Instructor:
Dr. Brian Casserly

Contact Information: bcasserl@u.washington.edu

Office Hours:
UW Tower, 21st Floor, Tuesdays, 10.30-11.30am; Thursdays, 11.30am-12.30pm; and by appointment

Class meeting times:
Monday and Wednesdays, 11.30am–1.20pm

Chinese immigrant Lee Wai She and children, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1913. 

National Archives and Records Administration-Pacific Region (San Francisco), Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service.  National Archives and Records Administration

Welcome to "Transnational Connections and Migrant Cities: A Global History of U.S. Immigration"! 

This class will examine the history of immigrant communities in the United States in a transnational context, focusing on how immigrants have transformed American cities into transnational spaces, on how immigrants have been shaped by American culture, and in turn, how the process of migration and connections to diaspora communities in the U.S. have influenced their nations of origin.  Our goal will be to help deepen our understandings of the complex processes and networks that have developed to link communities of migrants to their new homes in the U.S. and their places of origin, and how those processes influenced and shaped the cultures of both.  We will look at the international migrant experience – both those who came willingly to the U.S. and those who came under coercion.  We will take a historical approach, examining the history of immigration to U.S. cities over the past 200 years.  We will have four major areas or themes that we will examine over the course of the quarter:

1. We will look at the local and international forces that influenced how and why migrants left their nations of origin and came to a variety of American cities. 

2. We will also explore the reactions they faced from established residents in these cities, how immigrants established ethnic communities and how they were influenced by the experience of living in U.S. cities.  This will involve the exploration of examples such as Jewish, Scandinavian, Irish and Chinese immigration to cities like New York, Seattle, and San Francisco since the mid 1800s.

3. We will examine how migrants in turn helped to shape those urban areas and their societies and cultures in terms of everything from food, sports and music, to the economy and politics.  This helped to connect these cities to transnational developments and ideas and contributed to the creation of a unique American urban culture.  We will be looking at examples such as African slaves and their descendants in southern American cities, Eastern European Jewish immigrants in New York and Scandinavian and Asian migrants in Seattle.

4. In addition to the impact that immigrants have historically had on American cities, we will look at the other side of the immigrant experience – the transnational relationship that develops between international migrants to the United States and the places that those people have migrated from.  We will explore the creation of family and community of origin-based immigration networks between U.S. cities and immigrants' communities of origin in other nations.  We will be particularly interested in how the experience of living in U.S. urban areas has created opportunities for these transnational networks to shape their countries of origin.  For example, we will examine the development of important economic connections between immigrant communities and the places they came from.  We will explore how immigrants to the U.S. have become powerful forces for the transmission of American popular culture back to their nations of origin, contributing to the globalization of American cultural forms.  We will also investigate how migrant groups in the U.S. have provided important support for, or challenge to, existing political structures and forces in their countries of origin.  In addition, we will examine how U.S. immigrant groups and their economic, political and cultural influences have been welcomed (or not) in their places of origin.

Class time will be comprised of lecture, discussion, and occasional movies.  We will also have several fieldtrips to museums or areas of cultural significance to immigrant groups in the Seattle area, which will provide further opportunities for the exploration of the transnational nature of immigration to the U.S.

Hester Street, New York, 1903. 

National Archives and Records Administration, Records of the Public Housing Administration.

Students will read a selection of accounts of the immigration experience and their connection with their nations of origin by migrants themselves.  They will also read analyses of the importance of migration to shaping American culture and migrants' places of origin by scholars and other observers.  Readings will be available in the following sources:

• Jon Gjerde, Major Problems in American Immigration and Ethnic History (New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1998).  This is available in the University Bookstore.
• Online readings available via the class website or from electronic reserves at the UW Libraries.
• Various readings distributed in class.

Students will complete a number of assignments over the course of the quarter that are designed to further students' learning and understanding of the transnational context of migration to the U.S.  Students' grades in the class will be judged on the basis of the quality of their work in the following assignments:

Participation in class discussion and in-class work    20%
Weekly writing journal and/or quizzes (6)        30%
Midterm Exam                10%
Final Exam                 15%
Group research project and class presentation    25%

* Come to class and be on time.  Attend all classes and actively participate.  If you are absolutely unable to attend a class, make sure you obtain notes from a fellow student and make up all work covered during your absence.  If you are late in arriving to class please take your seat with a minimum of disruption to other students.
* Read all of the assigned readings when you are supposed to be reading them.  Take notes as you do your readings.
* Ask Questions!  Ask your instructor questions if you do not understand material covered in class or in the readings.
* Complete assignments and submit them on time - at the beginning of class on the due date.  Assignments and their due dates are noted in the course schedule.  Late assignments will be penalized.  
* I expect everyone to behave with courtesy and respect toward your fellow students and myself.  That means no private conversations, texting, reading unrelated material or disruptive behavior in class.  All cellphones, ipods, and other unapproved electronic devices should be turned off during class times.  Laptop computers may be used for class work only.  
* Active participation in discussion sections means that sometimes there will be strong disagreement over issues and interpretations.  I encourage you to challenge the ideas you hear in class, in the readings, and from other students.  When challenging others' ideas please do so in a respectful and courteous manner.  Keep your comments to the issues and the evidence NOT the person!
* Keep copies of all graded exams and papers returned to you.
* Take your exams at the appointed time.  There will be no make-up exams except in cases of documented emergency.
* Hand in your own work.  Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated.  This includes cheating, copying and plagiarism (see the explanation of plagiarism later in this syllabus).

Plagiarism is the use of ideas or material that is not your own without giving credit to the original author.  In effect, you are stealing other people's ideas and presenting them as your own.  One example might be copying material directly from a book or an online source without placing the copied material in quotation marks and without providing a reference to the original author.  A second example would be putting an author's ideas into your own words and failing to provide a citation indicating who the author is, etc.  I will not tolerate plagiarism and I will investigate suspected cases.  In the event that I find instances of plagiarism I will report the student to the university authorities for disciplinary action.  At minimum, the student will receive a failing grade on the assignment.  I also reserve the right to give students guilty of plagiarism or cheating a failing grade for the class as a whole.  All ideas and material that are not your own should be cited using a consistent citation format.  If you have concerns or questions about what constitutes plagiarism, please contact me.

In the context of exams cheating involves the use of unauthorized notes or other resources (eg. cellphones, Blackberries, etc), copying from other students, the use of a surrogate exam taker, etc.  Like plagiarism, I will not tolerate cheating on exams and students found cheating will be reported to the university authorities and will, at minimum, receive a failing grade on the exam.

The bottom line: ALL work submitted for the class must be your work only.

If any student needs to have a disability accommodation for this class please contact Disability Resource Center as soon as possible.  You will need to complete the relevant college forms and present them to me within the first two weeks of the quarter.  Similarly, students who are representing the college in official sporting events must complete the required forms if they will be missing class.  No accommodations will be made without the proper documentation.

The class meets on Mondays and Wednesdays, unless otherwise noted on the schedule.  The reading assignments should be completed by the Wednesday of each week unless otherwise indicated.  



Week 1:  September 30

Introduction, overview of the history of migration to the U.S., the global context of early immigration, points of origin, push and pull factors


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Week 2:  October 5 & 7

Development of American cities; early immigration and cultural impact on cities, international contexts of immigration

Reading: Major Problems in American Immigration and Ethnic History, 45-67

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Week 3: October 12 & 14

Shaping immigrant communities – patterns of immigration, different cultures of origin,

Reading: Major Problems in American Immigration and Ethnic History, 102-110, 112-123


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Week 4: October 19 & 21

Migration and cultural impact on American cities and immigrant communities, reaction to immigration, migration networks
 
Reading: Major Problems in American Immigration and Ethnic History, 111-112, 140-144, 149-151, 170-185, 195-203, 316-320



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Week 5: October 26 & 28

Migration and cultural impact on American cities and immigrant communities – work and economic opportunities

Reading for MONDAY: Major Problems in American Immigration and Ethnic History, 204-211, 219-229, 323-332, 353-356


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Week 6: November 2 & 4

Midterm Exam on Monday, November 2

Migration and cultural impact on American cities and immigrant communities – culture, families and gender relations

Reading: Major Problems in American Immigration and Ethnic History, 238-271, 463-465

Field Trip to Nordic Heritage Museum, Friday, November 6

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Week 7: November 9 – No class on Wednesday because of Veterans' Day holiday
Immigrants and their countries of origin – economic influences

Reading for MONDAY: Major Problems in American Immigration and Ethnic History, 360-379

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Week 8: November 16 & 18

Immigrants and their countries of origin – economic and cultural influences

Reading: To be arranged

Field Trip to Wing Luke Asian Museum, Friday, November 20

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Week 9: November 23 & 25

Immigrants and their countries of origin – political influences

Reading: Ely M. Janis, "Petticoat Revolutionaries: Gender, Ethnic Nationalism, and the Irish Ladies' Land League in the United States," Journal of American Ethnic History, 27:2 (Winter 2008)…available via electronic reserves from the UW Libraries


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Week 10: November 30 & December 2

Class presentations of research projects

Reading: TBA


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Week 11: December 7 & 9

Class presentations, Conclusion

No reading assignments for this week


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Week 12: December 14

Final exam

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I reserve the right to make changes to this website or any aspect of the course as I may see fit over the course of the quarter. It is each student's responsibility to regularly check the schedule and assignments pages and their e-mail for possible changes. This site and its contents (with the exception of material owned by other copyright holders) is copyrighted by Dr. Brian Casserly and should not be used without permission.