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Department: ANTH

Course No.: 215

Credits: 3

Title: Migration

Contact: Prof. Sally McBrearty

Content Area: CA4 Diversity and Multiculturalism

Diversity: CA4 Non-International

Catalog Copy:ANTH 215. Migration Second semester, alternate years. Three credits.Recommended preparation: ANTH 100 or ANTH 106. Martinez. The social, cultural and economic causes and consequences of migration in the modern era. Topics include migrant selection, social adaptation, effects on home and host societies, and cultural identity.

Course Information: a. This course examines the social, economic and cultural causes and consequences of human migration, worldwide. Though these issues are examined mainly from the perspective of sociocultural anthropology, the course also covers the findings of students of migration from various academic disciplines.
b. requirements: 1) in-class participation; 2) response papers, discussing the main points of each week's readings; 3) end-of-term research paper, of at least 10 (double-spaced) pages; 4)participation in end-of-term in-class discussion panels, involving presentation of research projects and discussion of links to course issues.
c. main themes: 1) origins: How are large-scale migrations set in motion? 2) selection: Who leaves and who stays home? 3) incorporation: How do migrants adapt to their host societies? 4) effects: Does migration benefit or harm the migrants' home places? What is its impact on the host country? 5) transnationalism: How do migrants remain active participants in the lives of people at home? 6) identity: How does immigration affect the group affiliations and senses of self of the migrants and their hosts?

Meets Goals of Gen Ed.: 1) The course requires a variety of in-class and take-home writing assignments, pertaining to discussion themes. 2) The topic of migration is explored from a variety of theoretical and disciplinary perspectives, challenging students always to compare and assess one method or theory versus another. 3) Much of the course material leads students to question preconceptions, whether these preconceptions correspond to a pro- or anti-immigration standpoint. 4) The human cost of geographical displacement is a recurrent course theme. Also, 2 weeks are devoted to the theme of the human rights of immigrants and refugees. 5) Few more pressing issues confront us. Migration has attained never before seen dimensions as a demographic, economic and cultural force and a global security issue; the United States is presently undergoing one of its greatest ever waves of immigration. 6) Coping with the cultural diversity created by immigration is a major course concern. Divergences in priorities and experience between men and women, old and young, migrants and stay-at-homes is highlighted. It is even so vital to underscore how much migrants worldwide share in motivations and means of adaptation.

CA4 Criteria: 1) Both diversity and commonality are given emphasis (see response to 2.6 above). 2) The migration experience throws particular light on the principle that identity is not a fixed inheritance but a construct subject to change over time and contextual redefinition. 3) The major theories of migration have cross-cultural validity (see also response to 2.6 above). 4) relevance to migration is obvious; Re human rights, see response to 2.4 above).