HONORS 351 SEM. 002: HONORS COLLEGE SEMINAR IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCES
“Who Goes There?” Im/Migrants in the Age of Globalization Fall 2012
12:30-1:45 MW HON Rm 155
Instructor: Dr. Oody Petty
Office: CRT 519
Email: oody@uwm.edu
Office Hours: TBA
Course Description:
As most people now recognize, we live in a highly globalized world, one where the job you hold
today may be moved to another part of the world tomorrow. Globalization also seems to be
contributing to an increasing gulf between wealthy and poor countries. As a result, the number
of people who migrate to seek refuge or opportunity has multiplied while nations, including the
United States, struggle to deal with migrating populations of workers and their families. In the
1990s, for example, the U.S. began to reform its immigration system, but those efforts came to
an abrupt halt after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001. Since then, debates surrounding our
immigration policies have ebbed and flowed, heating up but then ending in a stalemate. At the
same time, tighter border controls have made migration difficult and often dangerous. Emma
Lazarus’s famous poem “The New Colossus,” which appears on the pedestal of the Statue of
Liberty and which has welcomed so many immigrants to America, might now be viewed as a
nostalgic gesture.
This seminar explores the many narratives of migration through the lens of globalization. In what
ways have global economic policies set by wealthy nations caused global discontent? Who
benefits from the slave-labor conditions under which so many poor people labor? Has the
advancement of women in First World countries contributed to the deprivation of families in
poorer nations? Why is human trafficking on the rise? What does the bourgeoning sex industry
have to do with migration and globalization? This seminar will address these and other
compelling questions through reading, discussion, and research.
Required Materials:
Course packet available at Clark Graphics 2915 N Oakland Ave. (414) 962-4633)
Access to a computer, internet, printer, and a good dictionary
Course Requirements:
1). Students are required to participate actively in class discussion. Participation also includes:
close reading and/or viewing of the assigned texts; several short reader-response papers; serving
as discussion leader; and being fully prepared to engage in the course with all necessary
materials present and assignments due on time (worth 30% of the final grade). 2). Two revisable
4-5 page papers (worth 30% of final grade). 3). One research paper/project of sufficient length
(~ 10 pages) and depth, on a topic chosen by the student and approved by the instructor (40%).
Learning Process:
This course will be run as a discussion seminar. It will depend upon everyone’s active participation,
which includes communicating your ideas as well as listening to others communicate theirs. For some of
us, speaking out might come easier than thoughtful listening; for others active listening could feel more
natural than speaking one’s thoughts. This course will ask you to develop both abilities. It will demand a
high level of engagement and attentive, supportive involvement. We will rely upon one another to make
the experience of this course worthwhile and enjoyable. Each of us should do what we can to assure that
everyone leaves this course with good memories as well as enhanced knowledge and skills. It is important
to do your best for your classmates, who should in turn give their best to you. I encourage you to
challenge ideas, offer comments, and speak what is on your mind, as long as it is presented in a civil and
non-confrontational way. An open, caring spirit is contagious! We will be forming and sustaining a
supportive intellectual space and learning community, and will strive to be generous toward each other
and ourselves in all aspects of the learning process. Since we have a great deal to do in each class period,
I expect you to be on time, prepared, awake and present during the entire period of class.
I expect you to grapple with material that may be new, unexpected, and sometimes disconcerting.
Please, if you find yourself in difficulty with the course materials, or in completing your assignments, or
with any other aspect of the course, let me know as soon as you’re able in case I can help. Many students
find themselves in difficulty with a course but mistakenly believe that their professors will not care or be
able to help them. Often, we can find some solution by talking about it together.
Learning Objectives: In addition to learning about aspects of globalization and im/migration, I expect
that you will increase your ability to read our course texts and related material closely and with
discrimination, to think carefully and analytically, to listen with respect and comprehension, to discuss
openly and honestly in class discussions and presentations, to work efficiently and productively both
alone and in groups, to increase your ability to express yourself articulately both in writing and in
conversation, and to give adequate attention to detail while also showing appropriate academic depth and
curiosity in your research. That’s a lot! (But there’s more ). We will develop critical thinking through
the following: exploring sometimes difficult, controversial and ambiguous topics; understanding and
responding to different interpretations and views; and formulating and challenging our own evolving
understanding of the topics through independent research. The work that we do in this class should help
lead, in one way or another, to furthering these learning objectives.
Course Policies:
Attendance: Because this course includes a great deal of in-class work and participation, as
well as the viewing of media in class, attendance is mandatory and the course has a strict
attendance policy. Ideally, students would attend every class. But illness and other emergencies
are part of life, and I consider two absences without penalty reasonable. If you save them for
times when an absence is absolutely unavoidable, you should be fine. After two absences, your
credibility and commitment are called into question, and your role in and responsibility to the
learning community are compromised. Therefore, each subsequent absence, for whatever reason,
lowers your grade. There are no excused absences. If for reasons of work or other conflicts
students are habitually absent or late, they should drop the class. Lateness and Leaving Early: I
consider lateness and leaving early forms of absence. Not only is it rude to come in late, but also
missing parts of class causes a distraction for everyone else. Accumulated absences like this will
count toward your absence limit. Generally speaking, a combination of two or three of these
sorts of absences will equal one regular absence. If you come to class after roll is taken, it is your
responsibility to make sure I mark you present after that class and to find out from another
student what was missed. Chronic lateness is unacceptable. Make-up Work: You cannot make up
work that we do in class when you are absent.
Submission of Assignments:
Written assignments should be typed, double spaced, and have reasonable margins (1”) and fonts (Times
New Roman, 12 pt. font). Your name, course and section number, date, etc. should be typed in the top left
hand corner of the first page per MLA (no title pages please). All written assignments must be turned in
during the class period they are due. E-mailed papers/work/writing will not be accepted. If you must be
absent on a day that written work is due, you may place your assignment in the D2L Dropbox to show
that it was done on time, but you must then provide a hard copy the next class period. Late assignments:
All assignments are due on time, that is, at the beginning of class on their due date. Late work will
affect the grade you earn for that assignment. Additionally, if you turn in an assigned essay paper
after the due date, it will not be commented on and therefore you will not benefit from my comments
to help you with revision!
Writing Center: Although I will provide you with written feedback on your writing, and suggestions for
revising your essays, you should also take advantage of the Honors College Writing Specialist Lydia
Equitz. Also consider the English Department’s Writing Center located in Curtin Hall and in the UWM
Library. You can also make appointments online 24/7. The Writing Center welcomes writers at all skill
levels, inexperienced through advanced, freshmen through graduate students. No matter where students
are in a task, whether still exploring a reading, brainstorming, drafting or revising, they can benefit from
talking to one of the well-qualified and trained tutors.
Grades:
Assuming you turn in work and assignments on time, and have prepared for all class activities, the
following is a general summary of my grading policy:
A= the majority of the assigned work is excellent; active, thoughtful, and engaged participation (effort,
contributions); maximum of two absences.
B=the majority of the assigned work is above satisfactory; active, thoughtful, and engaged participation
(effort, contributions).
C=the majority of assigned work is satisfactory; active, thoughtful, and engaged participation (effort,
contributions); no more than four absences.
A Word About Plagiarism:
I encourage you to work together with your classmates to get the most out of this course. However, any
student discovered plagiarizing materials (turning in the work of others under her/his own name, without
proper attribution) runs the risk of receiving a failing grade. Plagiarism is when you copy someone else’s
work and pass it off as your own. This is in violation of university policy and absolutely unacceptable,
both in the academic community, and in the world at large. When you make use of someone else’s ideas
or language, you need to cite him or her using an appropriate footnote or in-text citation. Similarly, if you
quote a source directly, you must use quotes, attribute that quote, and cite the work. Finally, if you
summarize or paraphrase, you also need to use a citation. If you are at all unclear about this policy or
whether or not you are plagiarizing, please ask me for help. Note: students who are caught plagiarizing an
assignment can expect to fail the assignment and may be brought up on plagiarism charges through the
university.

UWM regards plagiarism--the use of another's writing or ideas without properly documenting
sources(s)--as a form of academic misconduct that carries with it severe penalties. You should be
aware that if you cooperate with another person – give him/her a copy of something you have written,
and he/she borrows from it without proper documentation, you are equally as guilty of plagiarism.
For more information about this, please consult UWM’s policies on Academic Misconduct at
www.uwm.edu.
Student Accessibility Center:
If you work with an advisor at the Student Accessibility Center, please bring your VISA to me within the
first week of class. If you are concerned that you may have a learning disability, visit their office in 112
Mitchell Hall.
Note on cell phones, texting, iPods and the like:
If you carry a cell phone, you need to turn it off and put it away before you enter the classroom. Laptop
computers or other personal technologies can be distracting and/or disruptive, so are not allowed unless
part of the planned activities for the day.
Honors 351 Course Schedule Fall 2012: (subject to change)
(Readings are from course packet, unless otherwise noted online).
Part I: Globalization and the Global Economy
Week 1: Introduction
9/5: First Day of class. Intros, syllabus. Why globalization is complex, controversial, and
connected.
Week 2: Intro to concepts and terms
9/10: What is Globalization? Due: Read and notes from Manfred B. Steger’s Globalization: A
Very Short Introduction, pages 1-57. In class: Discuss
9/12: Due: Read and notes on “The ABCs of the Global Economy,” and “Globalization and Its
Discontents,” by Evelyn Hu-Dehart. In class: Discuss various issues surrounding globalization.
Week 3: The Global Economy
9/17: Due: Read about Trade in course packet (25 pages). In class: view and discuss
http://www.globalization101.org/dr-susan-aaronson-on-trade-and-human-rights/ (last three
segments of talk with Dr. Susan Aaronson on Trade and Human Rights.
9/19: Due: Read “Chapter 7: Ideologies of Globalization,” Steger. Suggested viewing: This is
What Democracy Looks Like (on youtube). In class: The Critics: “John Perkins on
Globalization”: (52 min) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFC18pFvo1g. Discuss.
Week 4: The United States and The Global Economic Crises
9/24: Due: View online: “Money Power and Wall Street” (*Summaries due)
Part One: http://video.pbs.org/video/2226666502 (four parts) (60 min)
Part Two: http://video.pbs.org/video/2226666506 (five parts) (60 min)
and Part Three: http://video.pbs.org/video/2229573859 (five parts) (60 min)
In class: Discuss
9/26: Due: View online: Part Four: http://video.pbs.org/video/2229573868 (four parts). (60 min)
(*Summary due). In class: Discuss the current crises
Suggested viewing: Inside Job (2010 documentary on the 2008 Financial Crises)
Week 5:
10/1: Due: 4-5 page position paper on the pros and cons of Free Trade
In Class: view “Is Wal-Mart Good for America?” Frontline documentary. Discuss
the influence of International Mega-Corporations
Part II: Globalization and Im/migration
10/3: Due: view online and take notes on David Bacon’s How Globalization Creates Migration
and Criminalizes Immigrants: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pd4OLdaoxvg. In class:
Discuss.
Week 6:
10/8: Due: Read Chapter 3 (pp39-58) on Transnational Migration (Intro, “Why Migration
Matters,” “Globalization and the Struggle for Immigrant Rights in the United States” and
“Bound For America”. Also view online: http://www.hawaiireporter.com/legal-problems-buildfor-global-horizons-ceo-alleged-human-trafficker-loses-first-round-in-civil-labor-case-but-hasalready-appealed/123 and
http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/breaking/163254156.html?id=163254156.
In class: view and discuss The Other Side of Immigration 2010 DVD 57 min.
10/10: Due: View online: Crossing the Line at the Border available at
pbs.org/video/2258906760
In class: The Fence by Rory Kennedy DVD 35 min. Discuss
Week 7:
10/15: Revised paper due. Also: read and notes on Chapter 7 “The Restructuring of Social
Arrangements: Gender, Families, and Relationships” pp, 185-219 from Globalization: The
Transformation of Social Worlds. In class: Discuss
10/17: Due: “From Afar, Moneymaker and Mother” NYT article, and “Foreign and Domestic:
Adoption, Immigration, and Privatization,” by Laura Briggs. In class: Discuss.
Week 8:
10/22: Due: Work on second essay. Also read “America’s Dirty Work: Migrant Maids and
Modern-Day Slavery” by Joy M. Zarembka, in course pack, Also read online: “Domestic
Workers Convention May Be Landmark”: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/09/world/domesticworkers-convention-may-be-landmark.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all and NYT article “Rights for
Domestic Workers”: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/10/opinion/rights-for-domestic-workersin-california.html In class: view and discuss “The Other Mothers”
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/07/13/magazine/15nanniesstorybook.html?ref=magazine#
10/24: Due: Read and notes on Luke Martell’s “The Effects of Migration: Is Migration a
Problem or a Solution?” In class: Discuss.
Week 9: Human Trafficking
10/29: Due: 4-5 page paper on Im/migration and Globalization. Also read online: “The Counter
Traffickers: Rescuing the Victims of the Global Sex Trade” by William Finnegan at
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/05/05/080505fa_fact_finnegan In class: view: Sex
Slaves, Frontline Documentary, 2005. 55min.
10/31: Due: view online Sunitha Krishan’s TED talk on The Fight Against Sex Slavery:
http://www.ted.com/talks/sunitha_krishnan_tedindia.html and Theresa Flores’s TED talk on
Teenage Human Trafficking in America: http://tedxcolumbus.com/speakers-performers/2011-amoment-in-time-speakers-performers-2/theresa-flores/. Also, see
“Sex Trafficking of Americans” : http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2011/05/sextrafficking-201105
In class:Discuss
Week 10:
11/5: Due: Read and notes: “Global Cities and Survival Circuits” by Saskia Sassen.
In class: Discuss
11/7: Due: Read and notes: “Anti-Trafficking Rhetoric and the Making of a Global Apartheid”
by Nandita Sharma. In class: Discuss; also, hand out Research assignment
Week 11: Borders and Policies
11/12: Due: work on final research project. In class: Screening of Well-Founded Fear. dir.Shari
Robertson and Michael Camerini
11/14: Finish documentary and discuss.
Week 12:
11/19: Due: Revision of 2nd paper. Also due: Final Research projects/themes.
11/21: Thanksgiving Break!
Weeks 13-14—Projects, research and presentations
Dec. 10: final wrap up
Dec. 12: Last day of class. Final Research papers due at start of class.
Some helpful websites, films and publications:
borderaction.org
reformimmigrationforamerica.org
undocumentedimmigration.com
globalization101.org/issuesindepth
(with expert interviews, videos online re:
Globalization and: Trade, Environment,
Media, Women, Technology, Migration,
IMF and WorldBank)
npr.org-planet money (a multi-media
team covering the global economy)
procon.org re: illegal immigration
pbs.org “Need to Know” series
freetheslaves.net
stopthetraffick.org
Academic Journals: Globalizations
New Global Studies
movies to rent or find online:
Border Crossing by Brett Tolley (youtube)
The Wall (dir. Ricardo Martinez)
Immigrant Nation! The Battle for the Dream DVD 2010 (dir. Esau Melendez)
This is What Democracy Looks Like (re: Seattle 1999 WTO protests) online
occupywallstreet
Kevin Bales: How to Combat Modern Slavery Feb 2010 (online)
Last Train Home dir. Lixin Fan
Maid in America dir Anayansi Prado
Maquilapolis (City of Factories) 2006 DVD
Wal-Mart: The High Price of Low Cost 2005 DVD
Food, Inc DVD
Bread and Roses (2000) dir. Ken Loach
Under the Same Moon (2007) dir. Patricia Riggen
Babel (2006) dir. Alejandro González Iñárritu
The Visitor (2008) dir. Thomas McCarthy
Eastern Promises (2007) dir. David Kronenberg
Bordertown (2007) dir. Gregory Nava
Black Gold (2005) (on the coffee trade and
the World Bank)