Ethnic-255-001: Migration and Gender: Starbucks, Sex-Trafficking, and Nannies
Spring 2015
M 4-6:40pm
Instructor: Dr. Ann McBee
Office: Curtin Hall 292
Office Hours: M 12-2, W 10-2 and by appointment
Email: stewar22@uwm.edu
Course Description and Learning Goals:
What are the dynamics behind the global sex trade? What do mega-corporations like Starbucks,
Apple, WalMart and stores like Forever 21 have to do with the migration of women workers?
Why are more and more third world women engaging in domestic labor for first world families,
sometimes leaving their own children behind to care for the children of others? This class will
attempt to answer these difficult questions by focusing on why women cross borders to find
work, sometimes using smugglers to help them reach their destination, and the gains and losses
they experience. Through this analysis of the globalized female worker, we will learn how
classic female duties such as caring for the home and family have been commodified into paid
work, and study how this shift is reflective of larger demographic changes in the country at large.
Specifically, we will study why these jobs are increasingly the province of new female
immigrants in the twenty-first century, as well as the economic, social, and psychological
processes that underpin them. Furthermore, we’ll seek to understand how patterns of migration,
immigration, and diaspora emerge from economic and social changes, including how such
patterns get expressed in the labor markets and service sector.
Required Materials:
Course packet available at Clark Graphics, 2915 N Oakland Ave. (414-962-4633) Global
Woman: Nannies, Maids, and Sex Workers in the New Economy, Eds. Barbara Ehrenreich and
Arlie Russell Hochschild available at People’s Book Co-op, 804 E. Center St. (414-962-0575)
also:
Access to a computer, internet, printer, and good dictionary
Course Requirements:
Assigned readings and written assignments completed by the beginning of class on the days
indicated in the Course Schedule and Assignment Sequence part of this syllabus. The breakdown
is as follows:
Ten Short (1-2 page) Papers (instructions below) 50%
Discussion Lead-in 10% (instructions below)
Midterm Paper (3-5 page essay) 10% (instructions to be handed out soon, may be revised)
Debate on an Issue 10% (instructions to be handed out after the break)
Take-home Essay Exam 20% (sheet to be handed out at end-of-term)
Grades will take into account effort, comprehension of the topics discussed in the course, and
thoughtful response to, and engagement with the readings and films viewed in class. This kind
of engagement involves critical thinking and analyzing what you read and see; these are active,
not passive tasks. I expect you to grapple with material that may be new, unexpected, and
sometimes disconcerting.
Your grade does not factor in participation, only because participation in this class is its own
reward. This will be a discussion-oriented class, so being prepared to engage in classroom
activities is vital. Participation requires being prepared, awake, and present in class,
readings and assignments done on time and with all relevant materials (syllabus, course
pack, readings etc.) in your possession at the start of class. Cell phones must be off. If you
choose not to participate, you may find completion of the course requirements to be impossible.
Course Policies on Assignments, Grades and Attendance:
The Assignment Sequence specifies work to be completed before each class session. Besides
readings and discussions, there will be an assigned discussion lead-in worth 1-10 points, ten
short papers/reading summaries assignments worth 5 points each (possible 50 points), one 3-5
page paper worth 10 points, debate worth 10 points, and a take-home essay exam worth 20
points. (This means you should be able to calculate your own grade at any time…)
Late Work: Be sure to make arrangements to turn in assignments on time if you will be
absent. Any assignment not turned in on the due date listed on the syllabus will not be
accepted, and you will get zero points for that assignment.
Absence Policy:
Because this course includes a great deal of individual and group in-class involvement, including
the screening of films, attendance is absolutely mandatory. Ideally, students would attend every
class. Absences may be excused, however, with a signed doctor’s note only. Any student who
accrues ZERO unexcused absences by the end of the semester will have 10 points added to
the final grade total automatically.
If for reasons of work or other conflicts students are habitually absent or late, they should drop
the class. Being late is disruptive to the class at large, and I expect you to be on time. I will
take attendance at the start of each class. It is your responsibility to see me after class in the
event you arrive after I have taken attendance so that I can mark you present. If you are
more than fifteen minutes late, you will be marked absent—and this applies to early departures
as well (unless you discuss them with me before class).
Assignment (Paper) Format and Submission
Assignments are due in the D2L dropbox before the start of class on the due date. All work must
be typed or word-processed, double-spaced, stapled, and should have reasonable margins (1")
and fonts (Times New Roman, 12 pt). Your name should be typed in the corner along with the
date and course name and section number. Your course work should demonstrate a working
command of the English language including correct grammar, spelling, and sentence structure.
You must edit and proofread your work prior to submitting it.
Extra Credit:
Extra credit will be given to each student who comes to class with a current article, printed out
and summarized, that pertains to any of the topics we are discussing in this class. (+1pt./article).
You will also be given a list of movies and documentaries that you might view outside of class
for possible extra credit (see assignment below). However, no more than 10 extra-credit points
can be counted.
Class Discussion:
You are both expected and encouraged to participate in classroom discussion, and you should
come to class ready to discuss the readings and films. I encourage you to initiate debate, offer
comments, and speak what is on your mind, as long as it is presented in a civil and nonconfrontational way.
Please, if you find yourself in difficulty with the course materials or your assignments, 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.
Academic Honesty:
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 use a works cited page. Finally, if you
summarize or paraphrase, you also need to attribute the source. 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. For more information visit the university website
regarding Academic Misconduct.
You should know:
The Writing Center:
This is a free resource for writers on campus. The Writing Center is located in Curtin Hall and
there is another location in the library. Visit the Writing Center on-line to make an appointment.
Students from previous semesters have found the one-on-one work with a tutor to be helpful at
all stages in the writing process, so don’t hesitate to make an appointment or stop in. 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.
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 or
any issues, including mental health issues, that might make it difficult or impossible to complete
the course requirements, visit their office in 112 Mitchell Hall.
Note on cell phones, texting, and the like:
If you bring a phone to class, you need to turn it off and put it away before you enter the
classroom. If taken out at break, please put it away before we begin class again. Texting in class
is absolutely forbidden. 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.
Course Schedule and Assignment Sequence (subject to change):
Note: All written assignments must be typed, double-spaced, 12-pt. font, with your name, course,
and date included in the heading. Most of these assignments involve a lot of reading, notetaking, some research, and writing, so be sure to give yourself plenty of time to complete the
tasks.
Be aware: We will be discussing the readings listed on the dates below. That means you are to
have them read by that date, hence “Due.”
January 26:
Introductions and syllabus. Assign discussion lead-ins (see end of syllabus). View and discuss
Rory Kennedy’s The Fence.
February 2:
Due: Read “Globalization and Its Discontents” by Evelyn Hu-Dehart and “Let’s Admit it:
Globalization Has Losers” by Steven Rattner in course pack.
Also read online (links in D2L): “Everything You Need to Know About the Trans Pacific
Partnership” by L. DePillis, “On the Wrong Side of Globalization” by J. Stiglitz and “Obama
Plan May Allow Millions of Immigrants to Stay and Work in the U.S.” by M. D. Shear, J.
Preston and A. Parker.
Look up the term “Globalization” on Google and view several definitions and explanations of the
term (Wikipedia gives a good overview). Go to www.nytimes.com and search “Globalization.”
Limit the search (left bar) to “Articles” and “last 12 months.” Peruse the context in which the
term appears and find three substantial (over one page) articles of interest to you. Get an idea of
the terms and contexts in which the word is used. Then limit your search further to add a topic of
interest to you, such as Globalization and Sweatshops, or Globalization and Child Labor, or
Globalization and Gender, etc. Read through some articles, noting their titles and authors and
anything you found interesting, or questions you might have so you can bring up for discussion.
Type up a 1-2 page response regarding what you learned about globalization through your
reading.
In Class: View and discuss Black Gold: Wake Up and Smell the Coffee. Mark and Nick Francis,
2006 (78 min).
February 9:
Due: Read from Global Woman: “Introduction,” by Ehrenreich and Hochschild , “Love and
Gold,” by Hochschild, “The Nanny Dilemma,” by Cheever, “The Care Crises in the Philippines,”
by Parrenas, and “Blowups and Other Unhappy Endings,” by Hondagneu-Sotelo.
Write 1-2 page reading response regarding transnational motherhood.
In class: View and discuss Maid in America dir. Anayansi Prado, 2004 DVD 0930 (57 min).
February 16:
Midterm Essay assignment handed out.
Due: Read and take notes from Global Woman: “Maid to Order,” by Ehrenreich ,“Just Another
Job?” by Anderson, “America’s Dirty Work,” by Joy Zareinbka. Also read from course pack:
“From Afar, Moneymaker and Mother” by Katrin Bennhold, “Why Immigration is a Feminist
Issue,” and “Domestic Worker’s Convention May Be Landmark”.
Write a 1-2 page essay on reading regarding an issue faced by some immigrant domestic
workers.
In class: View and discuss Last Train Home dir. Lixin Fan (85 min).
February 23:
Due: Read and take notes (from course pack) on “The Juarez Murders” by Debbie Nathan, and
“Murder in Juarez: Gender, Sexual Violence, and the Global Assembly Line” by Jessica
Livingston. Also: “Bangladesh Finds Gross Negligence in Factory Fire,” “Walmart CEO Pay,”
“Christmas Ornaments, Child Labor,” “As Walmart Makes Safety Vows, It’s Seen as Obstacle to
Change.”
Write 1-2 page reading response regarding factory workers.
In class: View and discuss Maquilapolis (City of Factories) 2006 (60 min).
March 2:
Due: Read also “Introduction: Aspiring migrants, local crises and the imagination of futures
‘away from home’” by Ellen Bal and Roos Willems. (In D2L under Content)
Read Chapters 2 and 4…from Intimate Migrations : Gender, Family, and Illegality among
Transnational Mexicans (Link in D2L.)
Write 1-2 page response to the reading on migration.
In class: View and discuss Roy Germano’s The Other Side of Immigration (55min).
March 9:
Midterm Essay Due!
Due: Research and find a recent (substantial, i.e. several pages long) article or recent academic
article on mega-corporations’ use of subcontractors, sweatshops, child labor, or use of indentured
service in the global economy. Type a short summary/synopsis of the article, include author, date
and place of publication to share in class.
Apple corporation is a good example of a company that has been accused of abusing workers
and has now taken “steps” to handle some aspects of the working conditions of their factories
overseas. You can find many good articles on the New York Times website.
View “John Perkins on Globalization” at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqIHKWd9rSc
Go to http://slaveryfootprint.org/ and see how many slaves “work for you.”
Go to teamsweat.org and watch Behind the Swoosh video about Nike (24 min.)
Write a 1-2 page response to the reading/viewing on wage slavery/sweatshops.
In class: View and discuss “Frontline: Is Wal-Mart Good for America?” (57 min). Video found
at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/walmart/
March 23:
Due: Read “Because She Looks Like a Child” by Kevin Bales, from Global Woman.
Read also “Sex as Slavery? Understanding Private Wrongs” by Alison Brysk. (In D2L under
Content.)
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
Watch the 22 min video of President Obama’s address on trafficking to the Clinton Global
Initiative, or read the transcript of his speech at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-pressoffice/2012/09/25/remarks-president-clinton-global-initiative
Write a 1-2 page response to readings on sex trafficking.
In Class: View and discuss David Bacon’s lecture “How Globalization Creates
Migration and Criminalizes Immigrants.” Video can be found at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pd4OLdaoxvg
March 30:
Due: New York Times columnist Nicholas D. Kristof has written many articles about sextrafficking/slavery, including the exploitation of children in brothels, child prostitution and
governments’ complicity with these practices. Do a search of this columnist on the New York
Times website and read several of his articles that engages with this topic. Peruse the columns,
select and read three or four that deal directly with some aspect of the issue. Take notes.
Read Saskia Sassen’s essay “Global Cities and Survival Circuits” from Global Woman. Also
read Nandita Sharma’s “Anti-Trafficking Rhetoric and the Making of a Global Apartheid” in
course pack, or go to: http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2012/04/19/is-legalizedprostitution-safer
Write a 1-2 page response to your findings from Kristof and/or the readings on anti-trafficking
rhetoric. Include the titles and dates of columns you read.
In class: View and discuss of Half the Sky documentary Part One. Dir Maro Chermayeff, 2012.
April 6:
Debate assignment handed out.
Due: View mail order brides online. Take notes on what you see.
Read and take notes on the following from course pack: “E-Brides: The Mail-Order Bride
Industry and the Internet,” by Julie Pehar; also read “Clashing Dreams: Highly Educated
Overseas Brides and Low-Wage U.S. Husbands,” by Hung Cam Thai, from Global Woman.
In response to the readings, write a 1-2 page paper regarding aspect of the mail-order bride
business.
In-class: View and discuss PBS documentary Sex Slaves 2005, DVD 1547, 55 min.
April 13:
Due: Do some research on the groups GAATW (Global Alliance Against the Trafficking of
Women) and CATW (Coalition Against Trafficking Women). Take notes on their stated
objectives and their major differences.
Read from course pack: “Bad for the Body, Bad for the Heart” by Melissa Farley, and “Is a
Feminist Stance in Support of Prostitution Possible? An Exploration of Current Trends,” by Kari
Kesler. Understand the terms of the debate.
Write a two-paragraph summary of each article’s argument. I.e., what is Farley’s main
contention? What is Kesler’s? What contentions do you have with these arguments if any?
April 20:
Final exam handed out.
In class: Debate re: prostitution and the trafficking of women for labor in the global arena.
May 4:
Last day of instruction. Evaluations. Final essays due. Also due: any movie/documentary extra
credit reports (see assignment). Note: I will not accept any late papers or final essays.
Discussion Lead-in Assignment
(10 points possible)
Discussion Lead-in date: ___________________________
Article (s):_____________________________
You and (possibly) another student from class are responsible for leading Monday’s discussion
of the assigned readings. Along with whatever assignment is due on this day, this additional
assignment requires extra preparation on your part. You might liaise with any other student
assigned for this discussion ahead of time to insure adequate focus on the key issues/points and
argument involved in the assigned reading.
For this assignment, you will :
1. Summarize and introduce to class the author’s argument.
2. Clearly and accurately state the author’s main points of evidence and support. Isolate
each main point and explain the evidence used to back up the claim.
3. Then, for discussion, write out five thoughtful questions that you, as a reader, have
about the reading.
4. Steps 1-3 should be typed, and copies made for the instructor and the other students in
class. Include the heading “Discussion Lead-In”
5. Turn in along with whatever other assignment is due.
6. Doing additional research on some aspect of the reading can be helpful (i.e. updating
statistics, or finding the latest on the issue if needed).
Note: This assignment cannot be made-up in case of absence, so be sure to be present the day of
your discussion lead-in, or prepare ahead of time to exchange dates with another student.
Short Reading Response Assignment
To receive credit for your short written responses to reading, you will do the following:
1) Take thorough, copious notes on the readings, not just identifying main points, but
highlighting and responding in the margins to what is surprising, confusing, difficult or
interesting to you. You might take note of moments in the texts to which you feel
connected – personally, professionally, or through your other studies or your community.
2) Go back over your notes, and write 1-2 pages in which you respond to something in the
reading that strikes you in particular. Be sure to quote those moments from the text, and
be clear about what you think the quote(s) mean(s), as well as how you would like to
incorporate the idea into our class discussion. Keep that in mind, so that you can bring it
up with your classmates during our meeting.
Ethnic Studies 255: Movies and Documentaries for extra credit:
In order for you to get extra credit for this assignment, chose a movie, video or documentary—
one you have NOT seen before—from the list below, or one that you know could pertain to our
course topics (the last must be cleared with me first).
1. Take notes while you are watching the film.
2. Then, type up a two page summary and response to the film. Include in what ways,
specifically, the film relates to the topics discussed in this class. Turn in your notes
along with your typed essay.
3. You can get up to 5 extra credit points for each film, (up to 10 pts) you review in this
manner.
Movies:
The Whistleblower (2010) dir. Larysa Kondracki
Bread and Roses (2000) dir. Ken Loach
Entre Nos (2009) dir. Paola, Mendoza and Gloria La Morte
Under the Same Moon (2007) dir. Patricia Riggen
The Maid (2009) dir. Sebastian Silva
Babel (2006) dir. Alejandro González Iñárritu
The Visitor (2008) dir. Thomas McCarthy
Eastern Promises (2007) dir. David Kronenberg
Bordertown (2007) dir. Gregory Nava
The Whistle Blower (2010)
Documentaries:
Made in L.A. (2007) (About the boycott of Forever 21)
Food, Inc. (2009)
The City Devouring Its Daughters dir. Alejandra Sanchez
Children in No Man’s Land dir. Anayansi Prada
Senorita Extraviada dir. Lourdes Portillo
God Grew Tired of Us (2006)
Crossing Arizona (2005) NR.
Rough Cut: Guatemala: A Tale of Two Villages (go to pbs.org to search for and watch)
Rebecca Whisnant’s addressing the National Feminist Antipornography Conference (google)
Robert Jensen’s addressing the National Feminist Antipornography Conference (google)
Golden Venture (2006)
Maria Full of Grace (2004)
Vice Guide to Travel: Illegal Border Crossing Park : http://www.vice.com/the-vice-guide-totravel/illegal-border-crossing-park
There are many other movies and documentaries available on the topics of this course. Please
check with me for more options and to approve any that you would like to see that are not listed
here.
Discussion Lead-In Sign-up
1) “Globalization and Its Discontents” by Evelyn Hu-Dehart , “Let’s Admit it: Globalization Has
Losers” by Steven Rattner. 2/2
____________________________
2)“Everything You Need to Know About the Trans Pacific Partnership” by L. DePillis, “On the
Wrong Side of Globalization” by J. Stiglitz 2/2
____________________________
3)“Introduction,” by Ehrenreich and Hochschild 2/9
_____________________________
4) “Love and Gold,” by Hochschild 2/9
______________________________
5) “The Nanny Dilemma,” by Cheever 2/9
_____________________________
6) “The Care Crises in the Philippines,” by Parrenas 2/9
_____________________________
7)“Blowups and Other Unhappy Endings,” by Hondagneu-Sotelo 2/9
_____________________________
8) “Maid to Order,” by Ehrenreich 2/16
_____________________________
9) “Just Another Job?” by Anderson 2/16
_____________________________
10) “America’s Dirty Work,” by Joy Zareinbka 2/16
_____________________________
11)“From Afar, Moneymaker and Mother” by Katrin Bennhold 2/16
_____________________________
12) “Why Immigration is a Feminist Issue” and “Domestic Worker’s Convention May Be
Landmark” 2/16
_____________________________
13) “The Juarez Murders” by Debbie Nathan, “Murder in Juarez: Gender, Sexual Violence, and
the Global Assembly Line” by Jessica Livingston 2/23
_____________________________
14) “Introduction: Aspiring migrants, local crises and the imagination of futures ‘away from
home’” by Ellen Bal and Roos Willems. (In D2L under Content)3/2
_____________________________
15) “Bangladesh Finds Gross Negligence in Factory Fire” and “Christmas Ornaments, Child
Labor” 2/23
_____________________________
16)“Walmart CEO Pay” and “As Walmart Makes Safety Vows, It’s Seen as Obstacle to Change”
2/23
_____________________________
17) View “John Perkins on Globalization” at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqIHKWd9rSc
3/9
_____________________________
18) Intimate Migrations 3/2
_____________________________
19) “Because She Looks Like a Child” by Kevin Bales. 3/23
_____________________________
20)“Sex as Slavery? Understanding Private Wrongs” by Alison Brysk. (In D2L under
Content.)3/23
_____________________________
21) “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 3/23
_____________________________
22) Saskia Sassen’s essay “Global Cities and Survival Circuits” 3/30
_____________________________
23) Nandita Sharma’s “Anti-Trafficking Rhetoric and the Making of a Global Apartheid” in
course pack, or go to: http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2012/04/19/is-legalizedprostitution-safer 3/30
_____________________________
24) “E-Brides: The Mail-Order Bride Industry and the Internet,” by Julie Pehar 4/6
_____________________________
25) “Clashing Dreams: Highly Educated Overseas Brides and Low-Wage U.S. Husbands,” by
Hung Cam Thai 4/6
_____________________________