Spring 2005

LAS 391 • IMMIGRANT CULTURE EXPERIENCES

Course Description

This course seeks to develop a student's understanding of American immigrant cultural experiences and the processes that stimulate immigration to the United States. Theories and case studies will be examined to explore three main topical areas: 1) Processes of immigration: globalization and U.S. Law, 2) Incorporation: social class diversity, citizenship, schooling, 3) Cultural Experiences: Identity and daily life. An overview of immigrant groups will be reviewed, but the focus of the study will be Asians and Latinos as these populations offer different examples of the immigrants' social class diversity.

Texts

Saito, L. "Race and Politics: Asian Americans, Latinos, and Whites" (1998). Hondagneu-Sotelo, P., "Domestica: Immigrant Workers Cleaning, and Caring in the Shadows of Affluence" (2001). Waldinger, R.E. M. Bozorgmehr, Ethnic Los Angeles (1999). Rothenberg, Daniel, "With these Hands: The Hidden World of Migrant Farmworkers Today" (2000). Trueba, T. Enrique, "Latinos Unidos: From Cultural Diversity to the Politics of Solidarity" (1999). Haney-Lopez, Ian. White By Law: The Legal Construction of Race (1996) A reader will also be required.

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