At 2:30: Meet on Zoom for an introduction to the class then stay on while you complete the tasks below. If you have any questions along the way, put them in the Zoom chat and I’ll assist.

Create: A blog using Blogs@Baruch. Login using the same login you would use at the Baruch Library or to log into a campus computer and click “create new site.”

• The “site address” and “site title” can be whatever you like but must include your first and last name.
• Choose “Visible only to registered users of this network,” then click “create site.”
• Find an image online, in your home, or on your camera roll that represents migration to you and that you don’t mind sharing. This will be your blog’s header image. Some questions to consider as you search for an image are: Is migration a crisis or a natural phenomenon? Is there more beauty or pain in my perceptions of migration?
• At the top of your blog, click “customize” at the top then “header image.” Add the image you found.
• At the top of your blog, click “+New” then “Post” And create a new post titled “About my header image.” Write a few sentences about why you chose this image, giving credit to the creator of the image if it does not belong to you. (Note: if your whole image doesn’t fit into the header, you’re welcome to include in this post a more complete version of the image in your blog post itself—see here for directions). After you are finished writing your post, click “publish” on the right hand side of the page.”
• Feel free to customize your site as much as you’d like using the “customize” button to change the look, colors, and layout of your blog.

Add yourself: to our WhatsApp group and send a message to the group briefly introducing yourself. Include the link to your blog in this message.

Complete: Introductory Survey (if you haven’t already)

Once you have completed the tasks above: drop a note in our Zoom chat to let me know and then wait for my reply confirmation that everything looks good before you sign off (please be patient if several students write in at once).

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Read: Howard Zinn, A People’s History of the United States, Chapter 1 (11 pp)

Read: Scott Foresman, Pearson social studies textbook excerpt (5 pp)

Listen: “The Movement for Indigenous People’s Day,” National Public Radio (28 min)

Notes Prompt: (for a reminder of the instructions for notes posts, see the “Requirements” page of this blog) Compare and contrast the ways the two readings above describe and memorialize the character of Christopher Columbus. What values does this character exhibit in the readings? What language (adjectives, verbs) in these readings might sway a reader’s interpretation of Columbus’ actions in some way? After listening to the podcast, reflect on what is more important to celebrate on Oct 12 this year—Columbus’ voyage, or indigenous people. If your last name begins with A-L, prepare a few arguments in favor of Columbus day. If your last name begins with M-Z, prepare a few arguments in favor of Indigenous People’s Day. Feel free to borrow these arguments from the two sides presented in the podcast. It’s okay if you disagree with the arguments you prepare.

At 2:30: Meet on Zoom – in class debate

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 Listen: This American Life Podcast “The Out Crowd” (66 min)

Notes Prompt: What parts of this podcast surprised you or will stick in your memory? Knowing that the majority of their listeners do not speak Spanish, why does This American Life still take the time for listeners to hear the participants speak in Spanish before interpreting their words into English? Why do you think this podcast won the first ever Pulitzer Prize awarded to a podcast?

At 2:30: Visit our class Blackboard page and click “Course documents.” Take the quiz called “The Out Crowd Podcast quiz.” Completing this 4-question quiz satisfies your attendance points for this week and helps me ensure your understanding of a few key points from the podcast. There will be no Zoom meeting this week.

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Read: Sonja Foss, “Narrative Criticism” (9 pp); Narrative Analysis Guidelines (2 pp)

Skim: an example narrative analysis from a former Baruch student (10 pages)

Notes Prompt: What are a few examples of an recent artifact related to migration that you could conduct a narrative analysis of? After listing a few examples,  choose one of the artifacts available here, and answer some of the questions in the narrative analysis guidelines about it (e.g. “What problem is the artifact identifying?”; “Who are the main characters in the narrative?”).

At 2:30: Meet on Zoom for a video call

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Read: Parag Khanna and Kailash Prasad, “How Coronavirus Could Make People Move,” Politico

Charlotte Arnold, “The Importance of Effective Communication While Working from Home” Platform Magazine

Watch: World Economic Forum, “Shutdown of Border Leaves Migrants in Limbo” (5 min)

Notes Prompt: The virus has caused and is continuing to cause all kinds of temporary and potentially permanent migrations, e.g. from cities to more rural areas and from work outside the home to working from home. It has also prohibited much migration, from study abroad and vacation to asylum seeking. What are the benefits and disadvantages of how your daily migration patterns have changed since March? Reflect on how your orientation to your home may have changed. What new patterns have emerged? What skills have you developed? How has being restricted to digital interactions with your friends, co-workers, and classmates caused challenges, and how might you overcome them?

At 2:30: Visit the blog of one of your classmates using the list of student blogs. Read the blog post they wrote about this week’s topic. Click “reply” and post a response to what they wrote. In your reply, (1) paraphrase how this classmate described the communicative challenges of being restricted to digital modes of communication during COVID. (2) Then, using what this classmate wrote, what you read/watched for this week, and your own experience, make one prediction about one  communication-related change COVID has caused that you believe will remain in place even after the virus stops spreading. Try to think of something others might not think of (i.e. not just that more people will work from home and have meetings via televideo). There will be no Zoom meeting this week.

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 Watch: Immigration Nation Episode 1: Installing Fear (available on Netflix; 61 min); & Immigration and Customs Enforcement Video “Think you know ICE?” (2 min)

Notes Prompt: Both of the videos you watched for today portray the work of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), one in a more favorable light than the other. Compare and contrast the representations of ICE in both of this week’s videos by showing how aspects of the videos’ production (i.e. lighting, editing, narration, music, etc.) affect how the audience sees ICE. Please be as specific as possible, using examples from the films to support your analysis.

At 2:30: Meet on Zoom for a video call

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Listen: “A House Divided by Immigration Status,” National Public Radio (17 min)

Watch: Caitlin Dickerson, “Baby Constantin,” New York Times (25 min)

Read: Former First Lady Laura Bush, “Separating Children…Breaks My Heart”

Notes Prompt: Think about your family’s migration history—how is this story preserved and passed down in your family, and what parts are left out? Family separation at the border received an incredible amount of public attention in the U.S. and around the world. Consider Laura Bush’s op-ed as a narrative artifact, and answer these questions from the narrative analysis guidelines: What does the story reveal about the culture in which it appears? Does the narrative embody and advocate any values? In “Baby Constantin,” Caitlin Dickerson uses the story of a single child to reveal a much larger narrative. How effective is this narrative approach, in your opinion?

Thursday 10/8: To earn attendance credit for this week, you should choose the artifact you’re thinking of analyzing for the final project. Then, sign up for one of the 15-minute time slots on Thursday Oct 8 here. Be prepared to share your screen for a minute or two to show your artifact and tell us why it’s important. Then you’ll have a chance to offer a little feedback on others’ artifacts. (we’ll meet in small groups of three). We’ll have these small group quick meetings on Thursday on Zoom using our regular link; you don’t need to have your video on. 

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Read: Sarah Bishop, “An International Analysis of Governmental Media Campaigns to Deter Asylum Seekers” (click “PDF,” 22 pp)

Watch: Australian Government Video, “No Way” (2 min); Stricter Asylum Regulations in Norway (1 min); Gil Kerlikowski discussing the “Know the Facts” campaign (3 min)

Notes Prompt: Professor Bishop’s article analyzes a few aspects of the deterrence campaigns. What would you add to her narrative analysis after reviewing the campaign materials yourself?

At 2:30 (or before): Complete this mid-semester 4-question survey. There will be no group Zoom meeting this week. Remember, final project proposals are due next week! See the “Requirements” page for details.

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Read: UNHCR “1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees” (read pp 1-5, 13-19)

Watch: Define American “Words Matter” (1 min) and read the fact sheet linked at the bottom of the site (1 pg)

Read: Tal Kopan, “Justice Department: Use ‘illegal aliens,’ not ‘undocumented’” CNN (1 pg)

Notes Prompt: How are refugees defined in the 1951 Convention, and who is not included in this definition? Can you think of any instances where migrants were called “refugees” in media or government rhetoric, even though they do not fit the UN’s definition? What is the effect of this naming? What reasons does Define American give for avoiding the use of the words “illegal immigrant,” and why do you think the DOJ encouraged the use of these words?

At 2:30 Thursday: Meet on Zoom for a live class.

*DUE* Final Project Proposals

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 Watch: The third presidential debate (Oct 22 at 9pm EST – you can find it online if you’re not able to watch live)

Notes Prompt:  You’ve all been working hard and deserve a week off from notes! Instead of posting notes for this week, just send a short message to the WhatsApp group that answers one of the questions below (send it any time before 2:30 on Thursday). As you watch the debate, listen for instances of the candidates talking about migration—across international borders, from U.S. cities to U.S. rural areas, etc. Analyze the language used in these mentions. What does the language reveal and conceal? Whose stories does it tell and whose does it leave out? Do these mentions of migration embody or advocate any values? Note: if migration does not appear in the Oct 22 debate, watch one of the previous two presidential debates/town halls (from Sept 29 or Oct 15) and answer the questions above.

At 2:30: Meet on Zoom for a live class. We’ll be hosting guest speaker Jessica Wagner.

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 Watch: “Chef’s Table: Christina Martinez” (available on Netflix)

Read: The Immigrant Income Gap, Harvard Business Review

Listen: “Immigrating While Queer,” The Public Radio’s Podcast (20 min)

Watch: “Undocumented and Black in America,” Define American (4 min)

Notes Prompt: How does the episode of Chef’s Table use food to tell a story of migration? What aspects of Martinez’s identity are presented in this episode of Chef’s Table, and how do they intersect with one another? What is does it mean to take an intersectional approach to understanding migration experiences, and how do the other materials illuminate this kind of approach? How might the experience of being undocumented be different for someone who benefits from white privilege in contrast to an undocumented person who is black?

There is no Thursday class meeting this week.

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Listen: Introduction to “American Land” (40 sec); Bruce Springsteen, American Land (4 min; annotated lyrics here); Moxie Raia and Wyclef Jean “Follow me” (3 min; lyrics here).

Read: YBCA Zine about Favianna Rodriguez (1 pg) and look through some of Favianna’s art.

Notes Prompt: Compare and contrast the two songs above. What stories do they tell about why people migrate? What problems do the songs identify, and/or what assumptions do they make about migrants? Why is it important to Favianna Rodriguez that immigrants tell their own stories, and what are the strengths and limitations of art for communicating those stories?

At 2:30 Thursday: Meet on Zoom for class

*DUE* Final Paper (optional extension granted until Sunday, Nov 15 at midnight) Please post your paper as a Microsoft Word attachment on our Blackboard discussion board, not on your blog.

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Interact with and Read: Abrahm Lustgarten, “The Great Climate Migration” New York Times Magazine (if you prefer to listen instead, there is a link to audio in the article)

Notes Prompt:  This reporting is an example of data journalism, or reporting that uses data to investigate issues. The author sets out to “model, for the first time, how people will move across borders.” What does the model predict? Using examples from the article, share whether you believe that the most compelling way to tell the story of climate migration is through individual, human narratives or through macro-level data-based models? Why do the authors refer to the individuals in this story as “migrants” instead of “refugees”?

At 2:30: TBD

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Watch or Read: Vice President Pence’s remarks at a naturalization ceremony July 2020 (11:45-23:30; transcript linked on the page)

Notes Prompt: Which migrants are eligible and ineligible to be naturalized into the USA? What do you notice about the way Pence describes the United States—its values, people, and characteristics? Do those descriptions match your own views of the USA? If not, how do they differ? What does citizenship mean to you?

At 2:30: TBD

*DUE* Peer Review

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*DUE by 2:30 Thursday* Final Paper Revisions and Presentations

Important: Upload your paper as a reply to your original thread on Blackboard. Your presentation should consist of a filmed 5-minute overview of your final paper using both audio and visuals (slides). Please submit your presentation by embedding a link to it in a blog post on your blog with the title entitled “Final project presentation.” We will watch your presentation during class. Your presentation should by practiced and polished, and should include a photo of your artifact, a description of why it’s important, your research question, and an overview of your most interesting findings.

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