Website Proposal-NYC Immigrant Related Policy
I think it would be interesting to look into city policies that affect immigration and immigrants. The website might take a look at important past and present examples and analyze their effects on the city and its immigrant community and then discuss current unresolved issues and how they might be addressed by future policy measures. Research on this topic could draw upon data and maybe if we are lucky interviews from several NYC departments that touch the lives of immigrants such as the department of education, city planning, housing, mayor’s office of immigrant affairs, the department that deals with fair and safe labor standards, cultural promotion, etc. In addition to research and discussions with NYC departments, some students may be able to draw upon their own immigrant experiences or conversations/observations from their neighborhood visit to identify issues of concern to contemporary immigrants in NYC.
Depending on the scope of what we can accomplish, we could either do a broad set of issues or we can narrow the project down to focus on a limited set of policies pertaining to a specific topic.
This topic would allow the class the flexibility to explore the course topic through subject lenses that interest them. Some might be interested in policies surrounding education or housing. Some might like to look into immigrant entrepreneurship issues. Some might want to see how the city promotes efforts to preserve and celebrate the cultures of it’s immigrants. Etc. It would be an interdisciplinary project and with it’s policy focus it would promote the Macaulay goals of training future leaders.
