Seminar 2 Encyclopedia

Immigrants "R" Us

Professor: Phil Napoli
ITF: Jenny Kijowski
Campus: Brooklyn
URL: http://macaulay.cuny.edu/seminars/napoli10

Our projects for this semester are based on immigrant experiences in New York and our own identities as descendants of immigrants. The immigration process is addressed at JFK airport and compared to immigrant experiences in Ellis Island. Then, the local communities of Flatbush and Williamsburg are explored. Finally an overview of Arab Americans in NYC covers their adjustment to life in the region. With insightful interviews, nostalgic pictures, and helpful statistics, a broader picture of immigrant life is established.

Urban Ethnography

Professor: Ida Susser
ITF: Fiona Lee
Campus: Hunter
URL: http://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/susser11/

Professor Ida Susser’s class looked at three varied area and five neighborhoods in New York: Chinatown, the Greenpoint/Williamsburg area, and Harlem/Morningside Heights. Students completed entries on specific issues in each area, such as Columbia’s involvement in the community and street vendors in Chinatown. The class conducted interviews, went on walking tours, and provide video, maps, bibliographic resources, and demographic information.

East Harlem

Professor: Deborah Gardner
ITF: Karen Gregory
Campus: Hunter
URL: http://www.wix.com/mhc15000/east-harlem

Working with ITF Karen Gregory, Deborah Gardner’s class decided made a site about East Harlem, focused on seven specific cultural institutes in the neighborhood: El Museo del Barrio, Julia de Burgos Cultural Center, Thomas Jefferson Park, El Paso Taqueria, the Aguilar Library, St. Cecilia Church, and the Graffiti Hall of Fame. The site includes videos of the area, interviews, maps, and photo galleries.

Immigrant Eyes

Professor: Philip Kasinitz
ITF: Jesse Goldstein
Campus: Hunter
URL: http://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/kasinitz11

Overview
In Prof Philip Kasinitz’s class at Hunter, ITF Jesse Goldstein worked with the class to make a multi-neighborhood site that presented the work of groups who completed specific investigative tasks about the areas they studied: Chelsea, Chinatown, Williamsburg, the East Village, the Upper East Side, and Jackson Heights. Each group was tasked with examining and presenting the census data for the neighborhood, comparing statistics with their own observations of the area, finding out how residents think of their neighborhood, and creating a multimedia virtual walking tour. Students also completed individual final projects about immigrant experiences in the neighborhoods.