Course Description

How do immigrants learn to become American? How does living an ethnic identity vary for different groups? When does ethnicity become a chosen identity or an unwanted label? How do we learn to value some aspects of ethnicity but not others? What are markers of ethnicity? How do language, food, music, family and community work to provide authenticity to the American immigrant experience? What happens to ethnicity with assimilation to the American way of life? Can ethnicity combat the tidal social expectations to conform to the dominant culture? Using a variety of written materials including novels that explore the ethnic identity of different groups, this course raises questions about how ethnicity and American identity are connected. NOTE: This course fulfills the Race & Diversity (GD) requirement for students under GenEd and Studies in Race (RS) for students under Core. Duplicate Credit Warning: Students may take only one of the following courses for credit; all other instances will be deducted from their credit totals: Sociology 0835, 0935, 1476, 1496, R064, X064.

   

Course Learning Goals & Related Assessments

	Course Learning Goals	Corresponding Assessments to Measure Goal Achievement
1.	Understand the role that immigration has played, and continues to play, in shaping the United States	VoiceThread Discussion posts Weekly reflection papers Final paper
2.	Evaluate empirical claims made by researchers, politicians and the public, about immigration	VoiceThread Discussion  Immigration in the News paper Final paper
3.	Understand the science underlying the notion of "race", and describe the various manifestations of race throughout American history, including its relationship to immigration	VoiceThread Discussions Reflection paper Final paper
4.	Describe how the American legal immigration system works.	Reflection papers Immigration in the News paper Final paper

  

Course Materials

The required course materials for this course are open educational resources and are available at no cost to students.

 

Instructional Methods

This course is online and asynchronous. I will upload video-based lectures, which students will be instructed to respond to using VoiceThread for participation. All assignments will be uploaded via Canvas.

Please see each week's module for the VoiceThread presentation located at the top of the module. This will open an external link to see my presentation of the week's material and accompanying video explanations. You can use the "+" sign to add your own video/audio recording to respond to one of my questions and two of your peers' comments. Please wait to submit your VoiceThread comments at the end of the week, as VoiceThread will not accept your submission until you have posted all 3 required comments. If you have any issues using this technology, please let me know.

  

Course Communications

 My preferred method of communication is through email (caitlin.joyce@temple.edu). During the semester, I will generally respond to emails within 24 hours of receiving them during the week and within 48 hours on weekends.

Students can generally expect assignments to be graded within 5-7 days of submission. 

Course Technology Requirements

Limited resources are available for students who do not have the technology they need for class. Students with educational technology needs, including no computer or camera or insufficient Wifi-access, should submit a Student Technology Assistance Application located in TUPortal and linked from the Dean of Students Support and Resources webpage. The university will endeavor to meet needs, such as with a long-term loan of a laptop or Mifi device, a refurbished computer, or subsidized internet access. Internet Essentials from Comcast provides the option to purchase a computer for $150 and high-speed Internet service for $9.95 a month, plus tax. The Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) is available to purchase Xfinity, Verizon, T-Mobile, and other internet services. Qualified households can receive a temporary monthly credit of up to $50/month toward their Internet service and leased Internet equipment until the program's funding runs out. 

• On-campus computer labs have resumed normal operations and are available for student use. 

● Note that some software is available for free download on the ITS Academic Support page. Other specialty software may be available for remote access through ITS.

     

Grading Scale

A Range	B Range	C Range	D Range	F Range
A  93 - 100	B+ 87 - 89.49	C+ 77 - 79.49	D+ 67 - 69.49	F 0 - 59
A- 90 - 92.49	B  83 - 86	C  73 - 76	D  63 - 66
	B- 80 - 82.49	C- 70 - 72.49	D- 60 - 62.49

 

C- or better is required to fulfill the GenEd area requirement. 

Weighting Details

Grades will be calculated based on the following:

VoiceThread posts: 25%
Reflection papers: 25%
Immigration in the news: 20%
Final project proposal: 10%
Final project: 20%

Total = 100%

Lateness policy: 

I am willing to give extensions within reason if students ask in advance. Late submissions that have not received prior approval for an extension will lose 5 points (out of 100) per day it is late (ex. a paper that is submitted 2 days late can only receive a 90 as the highest grade). I cannot accept ANY late work past 6/26.

If you are approved for additional time for assignments by DRS, please follow their protocol for notifying me in advance.

Assignment Descriptions

VoiceThread Participation 

VoiceThread discussion posts will require students to record video (or audio) responses to materials within the weekly slides. There will be two components to the VoiceThread discussion posts. First, students will respond to questions or prompts such as “How is ethnicity defined?” Students must make one original post every Wednesday by 11:59 pm and two comments under a classmate’s post by Friday 11:59 pm. These responses do not need to be long, and are meant to simulate in-class discussion. These comments may respond to their classmates’ responses or questions about the subject material. If a student cannot record a video/audio post and must type their response, please let me know.

Reflection Paper

Students will compose brief reflection papers to assess their understanding of the course content. These responses will be roughly one page and are due every Friday by 11:59 pm. 

Immigration in the News
For this paper, you will find and discuss recent news stories about immigration. Your paper should include two news sources about a recent immigration policy, and use class material to analyze the policy and how it is being reported. Consider what theories of migration are driving this policy, whether the news articles contain bias, and how this issue relates to race in the United States (3-4 pages, double-spaced, 12-point type)

Final Exam Proposal

Please submit to me a one-page proposal (double spaced, 12-point type) discussing what you would like to submit for the final essay - I am giving students the ability to shape this assignment to be whatever would be most helpful for your studies. Options may include a 3-4 page paper related to immigration and race, such as discussing policy, a case study, or a research topic of interest. Ideas could include exploring a specific immigrant group’s experiences in society, analyzing the depiction of immigration in a piece of media, etc. Students must discuss how their proposed final project will relate to at least one of the four course objectives (listed above).

Final Project

The final project will have flexible parameters, so that students can tailor this project to suit their interests. The final project must be 3-4 pages (double-spaced, Times New Roman, 12pt font) and relate to at least one of the course objectives. Students will be evaluated based on how well they incorporate course concepts, theories, and texts into their argument. 

Course Minimum Grade

Although D- is a passing grade, a minimum grade of C- is required in General Education courses and, in many programs, courses required by the major.

For more information, please see Temple University's Academic Policies on Grades and Grading.

     

 

General Policies

All Temple University Academic Policies will be upheld.

The General Education Policies and Requirements details program expectations.

Statement on the Use of Generative AI in This Course

Students may NOT submit work generated by any AI chatbot, including but not limited to ChatGPT or Bard for any assignments in this course. Use of generative AI tools (such as ChatGPT, Bard, Dall-E, etc.) is strictly prohibited. Submitting assignments created by AI will result in a penalty to your grade (100 minus % of AI-generated material as the highest possible grade). I am requesting that students do not use AI-powered “editors” such as Grammarly Premium, Quillbot, etc. These programs are flagged by AI-detectors, creating issues with determining unfair AI use. I will not deduct points for minor grammatical issues or minor typos, so please rely only on basic spell check.

Attendance and Your Health

This is an online asynchronous course, so there is no class meeting time. However, to achieve course learning goals, you must participate in course assignments and an expectation of completing weekly responses to course materials via VoiceThreads. If you are unable to complete a weekly response or assignment in a timely manner due to illness or other difficult circumstances, please reach out to me.

It is the student’s responsibility to contact their instructors to create a plan for participation and engagement in the course as soon as they can do so and to make a plan to complete all assignments in a timely fashion when illness delays their completion.

Incomplete

A student will be eligible for a grade of “Incomplete” only if the student: 1) has completed at least 51% of the work at a passing level, 2) is unable to complete the work for a serious reason beyond their control, and 3) files a signed agreement with the instructor outlining the work to be completed and the time frame in which that work will be completed. The student is responsible for initiating this process and all incomplete forms must be sent to the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs prior to the start of study days in that semester.  

Please refer to the following for further details: Temple University’s Incomplete Policy. (Policy #02.10.13). 

  

Withdrawal from the Course

If a student wishes to withdraw from a course, it is the student’s responsibility to meet the deadline for the last day to withdraw from the current semester.

See Temple University's Academic Calendar for withdrawing deadlines and consult the University policy on Withdrawals (Policy # 02.10.14). 

  

Statement on Academic Rights & Responsibilities

Freedom to teach and freedom to learn are inseparable facets of academic freedom. The University has a policy on Student and Faculty Academic Rights and Responsibilities (Policy #03.70.02).

   

Academic Honesty

According to the University Student Code of Conduct, students must not commit, attempt to commit, aid, encourage, facilitate, or solicit the commission of academic dishonesty and impropriety including plagiarism, academic cheating, and selling lecture notes or other information provided by an instructor without the instructor’s authorization. Violations may result in failing the assignment and/or failing the course, and/or other sanctions as enumerated in the University Code of Conduct.

 

 

Netiquette and Class Conduct Expectations

The issues we deal with in this course are often controversial and you may be exposed to arguments you do not agree with in the readings, discussions, class activities, or lectures. You are encouraged to voice your opinions about these issues, but I also expect you to support your opinions with evidence.  Together, we need to create a comfortable environment by sharing ideas, observations, and questions respectfully. This is only possible when instructors and students treat each other with mutual respect. 

 

With regard to the authors, respect entails:

• Attempting to authentically understand their ideas in terms of what they wrote.
• Asking questions of the texts to seek clarification of those ideas.
• Wrestling with the ideas through real and hypothetical examples.
• Comparing their ideas to those of other authors that we read.
• Offering reasoned and thoughtful critique.

 

With regard to the students and professor, respect entails:

• Attempting to authentically understand each other's ideas in terms of what you say and hear in class.
• Asking questions of each other to seek clarification of those ideas.
• Acknowledging the right of all students to hold opinions different from yours.
• Understanding that not all students have the same familiarity with the scholars or their writings and some may need more time than others to understand the ideas that are being presented.
• Working together to wrestle with the ideas presented by the authors and offering each other reasoned and thoughtful critique.

Disability Disclosure Statement

Any student who has a need for accommodation based on the impact of a documented disability should contact Disability Resources and Services (DRS), Ritter Annex 100, (215) 204-1280 or 215-204-1786 (TTY) or drs@temple.edu, to make arrangements.  If you have a DRS accommodation letter to share with me, or you would like to discuss your accommodations, please contact the instructor as soon as practical. I will work with you and with DRS to coordinate reasonable accommodations for all students with documented disabilities. Accommodations are not retroactive. All discussions related to your accommodations will be confidential.

 
Information regarding accessibility for additional technologies is provided below:  

• Canvas
• VoiceThread

Technical Support 

For a listing of technical support services available to Temple University students, see the Tech Support page.

 

Live Chat or Request Help:  tuhelp.temple.edu.

Phone: 215-204-8000

Email:  help@temple.edu

Website: its.temple.edu

Location: The TECH Center, Room 106

 

 

Academic and Support Services

Temple University provides a variety of services to support you throughout your studies. Please take a moment to view these by visiting the Academic Support Services page.

The following academic support services are available to students:

• Student Success Center
• University Libraries
• Undergraduate Research Support
• Career Center
• Tuttleman Counseling Services
• Disability Resources and Services

  
If you are experiencing food insecurity or financial struggles, Temple provides resources and support. Notably, the Temple University Cherry Pantry and the Temple University Emergency Student Aid Program are in operation as well as a variety of resources from the Division of Student Affairs. 

      

Continuity of Instruction in the Event of Emergency

Students are to register for the TUAlert System to be made aware of University closures due to weather or other emergency situations and follow all additional university-wide emergency instructions. Students can register for this system on the Campus Safety Services website. Students registered for the class will be alerted to any alternate testing procedures and submission of assignment requirements from the instructor via email.

Please note that online classes are generally not affected by campus closures.  

  

Privacy Policy

Please see the links below to become familiar with the privacy policies for each of the following: 

• Temple University
• Canvas Instructure
• Zoom

Course Schedule

Course Schedule:

Date	Topics	Course Content	Assignments
Module 1 5/15- 5/23	Assimilation Theories & Migration Theory	READ:  “Chapter 2: Principles of Operation.” Pp. 7–23 in Beyond Smoke and Mirrors : Mexican Immigration in an Era of Economic Integration (Massey, Durand, and Malone 2002) The Complexities of Immigration: Why Western Countries Struggle with Immigration Politics and Policies (pg 3-10) Emma Lazarus: “The New Colossus” (1883) OPTIONAL: News article: “Trump administration welcomes 59 white South Africans as refugees”	Lecture Watch lecture video under Module 1  VoiceThread Discussion Initial post due Wednesday (5/21) Reply due Friday (5/23) Reflection paper Due Friday (5/23)
Module 2 5/24- 5/30	Integration & History of Immigration Policy	READ: “Immigration Past & Present” pg 1-9 (Foner 2013) “Explainer: How the U.S. Legal Immigration System Works” WATCH: Do You Feel American? Video from 5:14 to 13:00 OPTIONAL: Article “The long adiós” in The Economist	Lecture Watch Module 2 video  VoiceThread Discussion Initial post due Wednesday (5/28) Reply due Friday (5/30) Immigration in the News Assignment  Due Friday (5/30)
Module 3 5/31- 6/6	Ethnicity & Racialization	READ: “The Origins and Demise of the Concept of Race” (Hirschman 2004) WATCH: The Origin of Race in the USA OPTIONAL: Race & Ethnicity: Crash Course Sociology	Lecture  Watch Module 3 video VoiceThread Discussion Initial post due Wednesday (6/4) Reply due Friday (6/6) Final project proposal  Due Friday (6/6)
Module 4 6/7- 6/13	Immigration, Ethnicity, and Intersectionality	READ: “Love and Gold” (Hochschild 2002) Poem “Halal” by Fatimah Asghar WATCH: LGBTQ+ asylum seekers flee to U.S. to save their lives OPTIONAL: Why Asylum Matters for LGBTQ People	Lecture  Watch Module 4 video VoiceThread Discussion Initial post due Wednesday (6/11) Reply due Friday (6/13) Reflection paper Due Friday (6/13)
Module 5 6/14- 6/20	US-Mexico Border	READ: “Chapter 1: Introduction” (pp. 1-27) of Fresh Fruit, Broken Bodies: Migrant Farmworkers in the United States (Holmes 2013) WATCH: Scared to wait in Mexico, some migrants look to return home	Lecture Watch Module 5 video  VoiceThread Discussion  Initial post due Wednesday (6/18) Reply due Friday (6/20)   Reflection paper Due Friday (6/20)
Module 6 6/21 - 6/26	Issues today & “self-deportation”	No readings! WATCH: DACA recipients 'self-deport' as immigration status remains in limbo	Lecture Watch Module 6 video  VoiceThread Discussion  Initial post due Wednesday (6/25) No reply needed! Final Paper  Due Thursday (6/26)

Key Dates:
First day of class: Thursday, May 15
Last day of add/drop: Tuesday, May 20
Last day to withdraw: Friday, June 20
Last day of class: Thursday, June 26

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