Instruction: You can choose any one option below. By completing this assignment, you will have a clear picture of social change and how it affects us. Volunteers will present their findings to the class in the end of the semester. Your assignment should be at least 5-6 pages long (typed, double-spaced, using 1 inch margins, and 12 point type font). It should be checked for spelling and grammatical errors; sloppy editing detracts from the content of your writing. Your assignment should have a heading at the top left of the first page as follows:
Name
Assignment # and/or Title
Date
Avoid even the hint of plagiarism: All ideas borrowed from the text should be appropriately cited. Grading will be primarily based on two criteria:
? Evidence of your grasp of the class materials: Demonstrates understanding of major concepts and ideas. Shows application of concepts and theory to subject.
? The extent to which your thoughts are well-articulated, well-supported, and clearly expressed: Organization is precise, pertinent, and well supported. Sentences are clear, concise, and logical.
*There are many websites useful for the successful completion of this written assignment, including:
? Center for Immigration Studies: http://www.cis.org/
? Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR): http://www.fairus.org/site/PageNavigator/homepagenew
? National Immigration Forum: http://www.immigrationforum.org/
? Migration Dialogue: http://migration.ucdavis.edu/
? National Network for Immigrant and refugee Rights: http://www.nnirr.org/
? Urban Institute: http://www.urban.org/immigrants/index.cfm
? Migration Policy Institute: http://www.migrationpolicy.org/
? National Immigration Law Center: http://www.nilc.org/index.htm
? Southern Poverty Law Center: http://www.splcenter.org/
? U.S. Committee for Refugees: http://www.refugees.org/
? U.S. Census Bureau: http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/foreign/index.html
? U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services: http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis
? White House: http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/
? New York Times: http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/27/learning-about-u-s-immigration-with-the-new-york-times/#5ways
Option #1: Immigration Story
If you know a person who is a first-generation immigrant, write first an in-depth story of immigration and lived experience as shown in the text (see Portes & Rumbaut, Chapter 1; Kivisto & Faist, Chapter 1), and then address some of the questions discussed in the text and class. For example:
1) To what extent the story can be seen as representative of large numbers of immigrants? Are the experiences anomalous or typical?
2) In what ways is the immigrant experience similar to (and different from) that of immigrants from other countries of origin?
3) What difference does it make that the person ends up in the current place of residence rather than others such as New York City or Los Angeles?
4) What is the significance of race, class, and gender?
5) How varied are the ways of maintaining homeland ties? How long do those ties persist?
6) What are the ways that the immigrant adapts to their new surroundings? What are the difficulties involved in the process of adaptation and settlement? How significant is prejudice and discrimination?
7) What sorts of roles do states – both sending and receiving – play in encouraging, sustaining, or preventing immigration and in shaping the ways immigrants end up located in and related to the host society?
Option #2: Immigrant Group
Choose one immigrant group in the United States (e.g., Mexicans, Cubans, Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, Vietnamese, Asian Indians, etc) in which you are interested.
? Explain the manner in which this immigrant group has entered American society, including discrimination against the group in history.
? Describe the key features of demography, including group size and geographical concentration. Explain the demographic changes over time. Discuss the settlement patterns of this ethnic group and the response of the dominant society to them. Explain the factors that have created and sustained residential concentration.
? Discuss the place of the immigrant group in the American class system, discussing specifically income, occupation, and education. In what ways has the collective status of this group improved over the past decades and in what ways has it stagnated or even regressed?
? Discuss the form and degree of prejudice and discrimination experienced by this immigrant group. In what ways is recent prejudice and discrimination based on a different view of this group than in the past? In what ways has their experience differed from those of other racial-ethnic groups? What stereotypes have been commonly attached to this immigrant group? How might the origin of these stereotypes be explained? Why do ethnic stereotypes remain effective so long?
? Explain the extent of cultural assimilation of this immigrant group; do the same with structural assimilation, making note of differences in primary and secondary levels. Discuss the various policies by the U.S. government at different times in trying to assimilate this ethnic group to the dominant culture (or Describe the major acts of legislation that barred member of this ethnic group from the United States).
? In terms of assimilation and demographic trends, speculate on the future of the ethnic group.
Option #3: Research on Current Immigration Issues
This writing assignment has two main goals: (1) to help you think critically and integrate the sociological ideas and concepts with your readings and experiences; and (2) to allow you flexibility to pursue your own interests. Each of you will find different topics to be more interesting and relevant to yourself.
Choose an issue or problem of contemporary immigration that is most interest to you, frame this topic as a sociological issue for in-depth investigation, and investigate it in light of concepts and theories you have learned. This assignment requires that you do some type of research on your topic and incorporate what you have learned into your paper. Consult with the instructor for help in selecting a topic and for guidance in getting started on your research. Write a research paper describing its significance, your method of research, and what you discovered.
Option #4: Writing a Position Paper
Source: http://homepages.uhwo.hawaii.edu/~writing/position.htm
A position paper presents an arguable opinion about an issue. The goal of a position paper is to convince the audience that your opinion is valid and worth listening to. Ideas that you are considering need to be carefully examined in choosing a topic, developing your argument, and organizing your paper. You may choose one from the group discussion topics placed in PILOT:
? Bilingual Education vs. English Immersion: Which Is Better for Students with Limited English?
? America’s Border Fence: Will It Stem the Flow of Illegal Immigrants?
? Latino’s Future: When Will They Wield Greater Political Clout?
? Immigration Conflict: Should States Crack Down on Unlawful Aliens?
? Rethinking Crime and Immigration
It is very important to ensure that you are addressing all sides of the issue and presenting it in a manner that is easy for your audience to understand. Your job is to take one side of the argument and persuade your audience that you have well-founded knowledge of the topic being presented. It is important to support your argument with evidence to ensure the validity of your claims, as well as to address the counterclaims to show that you are well informed about both sides.
Issue Criteria
To take a side on a subject, you should first establish the arguability of a topic that interests you. Ask yourself the following questions to ensure that you will be able to present a strong argument:
? Is it a real issue, with genuine controversy and uncertainty? (Examples of the immigration issue include: Do immigrants hurt or help the U.S. economy?; Should the U.S. replace its current immigration policy based on the principle of family reunification with a skill-based point system?; Should the U.S. make English the official language?)
? Can you distinctly identify two positions?
? Are you personally interested in advocating one of these positions?
? Is the issue narrow enough to be manageable?
Analyzing the Issue and Developing an Argument
Once your topic is selected, you should do some research on the subject matter. While you may already have an opinion on your topic and an idea about which side of the argument you want to take, you need to ensure that your position is well supported. Listing out the pro and con sides of the topic will help you examine your ability to support your counterclaims, along with a list of supporting evidence for both sides. Supporting evidence includes the following:
? Factual Knowledge – Information that is verifiable and agreed upon by almost everyone.
? Statistical Inferences – Interpretation and examples of an accumulation of facts.
? Informed Opinion – Opinion developed through research and/or expertise of the claim.
? Personal Testimony – Personal experience related by a knowledgeable party.
Once you have made your pro and con lists, compare the information side by side. Considering your audience, as well as your own viewpoint, choose the position you will take.
In considering the audience, ask yourself the following questions:
? Who is your audience?
? What do they believe?
? Where do they stand on the issue?
? How are their interests involved?
? What evidence is likely to be effective with them?
In determining your viewpoint, ask yourself the following:
? Is your topic interesting?
? Can you manage the material within the specifications set by the instructor?
? Does your topic assert something specific and propose a plan of action?
? Do you have enough material to support your opinion?
Organization
Your introduction should lead up to a thesis that organizes the rest of your paper. There are three advantages to leading with the thesis:
? The audience knows where you stand.
? The thesis is located in the two strongest places, first and last.
? It is the most common form of academic argument used.
Below is a generic sample outline for a position paper:
? Introduction: Introduce the topic; provide background on the topic; assert the thesis (your view of the issue).
? Counter Argument: Summarize the counterclaims; provide supporting information for counterclaims; Refute the counterclaims; give evidence for argument.
? Your Argument: Give your opinion; provide support.
? Conclusion: Restate your argument; provide a plan of action.