This semester, we learned in depth about the immigrants that make up New York
City—their immigration and integration processes. Through conducting interviews
with immigrants and transcribing their texts, developing statistical profiles on
various foreign and native-born groups that make up New York City, and by creating
our own personal immigration stories, we gained skills both inside and outside the
classroom that helped us understand more fully the theories on integration and
immigration that we studied throughout this course.

On this page, you can find our feedback on all aspects of this course. What were our
experiences with each assignment? What did we learn in the process? What did
we like and dislike about these assignments? Will we use these skills gained in the
future? How so? Here, you can find our reflections and thoughts on the different
types of research we conducted this semester in “The Peopling of New York City.”

Being that IDC was my favorite course my first semester at Baruch, I had high expectations for the Peopling of New York City, to say the least. I anticipated learning both inside and outside the classroom through various trips and outings, expected to challenge my intellect and delve deeper into areas of study that were once foreign to me, and I dreamt about considering IDC 3001 my new favorite course. As far as my expectations being met, not only were they met, but they far surpassed anything that I could have ever imagined.

Yes, the assignments and projects assigned throughout this course were time consuming and tedious, challenging and grueling. They included hundreds of email threads between the professor, ITF and myself which were always attended to in a timely and most helpful manner. The assignments though did teach me valuable skills that I can only predict will help me in all areas of study. Specifically, the interview project is one most memorable assignment I completed. Getting to know an immigrant’s story and struggle in depth, and typing up an exact transcript of our interview was something I never thought I’d be able to do, and never expected would teach me such skills as patience, time management and analytical skills. Additionally, the statistical profile, although never ending and filled with numbers, confusing and perplexing at times taught me how to edit my work thoroughly and meticulously, and how to properly read and analyze data tables which I know I will encounter throughout my studies in the future.

All in all, the skills learned in this course will without a doubt advance me in the rest of my studies here at Baruch. Throughout this process, I learned about the history of our country, specifically New York City, learned about the people who make up this city, and most importantly, I learned more about myself. All this was done under the guidance of an ever so helpful professor who guided me in every move I made (literally every move throughout these projects) and through many means of multimedia and outings.