Section A12: Border Crossers: Immigrants, Nations and A Multicultural World
In the US, people tell jokes such as "Would the last American to leave (insert place name here) please turn out the lights?" Meanwhile, in Britain wags refer to their capital as "Londonistan." These indicate that immigration has become one of the most critical and controversial issues of the twenty-first century, particularly for societies that have recently received large numbers of migrants. This seminar offers a different perspective on immigration, particularly but not exclusively in the United States, where voters last year elected an immigrant's son to be their president. Through discussion of assigned books and films, we will examine the history and repercussions of Latin American, Asian and African migration to the US. We will deepen our understanding of immigration by exploring the impact of Arab and Pakistani immigration on western Europe as well as the impact that migration between Japan and Brazil has had on both nations.
(Michael Mezzano)