GE 281 - Race, Ethnicity and Immigration in America: A Geography of Social Injustice

1. Identify periods of immigration to the United States and source regions of immigrants during each of these periods. (GELO 5)
2. Compare and contrast the origins, diffusions, and spatial distributions of various ethnic groups in the U.S. (GELO 5)
3. Demonstrate an understanding of and articulate the formation of judgments about social, cultural, and economic traits associated with American ethnic groups and discern the process of assimilation. (GELO 4)
4. Demonstrate an understanding of the role of gender in immigration and among various ethnic groups.(GELO 4)
5. Demonstrate knowledge of  particular ethnic groups in specific regions in the U.S. (GELO 4)
6. Demonstrate the development of methodology that uses history and cultural geography as tools to reflect on and evaluate the human experience. (GELO 3)
7. Analyze and synthesize complex historical and geographical concepts in order to construct coherent and well-developed arguments. (GELO 3)
8. Develop an academic code of behavior that promotes critical thinking and an understanding of American diversity from the past to the present. (GELO 3)
9. Articulate a theoretical perspective guiding the collection, analysis, and interpretation of demographic data, which infer and illustrate various social phenomena that typify the distinctive racial, ethnic, and immigrant groups that have peopled North America. (GELO 4)
10. Comprehend how changing social conditions affect the behavior of individuals in different North American regions, especially with regard to the impact of immigration. (GELO 4)
11. Identify questions and hypotheses important to understanding unique social phenomena that characterize different ethnic and immigrant groups of people and the North American geographic regions they occupy. (GELO 3)
12. Apply social and human behavioral theory to understand the cultural perspectives of those that occupy different North American geographic regions, especially with regard to ethnicity, religion, and nationality. (GELO 3)
13. Clearly and completely state and describe a problem/issue.
14. Understand that there are different perspectives on community, national, and international issues. (GELO 5)

A. Perceptions of immigrants, immigrant views, and the peopling of the Americas

B. Ethnic clusters on the national scale

II. Overview: First Nations People

1. Population, Depopulation, and Displacement
2. Case Study: Native American Women

III. Overview: African Forced Migration

A. Slavery and its legacy

B. Population Patterns

C. Racism and its consequences

IV. Overview: European Immigration

1. Case Study: Irish
2. Case Study: Poles
3. Case Study: Germans
4. Case Study: Jews
5. Case Study: Italians

V:  Overview: 19th and 20th Century Immigration from Asia and Pacific Islands 

A. Case Study: Chinese

B. Case Study: Vietnamese 

VI. Overview: 19th and 20th Century Immigration from Latin America 

A. Case Study: Mexicans 

B. Case Study: Refugees from Latin America and victims of violence

VII. Refugees, children, and American perceptions:

A. Jewish children during the Holocaust

B. African refugees

C. Unaccompanied Latin American children in recent years

D. Syrian crisis

IX. Immigration and Immigrants Today

A. Immigration and Ethnicity in Grand Rapids

B. Immigrant Cultural Landscapes

C. Immigration Issues and pragmatic solutions

X. Racism, Xenophobia, and Social Injustice

A. Urban and Rural Political Perspectives

B. The Path Toward Social Justice

Lectures or Films: 30-40%

Asynchronous and/or Synchronous Discussion: 40-60%