Critical response papers
At the beginning of each class, you must turn in a one-page, single-spaced paper that answers the following questions:
About the previous class period:
1) What was the main point of the lesson of last class? What did you learn or what most engaged you?
About the reading(s) due in the upcoming class period:
2) What is the major point that the reading makes?
3) What does the reading say about immigration and families?
4) What experiences are omitted from the text that strike you as important? If the text addresses experiences with which you are familiar, to what extent are they congruent with or contradicted by your own experiences?
5) To what extent does this text challenge or confirm existing ideas, values, and structures about immigration?
These critical response papers must address all the readings due in the upcoming class period. If there is no reading due on a particular day, then you do not need to turn in a critical response paper. Simply writing something on a piece of paper will not give you credit for doing this assignment; you must demonstrate that you have read the reading thoroughly and answer the questions above.
You may miss two critical response papers during the course of the semester, although you are still required to do the reading for that day. If you have more than two papers missing, then you cannot earn higher than a B in this portion of your grade; if you have more than four, you cannot earn higher than a C; six, a D; and eight, you will receive an F. The critical response papers will be graded as check (adequate), check plus (excellent), check minus (marginal; very close to resulting in no credit), and no credit. Check minuses and check pluses will affect your grade within the grade range of A (90-99), B (80-89), etc; a check will put you in the middle of that range (95, 85, etc). (20%)
Participation
A good participation grade can be achieved by coming to class on time every day and participating in the discussion, drawing on your insights and questions about the readings, in a polite and engaged way.
A definition of an excused absence is that 1) I am informed prior to class that you will be unable to make it; and 2) on the day that you return, you provide me with documentation for your absence. If these two conditions are not met, your absence will be considered unexcused.
This class will be run in a seminar format, in which we will learn through discussion. I will work to create an atmosphere that is respectful of different viewpoints and all students, and I hope that you will help me in that regard by coming to class prepared and on time, having done the reading and other assignments, and participating in class discussion in a respectful way. (15%)
Paper Assignments
You should pick an immigrant group that resides in the greater Philadelphia/Jersey region. The three papers will be about that same immigrant group.
What group will you study? (1%)
You should have made a decision by the time we visit the library on September 12th. I will then discuss your choice with you and resources you might use in individual meetings the following week.
Paper #1: Why did your immigrant group migrate to the US?
Annotated Bibliography September 26th
The Paper October 10th
Paper #2: Block survey: What is life like for your immigrant group in the US?
Due: November 21st
Paper #3: Media Representations of your Immigrant Group
Due: December 21st, 11:30am-2:20pm