Office Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays 11:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., and by appointment

Please Note: It is my pleasure to do what I can to help you meet your goals in this class. If you find yourself having trouble, please send me e-mail, use my office hours, or set up an appointment to see me.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course surveys the history of American immigration from the era of colonization to the present. We will investigate the process of immigration and adaptation to life in the United States, as well as reaction to immigrants by native-born Americans. We will consistently consider how immigrants fit within the larger framework of American identity and help define what it means to be “American.” In the process of our inquiries, we will learn much about the development of the American past, and we will hone our skills of critical thinking. Thus, this class will teach content (i.e., immigration history) and practice skills (i.e., the ability to analyze, think, and communicate critically).

REQUIRED BOOKS

· Jon Gjerde, Major Problems in American Immigration and Ethnic History

· Anzia Yezierska, Bread Givers

· Maxine Hong Kingston, China Men

· Ruben Martinez, Crossing Over: A Mexican Family on the Migrant Trail

ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADING

Major Project (25%) One of the most valuable things advanced undergraduates can do in a history class is an independent research project. It allows students to practice being historians and gives you a chance to study, in-depth, a topic of your own choosing. For this assignment, students will conduct a research project in immigration history based chiefly in primary sources (i.e., those documents produced at the time and by participants or observers). Topics must be approved by me. Your final paper will be approximately ten pages and consult at least five primary sources and three scholarly sources. Your main interpretations must be drawn from the primary sources.

Midterm Exams (2 * 15% = 30%) You will take two in-class midterm exams. These will include essay question(s) that will require you to integrate the readings you have done in the class, as well as lectures. It is possible there will be other aspects to the midterm (e.g., identification of key terms, events, laws, documents, etc.), but if so, I will announce them no later than a week before the exams.

Final Essay (25%) In lieu of a final exam, you will write a final essay (approximately eight to ten pages) that compares, contrasts, and synthesizes the immigrant experiences as presented by Yezierska, Kingston, and Martinez. This paper will test how well you integrate the knowledge from these books with the information provided in other readings, discussions, and lectures.

Preparedness, Quizzes, In-Class Assessments (20%): Just as you don’t get paid for your job just by showing up, you don’t get credit by just being in the classroom. I expect you to come to class ready to work. That means you will have read the assignment carefully and critically and will be prepared to offer your thoughts, ideas, and questions about the reading. Because my experience has taught me that many students will not do that without inducement, a significant part of your grade will be determined by your preparedness. This will be judged in several ways:

Participation will be evaluated by contributions to discussions, attendance, and in-class assignments, through general observations by professor and peers. Talking a lot is not necessarily a surefire way to get high grades here (although never speaking is not a positive alternative either). Good participation requires thoughtful listening, intelligent questioning, and careful responding.

Quizzes may be used to test student comprehension of reading material or lectures. They are likely to be unannounced. If you miss a quiz, you will not have the opportunity to make it up unless you made prior arrangements with me. If we have at least five quizzes, I will drop the lowest one; if we have at least eight, I will drop the lowest two.

Other work done in class may be collected; this may be individual or collaborative assignments and is likely not to be given a letter grade but a “meets / fails to meet / exceeds expectation” grade.

POLICIES

Late Work Policy: Your grade drops one full grade for each day your work is late. With legitimate, documented excuses or for absences arranged ahead of time, exceptions can be made.

Grade Challenges: I am willing to entertain grade challenges provided they are submitted in writing and that you wait 48 hours after the assignment is returned before you hand in your objection. You will then need to set up an appointment with me to discuss the assignment and grade. You must initiate this process within one week of the time the assignment was returned to the class.

Plagiarism: To plagiarize is to present someone else’s work as your own. To present someone else’s work as your own means to use someone else’s information, ideas, or writing without explicitly acknowledging with quotation marks and/or citations that the ideas and/or writing are not your own. You may be plagiarizing even if you are not directly quoting. Plagiarism is a serious offense and I will give a 0 to the first assignment in which a student plagiarizes. If a student plagiarizes again, I will fail that student in the course. If you have ANY questions or confusions about plagiarism, please let me know before you turn in your work. It is essential to be using others’ ideas and information; however, you just must provide credit where credit is due. You may find additional information about Academic Honesty (and dishonesty) as part of the Student Code of Conduct: (http://www.students.uidaho.edu/default.aspx?pid=56182).

Accommodations: Reasonable accommodations are available for students who have a documented disability. Please notify me during the first week of class of an accommodation(s) needed for the course. Late notification may mean that requested accommodations might not be available. All accommodations must be approved through Disability Support Services located in the Idaho Commons Building, Rm. 333, 885-7200, or dss@uidaho.edu.