Migrations, Race and Ethnicity in the United States

obligatory courses

The course aims to address one of the most important and contested problems of contemporary American society. Immigration, race and ethnicity are at the center of social, cultural and political tensions. These phenomena are examined from an interdisciplinary perspective. The course’s main focus is placed on the history of selected ethnic and racial groups that constitute the United States; those groups are considered from the perspective of immigration policies and experiences, ethno-racial policies, cultural differentiation together with processes of social adaptation and exclusion.

The course aims to address one of the most important and contested problems of contemporary American society. In addition to the selected bibliography, to stimulate student participation and critical thinking, lectures are exemplified with primary sources in formats such as letters, photographs, legislation, government reports and short films. Main topics discussed in the class include the following:

1. Framing the Topic: Ethnicity, Race, and Peoplehood

2. Creating America 1607-1783. European Emigrations

3. Immigrants’ Clash with Indian Nations and Mexico

4. Redefining the Nation 1850-1900

5. Early Nativism

6. Scientific Racism and Immigration policy (1900-1945)

7. African American Migration from the Colonial Era to the Present

8. A Global Perspective on Immigration

9. Immigration: Public Policy and Data

10. Multi- and Inter-culturalism

11. Latino migrations to the US

12. Asian-Americans

13. Nativism 2.0: The Preservation of Whiteness

Donna R. Gabaccia. 2002. Immigration and American Diversity: A Social and Cultural History. UK: Wiley-Blackwell.

Ronald H. Bayor. 2016. The Oxford Handbook of American Immigration and Ethnicity. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Ronald H. Bayor. 2004. The Columbia Documentary History of Race and Ethnicity in America. New York: Columbia University Press.

Jon Bond and Kevin Smith. 2019. Analyzing American Democracy: Politics and Political Science (3rd ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429438035

Jack Citrin and David Sears. 2014. American Identity and the Politics of Multiculturalism (Cambridge Studies in Public Opinion and Political Psychology). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/CBO9781139028967

David Scott FitzGerald. 2014. Culling the Masses. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.

Upon completion of the course, the student will:

KNOWLEDGE

Understands:

- the history and contemporary social, political, and cultural conditions of migration to the USA, as well as ethnic relations and racial ideologies in the United States, particularly their significance in the formation of a multicultural and multiethnic society in the USA

- the impact of migration and ethnic and racial relations on American culture in the past and present

- the legal, economic, cultural, and social conditions of migratory processes, as well as those related to racial and ethnic relations, both historically and currently

- the significance of migration, race, and ethnicity in the emergence and development of the USA

SOCIAL SKILLS:

Can

- utilize interdisciplinary knowledge regarding migration, race, and ethnicity in the USA to formulate their own opinions.

Attendance is mandatory

1. Short essay (20 points)

2. Mid-term exam (30 points)

3. Final exam (50 points)

Oceny: 100-88/5; 87-73/4; 72-57/3; 56-0/2