Welcome to Seminar 2! I’m Els de Graauw, your professor, and I look forward to working with all of you this semester. I’m a faculty member in the Baruch political science department, where I teach courses on American government and immigration. In addition to teaching, I conduct research on the local politics of immigrant integration, and currently I am completing a book manuscript that analyzes the role of community-based nonprofit organizations as public policy advocates on behalf of disadvantaged immigrants in San Francisco, CA.
Els in Lucerne, Switzerland
I am an immigrant myself. I was born and raised in the Netherlands, where I also completed my college (with a major in American Studies). I then earned a Ph.D. degree in Political Science from the University of California at Berkeley, worked as a researcher at Harvard University, and came to Baruch in the fall of 2009. I’ve been enjoying teaching at Baruch in large part because of the incredibly diverse study body here. You might not think much of it, but it’s very unusual to teach (or be part of) a class like ours, where the majority of students are first- and second-generation immigrants and we collectively trace our roots to 16 different countries!
While I love big city life, I also like the wild outdoors to camp, hike, and ski. This year, I also hope to work on my photography skills, finish a couple of sewing projects, and learn a few new baking recipes. Finally, I’m spending my free time reading up for a big trip to the Philippines and Hong Kong this coming summer.
If you have questions about any aspect of the course, I invite you to come to my office hours (every M 1-3pm) or send me an email at Els.deGraauw@baruch.cuny.edu.
