicker.
Class Time
Class Location
Mondays, 9am-12pm
Office Hours
Wednesdays, 2:30—4:00 or by appointment
4700 SSW Building—room change, notice me!
Course Description and Objectives
Course Description:
This class addresses a critical need by focusing specifically on immigration—one of the
most volatile and hotly debated issues of our time. How we respond to the myriad
questions about immigration and immigrants will determine how our society and
economy will look and function in the future. Further, nearly all students will be faced
with social service controversies, policy development debates and policy
consequences, community antagonism, and poor research because the issues of
immigration are little understood by both the public and by many academics.
Immigration touches upon every aspect of American society, from economic growth to
neighborhood institutions to national culture. In this interdisciplinary seminar we
investigate immigration issues using the tools of social science and its ability to produce
informed research and the themes of social justice and human rights in social work. We
cover many topics and we investigate specific policy issues like legalization, the
DREAM Act, birthright citizenship, border enforcement, and the border wall at the
southern border. We use discussions to raise and debate questions such as, “What
happens to a small town after an ICE raid?”, “What are the implications of the border
wall for the rest of us?”, and “What is the impact of legalization (DREAM Act, birthright
citizenship) on future undocumented immigration and on U.S. natives?”. Other topics
include immigration and immigrant history; immigration law and policy; immigrants and
the American economy; the vexing dilemma of undocumented migration and the
troubled relationship between Mexico and the United States; refugee and asylum
seeking; national integration and transnational communities; immigrant health and the
immigrant health paradox; economic mobility and economic and social niches; legal
status, declining rates of citizenship, and political inclusion; Americanization and
assimilation; and the public’s attitude toward immigration and immigrants.
Course Objectives:
By the end of our term of study, students will be able to:







clearly articulate the main reasons for immigration to the United States from different
areas of the world and in different historical and economic environments.
understand the historical, social, and economic underpinnings of immigration opinion
and immigration policy debates and translate that understanding into effective
research and social action.
practice research using the techniques, data, and the current body of scholarly
literature associated with immigration topics.
knowledgeably discuss past and current immigration policy and immigration law
through multiple lenses and prepare briefs on policy issues.
choose among different social service responses to the needs of immigrants
generally and in response to new and existing immigration and immigrant policy.
practice nuanced research and social action by being able to merge a
knowledgeable social justice and human rights focus with standard disciplinary
social science research.
address the specific social service, policy, and health issues of immigrants.
Class Organization, Requirements, and Grading
Organization:
This seminar has an exciting and enriching format and students are active participants
as we wrestle with the critical questions surrounding immigration today. Classes will
have a short lecture based on nuanced factual learning, student and professor led
discussion, and student and professor led Wiki empirical research. Lectures help to
familiarize students with history, facts, ideas, and techniques of study in immigration
research. Discussion helps to consider the readings and the meanings of various
immigration research articles, to bring forth new ideas, and to expose the background
and sources of debate on the issues. Wiki research provides us with an expanding
communal knowledge repository and archive on topics of interest, particularly on
statistical facts associated with immigration and on various aspects of immigration
policy—which is a tangled web.
Active participation in class plays an important role and students will be partly
responsible for leading and organizing class discussion and Wiki work. The discussion
and Wiki leaders will work with the professor to plan the next week’s discussion or Wiki.
Requirements and Grading:
In Class Work:

Each student will, with the professor, be
responsible for one discussion (15 points) and one Wiki session (15 points). Student
led discussions and Wiki projects will begin on October 3rd and will continue through
the end of November. This is a simple task and students will be graded for
organization, topic or question content, and discussion or Wiki content and flow. For
other class times in October and November, class participation contributes up to 5
points per class when students are not leaders (30 points—no extra points on
leadership days).
Out of Class Work:

An important part of our learning is to become
familiar with immigration policy. Each student will prepare a short summary (one
page) and an op-ed piece (one page or less) on Georgia’s or Alabama’s state
immigration act, the DREAM Act, the Birthright Citizenship Act, E-Verify, or Secure
Communities. This assignment is due on Ctools October 5th by 11:55 pm (20 points).
Summaries and op-ed pieces will be put on the Wiki in October when we will work
together to improve them. The summary will be graded for succinctness,
completeness, and understanding. The op-ed piece will NOT be graded for views
but for structure, grammar, and persuasiveness.
 Each student will prepare an analytical/empirical paper of twenty to twenty-five
pages using immigration statistics (like from the Immigration statistical yearbooks), a
data set containing immigrant information, or evidence that we agree is acceptable.
The paper can be on nearly any topic. For example, someone may choose to write
on the prevalence of health insurance among immigrants compared to natives, the
health outcomes of undocumented immigrants, home loss for immigrants compared
to natives, unemployment differences among immigrants from different countries,
the impact of this economic crisis on immigrants, the trends in nationalization rates
for Asian immigrants, or identity issues in the 2nd generation. A one-paragraph
proposal of topic and approach is due on CTools October 23rd by 11:55 pm. The
professor and each student will meet that week to discuss topics, approaches, and
data sets. A reference list and outline is due on CTools November 20th by 11:55 pm
(10 points). The complete paper is due by 11:55 pm on December 17th (50 points).
Papers will be graded for appropriate organization, persuasive use of data and
evidence, language and grammar clarity, clarity of arguments, and conclusions.
 Total points = 140.
849 Class Schedule
Sept 12th
In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue—but someone was already
here
Lecture topic: A short history of immigration to the United States with
highlights on controversial eras and issues. What are the controversial
issues in immigration? How is immigration different in the post 9/11 era?
Discussion topic: Why do we argue so much about immigration? Is the
idea of immigration different now from the Angell Island/Ellis Island era? Is
immigration policy broken or does it do exactly what Americans want it to
do?
Wiki topic: What does the 2010 Yearbook of Immigration Statistics tell us?
Summary of legal permanent residents, refugees and asylees,
naturalizations, nonimmigrant admissions, or enforcement actions.
Sept 19th
“Poor Mexico - so far from God and so close to the United States"
(Porfirio Diaz)
Lecture topic: Undocumented migration, lives in the United States, and the
border. A brief synopsis of policies related to local and state immigration
enforcement issues.
Discussion topic: My life as an undocumented immigrant memoir. What is
it like to be undocumented? How is Gordon Hanson’s review informative?
Wiki topic: The role of local and state police in immigration enforcement.
Secure Communities, 287(g) programs, E-Verify. What does the Morton
memo on Prosecutorial Discretion mean?
FYI: The movie AbUSed, about the enforcement raid in Postville, Iowa, will
be shown on Wednesday, November 9th at 7pm in room 1840 SSW
Sept 26th
What do the Texas Proviso, Gentlemen’s Agreement, the USA Patriot
Act, and SB1070 all have in common and what have we learned about
immigration policy? The Law (with an emphasis on “illegal”
immigration).
Lecture topic: Immigration policy is hostage policy. Our derivative,
manipulative, and in constant crisis immigration policy. Why can’t we pass
the Dream Act?
Discussion topic: What do our readings tell us about undocumented
immigration? What is missing? Why are state laws about immigration so
harsh? Local and state enforcement--What does it do to communities?
Wiki topic: The Dream Act, SB1070, The Georgia Security and Immigration
Compliance Act, Alabama’s HB 56. E-Verify. Secure Communities. The
Birthright Citizenship Act.
Oct 3rd
“ Immigrants are taking American jobs—Oh yeah, like Americans can’t
wait to sell oranges on the highway” (Bill Mahler)
Lecture topic: Immigrant men and women working in America
Discussion topic:
Wiki topic:
Oct 10th
Se Habla Espanol in Kentucky?
Lecture topic: Traditional gateways new cities of settlement, and local issues
Discussion topic:
Wiki topic:
Oct 17th
Oct 24th
Study Break, no class
Yo quiero Taco Bell (but immigrants should stay home)
Lecture topic: The Argument about the Benefits and Costs of Immigration—
and public opinion about benefits and costs.
Discussion Topic:
Wiki Topic:
Oct 31st
Of Melting Pots, Buffets, Tossed Salads and other Kitchen Metaphors:
Lecture topic: What does assimilation mean, part 1? What does
assimilation do? An interdisciplinary quandary. Is niche just another word for
ghetto? Segmented assimilation.
Discussion topic:
Wiki topic:
Nov 7th
Of Melting Pots, Buffets, Tossed Salads and other Kitchen Metaphors:
Lecture topic: What does assimilation mean, part 2? The mechanisms of
incorporation. How do health, language, religion, race, and identity play into
assimilation and vice versa?
Discussion topic:
Wiki topic: naturalization test
Nov 14th
Citizenship, Nationality, Transnationality, and the meaning of home:
Lecture topic: What does assimilation mean, part 3? What does citizenship
mean in this day and age? What is transnationality and how does it affect
immigrants and immigrant assimilation?
Discussion topic:
Wiki topic:
Nov 21st
Spanglish, another trip to the Buffet, and other Agglomerations:
Generational and Identity Change
Lecture topic: Lives of the “One and a Half’s” and the “Second Generation”.
Who are we? Latinos largest proportion of all children.
Discussion topic:
Wiki topic:
Nov 28th
“A mighty woman with a torch whose flame is the imprisoned
lightening, and her name Mother of Exiles” (Emma Goldman):
Lecture Topic: Getting asylum, refugee America and how the Lost Boys of
Sudan ended up in Fargo, North Dakota.
Discussion topic:
Dec 5
th
Wiki topic:
Immigrant Rights and Social Justice
Lecture topic: The ethics of providing or denying benefits, What rights
should the undocumented have? The immigrant rights movement in the 21st
century.
Discussion topic: Should immigrants have the same rights as natives?
Should non-citizens have the same rights as citizens? Should the
undocumented have the same rights as others?
Wiki topic: legal rights for different groups, social service restrictions, the
impact of state policies on social service, health, and financial access.
Dec 12th
Immigration roundup—looking ahead to Comprehensive Immigration
Reform
Wiki and Discussion topic: Consider comprehensive immigration reform.
Pick any version. How was it initiated? Who were its proponents? Who
were its detractors? What are the critical provisions in the bill? How does
the 2011 bill differ? What do we envision as the future of Comprehensive
Immigration Reform?
Reading Materials and Reading List
All of the required readings will be on the class CTools web site. There will also be
many background readings (not required) on the CTools web site for those who are
interested in deepening their knowledge.
1. September 12th: In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue—but someone was
already here: Immigration history, the facts, and the question of who is an immigrant in
three easy hours
Required (to read in the first couple of weeks):
The Ellis Island Museum History
HTTP://www.ellisisland.org/genealogy/ellis_island_history.asp
Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation
http://www.aiisf.org/history
Mittelstadt, Michelle. Burke Speaker, Doris Meissner, and Muzzaffar Chisti. 2011.
Through the Prism of National Security: Major Immigration Policy and Program
Changes in the Decade since 9/11. The Migration Policy Institute, August. (will be an
emphasis of lecture).
USCIS. 2010. Yearbook of Immigration Statistics. Homeland Security (we will use for
class Wiki)
2. September 19th: Poor Mexico - so far from God and so close to the United States
(Porfirio Diaz): Undocumented migration, the border, and lives
Required:
Three Stories (they’re short):
Regan, Margaret. 2010. The Death of Joseline. Immigration Stories from Arizona’s
Heartland. Beacon press. Prologue.
Orner, Peter (ed.). 2008. Underground America. Narratives of Undocumented Lives.
McSweeney’s Books. Abel’s story and Lorena’s story.
Hanson, Gordon H. 2006. Illegal Immigration from Mexico to the United States. Journal
of Economic Literature 44(4). Pp. 869-924. This article has four major sections. ONLY
READ section 1 and any of 2, 3, or 4 (the section that best fits your interests).
Heyman, Josiah McC. 2008. Constructing a virtual wall: Race and citizenship in U.S/.
Mexico border policing. Journal of the Southwest 50(3:305).
Vargas, Jose Antonio. 2011. My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant. The New York
Times Magazine. June 22. (for class discussion).
The Morton memo on prosecutorial discretion (for the Wiki).
3. September 26th: What do the Texas Proviso, The Gentlemen’s Agreement, the USA
Patriot Act, and Comprehensive Immigration Reform all have in common and what can
we learn about immigration policy from Postville, Iowa? They are all part of our
derivative, manipulative, and in constant crisis immigration policy.
Required:
Mittelstadt, Michelle. Burke Speaker, Doris Meissner, and Muzzaffar Chisti. 2011.
Through the Prism of National Security: Major Immigration Policy and Program
Changes in the Decade since 9/11. The Migration Policy Institute, August. (will be an
emphasis of lecture).
Ewing, Walter A. 2008. Opportunity and exclusion: A brief history of immigration policy.
Immigration Policy Center Brief.
Jacoby, Tamar. 2006. “The system is the problem: Immigration laws trap those who
comply and those who don't,” The Washington Post, 15 December.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2006/12/14/AR2006121401362.h
tml (Accessed on August 16, 2009).
And at least ONE of the following:
Kremer, James. et al. 2009. Severing a Lifeline: the Neglect of citizen Children in
America’s Immigration Enforcement Policy. The Urban Institute and Dorsey and
Whitney, LLP.
Brownell, Peter Bartholomew. 2009. Sanctions for whom? The Immigration Reform and
Control Act’s “Employer Sanctions” provisions and the wages of Mexican Immigrants.
Ph.D. Dissertation, University of California at Berkeley. Chapters 4 and 5.
4. October 3rd: “ Immigrants are taking American jobs—Oh yeah, like Americans can’t
wait to sell oranges on the highway” (Bill Mahler): Immigrant men and women working in
America
Required:
Park, Keumjae. 2008. I Can Provide for my Children: Korean Immigrant Women’s
Changing Perspectives on Work Outside the Home. Gender Issues 25:26—42.
Ramirez, Hernando and Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo. 2009. Mexican immigrant
gardeners: Entrepreneurs or exploited workers? Social Problems 56(1:70).
Purser, Gretchen. 2009. The dignity of job Seeking Men: Boundary Work among
Immigrant Day Laborers. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography 37-117.
And at least ONE of the following:
Cranford, Cynthia J. 2005. Networks of exploitation: Immigrant labor and the
restructuring of the Los Angeles janitorial industry. Social Problems 52(3:379).
Read, Jennan Ghazal and Cohen, Philip N. 2007. One Size Fits All? Explaining U.S.born and Immigrant Women’s Employment across 12 Ethnic Groups. Social Forces, 85
(4):1713-1734
5. October 10th: Se Habla Espanol in Kentucky? Traditional gateways, new cities of
settlement, and local issues.
Singer, Audrey. 2004. The rise of new immigrant gateways. Brookings Institution Center
on Urban and Metropolitan Policy. Read at least up to page 10.
Shultz, Benjamin J. 2008. Inside the gilded cage: The lives of Latino immigrant males in
Central Kentucky. Southeastern Geographer 48(2:201).
Mcgrath, Michael. 2009. The new gateways: Immigrant integration in unexpected
places. National Civic Review Spring.
And at least one of the following two articles—
Benjamin-Alvarado, Jonathan; Louis DeSipo and Celeste Montoya. 2009. Latino
mobilization in new immigrant destinations: The Anti_H.R. 4437 protests in Nebraska
cities. Urban Affairs Review 44(5:718).
Haywood, Stacy and Dowell Myers. 2002. The dynamics of immigration and local
governance in Santa Ana: Neighborhood activism, overcrowding, and land-use policy.
6. October 17th: Yo Quiero Taco Bell (but immigrants should stay home): The
Argument about the Benefits and Costs of Immigration—and the public’s opinion
about the benefits and costs.
Required:
Jaynes, Gerald. 2009. A conversation about the economic effects of immigration on
African Americans. Immigration Policy Center Perspectives.
Lopez, Mark Hugo, et al. 2010. Illegal Immigrant Backlash Worries, Divides Latinos.
Pew Hispanic Center. Washington, D. C.
And at least two of the following three articles—
Buckler, Kevin et al. 2009. Public views of illegal migration policy and control strategies:
a test of the core hypotheses. Journal of Criminal Justice 37.pp.317-327.
Bali, Valentina. 2009. Tinkering toward a national identification system: an experiment
on policy attitudes. Policy Studies Journal 37(2).
Jimenez, Tomas. 2007. Weighing the costs and benefits of Mexican immigration: the
Mexican American perspective. Social Science Quarterly 88(3).
October 24th: No class, study break. Have fun!
7. October 31st: Of Melting Pots, Buffets, Tossed Salads and other Kitchen
Metaphors: What does assimilation mean, part 1?
Required:
Rumbaut, Ruben G. 1997. "Assimilation and Its Discontents." International Migration
Review 31(4):923-60.
Arlene Michaels Miller, Dina Birman, Shannon Zenk,Edward Wang, Olga Sorokin, and
Jorgia Connor. 2009. Neighborhood Immigrant Concentration, Acculturation, and
Cultural Alienation in Former Soviet Immigrant Women. Journal of Community
Psychology. 37 (1):88—105.
Waters, Mary C. and Tomas R. Jimenez. 2005. Assessing immigrant assimilation: New
empirical and theoretical challenges. Annual Review of Sociology 31: 105.
Aleinikoff, T. Alexander. 1998. A Multicultural Nationalism? The American Prospect.
January-February.
8. November 7th: Of Melting Pots, Buffets, Tossed Salads and other Kitchen
Metaphors: What does assimilation mean, part 2?
Required:
Qin, Desiree B. 2008. Gendered Processes of Adaption: Understanding parent-Child
Relations in Chinese Immigrant Families. Sex Roles. 60:467—481.
Van Hook, Jennifer et al. 2009. Moving to the land of milk and cookies: Obesity among
the children of immigrants. Migration Policy Institute.
http://www.migrationinformation.org/Feature/display.cfm?id=739(accessed September
1, 2009)
Tseng, Vivian and Andrew J. Fuligni. 2000. Parent-Adolescent Language Use and
Relationships Among Immigrant Families with East Asian, Filipino, and Latin American
Backgrounds. Journal of Marriage and the Family. 62(2):465.
Rosenfeld, Michael J. 2002. Measures of assimilation in the marriage market: Mexican
Americans 1970-1990. Journal of Marriage and the Family 64(1:152).
9. November 14th: Citizenship, Nationality, Transnationality, and the Meaning of
Home
Required:
Dominguez, Silvia and Amy Lubitow. 2008. Transnational Ties, Poverty, and Identity:
Latin American Immigrant Women in Public Housing. Family Relations 57: 419-430.
Hondagneu-Sotelo, Pierette and Ernestine Avila. 1997. I’m here but I’m there: The
meanings of Latina transnational motherhood. Gender & Society 11(5:548).
And at least one of the following three articles—
Waldinger, Roger and David Fitzgerald. 2004. Transnationalism in question. American
Journal of Sociology 109(5:1177).
Waldinger, Roger; Eric Popkin and Hector Aquiles Magana. 2008. Conflict and
contestation in the cross-border community: hometown associations reassessed. Ethnic
and Racial Studies 31(5:843).
Waldinger, Roger. 2008. Between here and there: Immigrant cross border activities and
loyalties. International Migration Review 42(1:3).
10. November 21st: Spanglish and other Agglomerations: Generational and
Identity Change—One and a Halfs and the Second Generation
Pyke, Karen. 2000. The normal American family as an interpretive structure of family life
among grown children of Korean and Vietnamese immigrants. Journal of Marriage and
the Family 62(1:240).
Park, Lisa Sun-Hee. 2008. The continuing significance of the model minority myth: The
second generation. Social Justice 35(2:134).
The entire Pew Hispanic Center Staff. 2009. Between Two Worlds: How Young
Latinos Come of Age in America. Pew Hispanic Center. Washington D.C.
And at least one of the following five articles—
Zhou, Min et al. 2008. Success attained deterred and denied: Divergent pathways to
social mobility in Los Angeles’ new second generation. Annals of the American
Academy of Political and Social Science 620(37).
Kasinitz, Phillip. 2008. Becoming American, becoming minority getting ahead: the role
of racial and ethnic status in the upward mobility of children of immigrants. Annals of the
American Academy of Political and Social Science 620(253).
Nicholas, Tekla; Alex Stepkick and Carol Dutton Stepkick. 2008. Here’s your diploma
mom: family obligation and multiple pathways to success. Annals of the American
Academy of Political and Social Science 620(237).
Rumbaut, Ruben. 2008. The coming of the second generation: Immigration and ethnic
mobility in southern California. Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social
Science 620(196).
Fernandez-Kelly, Patricia. 2008. The Back Pocket Map: Social class and cultural capital
as transferable assets in the advancement of second generation immigrants. Annals of
the American Academy of Political and Social Science 620(116).
11. November 28th: A mighty woman with a torch whose flame is the imprisoned
lightening, and her name Mother of Exiles: Getting asylum, Refugee America and how
the lost boys of Sudan ended up in Fargo, North Dakota
Required:
Ramji-Nogales, Jaya; Andrew I Schoenholtz; Philip G Schrag. 2007. Refugee roulette:
disparities in asylum adjudication. Stanford Law Review 60(2). Please read AT LEAST
sections 1 and 6. This is a fascinating, if long, article.
United Nations High Commission on Refugees. 2002. Cover story: Lost girls of Sudan
(and women as refugees) pp. 4-14 in Refugees 1(126).
United Nations High Commission on Refugees. 2000. Cover story: Lost boys of Sudan
(and U.S. as main place of asylum) pp. 4-16 in Refugees 2(119).
And at least one of the following two articles—
Fletcher, Aubra. 2006. The REAL ID Act: Further gender bias in asylum law. Berkeley
Journal of Gender Law and Justice 111.
Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs. 2010. Refugee
Resettlement in the United States: An Examination of Challenges and Proposed
Solutions.
12. December 5th: The Struggle for Immigrant Rights
Required:
Watson, Tara. 2010. Inside the Refrigerator: Immigration Enforcement and the Chilling
Effects in Medicaid Participation . NBER Working Paper No. 16278.
Baker-Cristales, Beth. 2009. Mediated resistance: The construction of liberal citizenship
in the immigrant rights movement. Latino Studies 7(1:60).
Gonzales, Alfonzo. 2009. The 2006 mega marchas in greater Los Angeles: Counter
hegemonic movement and the future of El Migrante struggle. Latino Studies 7(1:30).
Dwyer, James. 2004. Illegal immigrants, health care, and social responsibility. The
Hastings Center Report 34(1:34).
13. December 12th. Immigration RoundUp: What have we learned? Possibilities
for comprehensive immigration reform.
Rosenblum, Mark. 2011. U.S. Immigration Policy Since 9/11: Understanding the
Stalemate over Comprehensive Immigration Reform. Migration Policy Institute. August.
Read current comprehensive immigration reform bill and break off pieces, like the
DREAM Act bill.