Syllabus—BTAN33005BA-K3
Contemporary American Society: Immigration History to America and Back
Instructor: James Oberly, Fulbright/Laszlo Orszagh Chair in American Studies, Spring 2013
Email: James.Oberly@kre.hu
Office Hours: Wednesday, Feb. 13 and Friday Feb 22, March 8, March 22, and April 12 from
3:00-4:00 in North American Studies Department
I. Assigned Readings:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Susan Martin, A Nation of Immigrants (2011; chapter 1)
Ira Berlin, The Making of African-America (2006, chapter 1)
Donna Gabaccia, Immigration and American Diversity (2002, selected chapters)
John Bodnar, The Transplanted (1985; chapter 1)
Tibor Frank, „The Dillingham Report, Franz Boas, and the Measurement of ’New’
Immigrants, 1907-1911” (2012)
Oscar Handlin, The Uprooted (1951, chapter 1)
Stan Nadel, „Internal, Continenal, and Transatlantic Migration: the View from
America” (2012)
Mark Wyman, Round-Trip to America (1993, chapter 1)
Rudolph Agstner, „Austria-Hungary and its Consulates in the United States, 18201917” (2006)
Note: all assigned readings will be available in pdf format on pen-drives to be distributed the
in class on February 13 and/or on the course web page for students to download.
II. Assigned Writings:
7 (seven) 1-page summary and analysis papers on each of the nine assigned readings; papers
are due in class the day we discuss the reading. Papers are due in English but students may
submit a Hungarian translation of their paper for the instructor’s benefit.
2 (two) 3-page summary and analytical papers analyzing databases from the Atlantic Slave
Trade and from the US Census (due February 28 and May 2). Papers are due in English but
students may submit a Hungarian translation of their paper for the instructor’s benefit.
Total writing: 13 pages
III. Class Discussions:
Each week I will prepare and distribute in class a set of questions about the assigned reading.
I welcome individual questions from students but will also ask the class to work through the
list of questions that I prepare.
IV. Attendance Policy
We only meet in person as a class five times. A student may miss one of those classes with
no questions asked. If a student is absent a second time for any reason, the instructor may
drop that student from the class, but the student may also appeal for reinstatement upon doing
extra work. A student who is absent three times fails the class. If students know they will
miss a class, because of illness for example, I ask them to email the instructor the day of the
class at James.Oberly@kre.hu
V. M.A. Students: please see me to discuss extra work in the form of JSTOR research for
further reading.
VI. Schedule
Feb. 13 (Wednesday) 12-13.00, Room 121: Introduction and Definitions: Immigration
Emigration Migration Sojourners, 3 models of immigration… Cartoon: „What don’t you
understand about immigration”
 Reading: Susan Martin, A Nation of Immigrants, 1-28 and Cartoon: „What don’t you
understand about immigration” (distributed in advance by email attachment)
 Class Discussion: on A Nation of Immigrants and „What don’t you understand about
immigration”
 1st Assignment Handout: Analysis of Atlantic Slave Trade Dataset—3 page paper due
Feb. 28)
Feb. 22 (Friday) 10-14.00, Room 119: Unfree Immigration: Slavery & Indentured Servitude
 Reading: Ira Berlin, Making of African-America; chapter 1
 Writing: 1-page reaction paper to Martin, Feb. 13th reading & discussion
 Writing: 1-page reaction paper to Berlin
 Class Discussion: on Making of African-America
Feb. 22
 Writing: Hand-in Slave-Trade Dataset Analysis Essay (3 pages)
 Class Discussion: Student Findings in the African-Slave Trade Dataset
March 8 (Friday) 10-14.00, Room 119: Immigration Policy—legal highlights: 1787, 1790,
1820, 1881, 1917, 1924, 1965, 1986, 2013
 Reading: Donna Gabaccia, Immigration and American Diversity (selections)
 Writing: 1-page reaction paper to Immigration and American Diversity
 Class Discussion: on Immigration and American Diversity
March 8: Emigration from Austria-Hungary
 Reading: Rudolph Agstner, „Austrian-Hungarian Consulates in the US”
 Writing: 1-page reaction paper to „Austrian-Hungarian Consulates in the US”
 Class Discussion: on „Austrian-Hungarian Consulates in the US”
March 22 (Friday), 10-14.00, Room 119: US Reaction to Immigration from Austria-Hungary
 Reading: Tibor Frank, „Dillingham Commission and Franz Boas”
 Writing: 1-page reaction paper to „Dillingham Commission and Franz Boas”
 Class Discussion on: „Dillingham Commission and Franz Boas”
March 22: Emigration and Remigration from Austria-Hungary
 Reading: Mark Wyman, Round-Trip to America (selections)
 Writing: 1-page reaction paper to Round-Trip to America
 Class Discussion on: Round-Trip to America
 2nd Assignment: Historical Census Browser (papers due April 8)
April 12 (Friday), 10-14.00, Room 119: Lives of the Immigrants: Interpretations: The
Uprooted, The Transplanted, The Transnational
 Reading: Oscar Handlin, The Uprooted (selections); John Bodnar, The Transplanted
(selections); Stanley Nadel, „Local, Continental, and Transatlantic Migrations”
 Writing: 1-page reaction paper to The Uprooted or The Transplanted or The
Transnational (Nadel)
 Class Discussion on: The Uprooted, The Transplanted, The Transnational
April 12: Reports—Austrians-Hungarians in the US Census—1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th
generations
 Class Discussion: Austrian-Hungarians in the US
May 3 – Location TBA: Final Exam