Course Description:
In the second Honors College Seminar, students will investigate the role of immigration and migration in shaping the city’s identity – past, present, and future. Topics to be considered include the factors that have driven and drawn people to New York since the 17th century; the different ways that religion, race, gender, and ethnicity have shaped immigrant encounters with the city; the formation and social organization of immigrant communities in such neighborhoods as the Five Points, the Lower East Side, Harlem, El Barrio, Little Italy, and Chinatown; the impact of successive waves of newcomers on urban culture and politics; and the continuing debates over assimilation and Americanization. Extensive reading and writing assignments will be enriched by visits to archives and other important sites. Each seminar will conduct research on a New York City community assisted in their work by instructional technology. All classes will come together several times during the semester to talk with distinguished faculty and others who study the city’s experience of migration and immigration.
Readings:
From Ellis Island to JFK: New York’s Two Great Waves of Immigration – Nancy Foner, Yale University Press (2000) —EI
Sewing Women: Immigrants and the New York City Garment Industry – Margaret M. Chin, Columbia University Press (2005) – SW
Various articles posted online New York Times Immigration stories and esp Chinatown Man, Chinatown Bklyn stories —NYT
Requirements:
You are expected to do the assigned readings and participate in class discussions, something that is especially important since this is a seminar. Because immigration to New York is constantly in the news, and because pressing issues are always coming up, it is also important that students read stories about immigration that regularly appear in The New York Times. We will be discussing these on a regular basis in class. Also, of course, keep an eye out for any stories on Chinatown, and Coney Island/ Homecrest.
1. Also, students will hand in a 1-2 page written report on their visits to the Lower East Side Tenement Museum, and the Museum of Chinese in America visit and tour. All write ups should be handed in one week after your visit or at the next class meeting.
2. Students will be expected to write a 1page response paper on an extra lecture or presentation
3. Oral History Assignment: Each student should interview a close relative about reasons for their family’s decision to emigrate, the choice of the United States and New York City, the experience of migrating and the process of settling in NYC. The interview should be taped and written up with a summary. In addition, a 5 page paper should be written comparing their experience to immigrants that we have read about. How is their experience reflected in our readings? If it is not, please explain why? Paper is due Thursday March 11th– no extensions.
4. When the Lights Went Out – As part of the neighborhood web/documentary project, students will be divided into eight groups – 4 each assigned to Avenue U/Homecrest Chinatown and Manhattan Chinatown.
For each of the groups, create a documentary film that tells us what happened when the lights went out in the 2 neighborhoods. In addition, to putting together the documentary, each group will be responsible for a paper describing your assigned topic that crisscrosses the neighborhoods. Thus everyone will learn the comparative method in this project. Each and every student in the class will be given an opportunity to grade yourself and each of the other students in the group. These forms are confidential and are to be returned to me in a sealed envelope.
Topics(here is a sample list):
– local community organizations, religious institutions, housing, political representation (other topic areas)
– we have 20 students, two areas and five topics.
By March 18—Each area group (2) and each topic group should define their research (a draft which will be used a basis for final summary pages).
i.e. Area—includes borders of the neighborhood and why you define neighborhood as such
Topic – what is to be investigated and how you will collect information (methods used)
By April 15—review data collected in class and give short class presentations on what your groups have discovered—review before Spring Break. The final documentary should be accessible – to those who know the communities and those who do not. Class members will present on the last day of classes Monday 5/13.
5. There will be a take-home final exam which will be handed out on the last day of class Monday 5/13. It will be due by Monday 5/13 – no later than 5pm. You may hand it in earlier.
Note: For all written work, please keep a copy for yourself.
Plagiarism: Hunter College regards acts of academic dishonesty (e.g., plagiarism, cheating on examinations, obtaining unfair advantage, and falsification of records andofficial documents) as serious offenses against the values of intellectual honesty. The college is committed to enforcing the CUNY Policy on Academic Integrity and will pursue cases of academic dishonesty according to the Hunter College Academic Integrity Procedures.
Week 2: January 28 Introduction
| Readings:Foner, Nancy; “How Exceptional is New York?” | Assignments:Bring 2 interesting points on Joe Salvo’s talkBring 2 interesting questions/opinions you learned from Foner Reading | In-Class:-Course overview-introduction – your Family Immigration History
– to Joe Salvo’s talk -Ave U/Homecrest and Man. Chinatown -Discussion with ITF |
Week 3: February 4 How to Study a Neighborhood
| Readings:Klinenberg, Eric “Denaturalizing Disaster: A Social Autopsy of the 1995 Chicago Heat Wave”Chin, Sewing Women ch 1-4 | Assignments:CITI online Human Subjects Research course – certificates due http://www.citiprogram.org/Bring in 2 questions/opinions on why we need Human Subjects Research training
Bring in 2 questions/opinions on how you would study these two neighborhoods |
In-Class:Discuss Research ethics andHow to study neighborhoods?
-Where would you get information -What do you need for a 5-10 documentary film -Sign up for Man Chinatown or Ave U
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Week 4: February 11 The Neighborhoods
| Readings:Chin, Sewing Women ch 5-9Chin, Moving On | Assignments:Post Description of your neighborhoodhttp://www.chinatownpartnership.org/ | In-Class:Discuss how and what we need to do to make a documentary including archival |
Week 5: February 20 The Neighborhoods
| Readings:Zhou, Chin, Kim; NYLA paperBerger, “The World in a City.” | Assignments:Post Archival Research of Chinatowns and SandyReview map of the Chinatowns
http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=avenue+U+brooklyn+chinese&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8 |
MOCA tour |
Week 6: February 25 Gentrification
| Readings:Putnam, E Pluribus Unum. | Assignments:Post neighborhood short film clips | In-Class: |
II. History of the Peopling of the City of New York
Week 7: March 4 Early Immigration
| Readings: EI ch 1-4 | Assignments:Post Field Notes from neighborhood visit | In-Class:
Thurs class Sat March 16 Tour
Week 8: March 18 March 21: Immigration through the years
Mon class Sat March 30 Tour
Week 8.5: Thur Apr 4 Where they live
Week 9: Mon Apr 8 Thu Apr 11 The work they do
Week 10: Mon Apr 15 Thu Apr 18 Education
Week 11: Mon Apr 22 Thu Apr 25 Family and Religion
Week 12: Mon Apr 29 Thu May 2 The Second Generation
Week 13: Mon May 6 Thu May 9 The Second Generation
Week 14: Final Due in class or before Mon 5/13 and Mon 5/16
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