SEMESTER AT SEA COURSE SYLLABUS
University of Virginia, Academic Sponsor
Voyage: Fall 2015
Discipline: United States History
HIUS 2559: History of United States Immigration Law
Division: Lower Division
Faculty Name: Louise Harmon
Credit Hours: 3: Contact hours: 38
Course Description:
This course will study the history of voluntary and involuntary migration to the United States,
with an emphasis on the legal response regulating the influx of immigrants, including, among
others, the Naturalization Act of 1790, the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, legislation in the
1920s imposing national quotas, the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 giving
preference to those immigrants with U.S. relatives, amnesty legislation, the Immigration and
Nationality Act of 1990, the Real ID Act of 2005, and recent political efforts to overhaul our
immigration policies. The course will also survey the laws relating to the admission,
naturalization, removal of immigrants to the United States, and the legal issues concerning
refugees, asylum seekers, illegal immigrants and undocumented workers. The perspective will
be global; the course will examine the historical, social and political factors that affected the
arrival, settlement, growth and redistribution of African, Asian, European, Native American, and
Latino populations in the United States, and will explore a variety of cultural, demographic,
economic and legal issues that have arisen as a result of these waves of human migration.
Course Objectives:
1) To familiarize students with the history of immigration law in the United States,
starting with the late eighteenth century down to the present;
2) To give students an understanding of the primary legal sources for U.S. immigration
and naturalization law, the administrative structure of immigration law, and the
requirements for obtaining immigrant and nonimmigrant visas, for applying for
refugee or asylum status, and for applying for citizenship and naturalization status;
3) To have students see how U.S. immigration law has had an impact on world history,
and to see how world history has had an impact on U.S. immigration law;
4) To sensitize students to the current issues in immigration law, including how the
states, and the United States, are dealing with illegal immigration, undocumented
workers, and the concern for national security.
Required texts:
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Ethnic Americans: A History of Immigration (Fifth Edition), by Leonard Dinnerstein & David M.
Reiners (2009) (“Ethnic Americans”)
Published by Columbia University Press; ISBN # 978-0-231-14337
Major Problems in American Immigration and Ethnic History, Documents and Essays, edited
by Jon Gjerde (1998) 1 (“Gjerde”)
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company; ISBN # 0-395-81532-0
Guarding the Golden Door: American Immigration Policy and Immigrants Since 1882, by
Roger Daniels (2004) (“Golden Door”)
Published by Hill and Wang; ISBN-13 # 978-0809053445
Paper Families: Identity, Immigration Administration and Chinese Exclusion, by Estelle T.
Lau (2006) (“Paper Families”)
Published by Duke University Press: ISBN-13-978-0822337478
TOPICAL OUTLINE OF COURSE
Depart Southampton—September 13
A1—September 15: Unit One: Immigration from the Colonial Period to 1820/Introduction
Reading: Chapter 1 in Gjerde (pp.1-29): Approaches to American Immigration and
Ethnic History
--Immigration Portrayed as an Experience of Uprootedness, by Oscar Handlin
--Immigration Portrayed as an Experience of Transplantation, by John Bodnar
--The Problem of Assimilation in the United States, by John Higham
--The Invention of Ethnicity in the United States, by Cozen, Gerber, Morawska, Pozzetta,
and Vecoli
A2—September 17: Colonial Period/English Immigrants in America/Virginia,
Maryland and New England/Slavery and Immigrants from Africa
Reading:
Ethnic Americans, The Beginnings, 1942 to the 1820, pp. 4-22
A3—September 19: Colonial Period/English Immigrants in America/Virginia,
Maryland and New England/Slavery and Immigrants from Africa—continued
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This is the penultimate edition of the book, and I have decided not to make students buy the newer, more
expensive edition. The 1998 edition of Gjerde’s book is already quite rich, and contains primarily historical material
that has not changed much.
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Reading:
Part of Chapter 2 in Gjerde, pp. 30-40
--Strangers in the Realm: Migrants to British Colonial North America 1609-1775,
--Olaudah Equiano, an African, Recounts the Horror of Enslavement, 1750
--Gottlieb Mittelberger, a German, Describes the Difficulties of Immigration, 1750
--William Morley, an Indentured Servant, Explains the Condition of Labor in
Pennsylvania
Civitavecchia—September 21-24
Naples—September 25-26
A4—September 27:
Race in America
Colonial Period/Other Europeans in Colonial America/ Ethnicity of
Reading: Rest of Chapter 2 in Gjerde (pp. 40-67)
--Hugh Boulter Recounts the Discontent in Ireland that Resulted in Emigration, 1728
--Benjamin Franklin Advises Those Who Might Move to America, 1784
--William Byrd II, a Land Speculator, Promotes Immigration, 1736
--Creative Adaptations: Peoples and Cultures, by T.H. Breen
A5—September 29: Unit Two: The Century of Immigration, 1820 to 1924
The Century of Immigration (1820-1924)/Irish, Germans, and Scandinavians/The
Naturalization Act of 1790/The Alien Act of 1798
Reading: Ethnic Americans, An Expanding Population: Immigration from 1830 to
1890s, (first half of the chapter), pp. 23-40
Part of Chapter 3 in Gjerde, Nation and Citizenship in the Age of Revolution, 1750-1800,
pp. 69-80
--Benjamin Franklin Opposes the Migration of Non-English into the Colonies, 1755
--Daniel Dulany, a Jurist, Defends the Rights of Aliens in Maryland, 1758
--J. Hector St. John de Crevecoeur Celebrates the Possibilities of America for its
Immigrants, 1782
--The German Press in Philadelphia Defends the War for Independence, 1776
Istanbul—September 30-October 5
A6—October 7: The Century of Immigration (1820-1924)/Irish, Germans, and
Scandinavians/The Naturalization Act of 1790/The Alien Act of 1798, continued
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Reading:
Ethnic Americans, rest of chapter 2, pp. 40-55
Part of Chapter 3 in Gjerde, Nation and Citizenship in the Age of Revolution,
1750-1800, pp. 80-95
--Congress Establishes its Initial Policy on Naturalization, 1790
-- Congress Restricts the Rights of Aliens, 1798
--The Creation of Citizenship in the British American Colonies and Early United States, by
James H. Kettner
--The Creation of American Identity in the Late Eighteenth Century, by Arthur Mann
Piraeus—October 8-13
A7—October 15: The Century of Immigration continued
November 4th)
(First paper assigned; due on A-11,
Reading: Part of Chapter 4 in Gjerde, European Migration and the Radical Attempt to
Conserve, 1830-1880, pp. 96-132
--Gottfried Duden, a German, Assesses the Possibilities for Immigrants to Missouri, 1827
--Svein Nilsson Chronicles Norwegian American Immigration to Wisconsin, 1868
--Robert Whyte Explains the Irish Migration Following the Potatoe Famine, 1847
--James Burn Describes Irish and German Immigration in New York City, 1850
--Swedish Women and Men Observe the “Freedom” and Opportunity in America,
1841-1848
--A German American Family Changes its Assessment of American Life, 1850-1883
--Irish Immigrants who Perceive America as Exile, by Kerby A. Miller
--German Catholic Immigrants Who Make Their Own America, by Kathleen Neils Conzen
A8—October 17: The Century of Immigration continued
Reading: Part of Chapter 3, Ethnic Americans, A New Wave of Immigrants, 1890s-1920s,
pp. 56-76
Barcelona—October 18-23
A9—October 25:
The Century of Immigration continued
Reading: Rest of Chapter 3, Ethnic Americans, pp. 76-88
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Casablanca—October 26-31
A10—November 2:
The Century of Immigration continued
Reading: Part of Chapter 5 of Gjerde, Nativism and Becoming American at Midcentry,
1830-1860, pp. 133-151
--Lyman Beecher Warns About Immigrants Flooding into the American West, 1835
--Samuel B. Morse Enumerates the “Dangers” of the Roman Catholic Immigrant, 1835
--Maria Monk, a Supposed Escaped Nun, Recounts the Perils of the Convent, 1835
--Frederick Saunders, a Nativist, Considers the Dangers of Immigration to the Republic,
1856
--Thomas Whitney, an Anti-Catholic, Compares “Romanism” and “Republicanism,” 1856
--The Know Nothings, “The American Party,” Defend Their Political Movement, 1855
A11—November 4: The Century of Immigration continued
(Paper # 1 is due in class)
Reading: Rest of Chapter 5 of Gjerde, Nativism and Becoming American at Midcentry,
1830-1860, pp. 151-169
--Walt Whitman Celebrates the Diversity in the United States, 1855
--Tyler Anbinder, The Ideology of the Know Nothing Party
--Dale Knobel, The Relationship between the Portrayal of Irish Americans and Citizenship
at Midcentury
Part One of Chapter 6, Gjerde, Emigration and Return: Migration
Patterns in the Industrial Age, 1850-1920, pp. 174-195
--Immigrants Recall Their Life in Eastern Europe and Their Immigration,
1915-1923
--A Slovenian Recounts Varying Assessments of America Made by
Return Immigrants, 1909
--Mary Antin, A Russian Woman, Encounters Anti-Semitic Violence and
Flees Russia, 1912
--The Relationship Between American Money and Italian Land in
Stimulating Return Migration, by Dino Cinel
Study Day—November 6
A12—November 7:
The Century of Immigration/The Chinese Exclusion Act continued
Reading: Part of Chapter 4, Ethnic Americans, Ethnic Conflict and Immigration
Restriction, pp. 89-94
Golden Door, Chapter 1, The Beginnings of Immigration Restriction, 1882-1917, pp.
3-26
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A13—November 9: The Century of Immigration/The Chinese Exclusion Act continued
Reading: Parts of Chapter 6 of Gjerde, Emigration and Return: Migration Patterns in the
Industrial Age, 1850-1920, pp. 170-203 and pp. 195-203; Parts of Chapter 7 of Gjerde,
Industrial Immigrants in the City and the Countryside, pp. 213-216; 229-237
--Lee Chew, a Chinese Immigrant, Describes Life in the United States and Denounces
Anti-Chinese Prejudice, 1882
--The Chinese Migration to the United States in the Context of the Larger Chinese
Diaspora, by Sucheng Chan
--Three Chinese Americans Recall Life and Labor in their Ethnic
Community, 1877-1917
--The Interactions of Race and Class in Agricultural Labor, by Tomas
Almaguer
--Part of Chapter 9 of Gjerde, Racialization of Immigrants,
1880-1930, pp. 271-281
--Samuel Gompers Racializes Chinese American Labor, 1908
--The Asiatic Exclusion League Argues That Asians Cannot Be
Assimilated, 1911
A14— November 11 The Century of Immigration/The Chinese Exclusion Act continue, First
multiple choice quiz in class
Reading:
Chapters 1-2, Paper Families, pp. 1-32
Salvador—November 12-17
A15—November 19: The Century of Immigration/The Chinese Exclusion Act/the Federalization
of Immigration Law (Second paper assigned; due on A-19, November 30th)
Reading: Chapter 3 and 4, Paper Families, pp. 33-113
Separate Lives, Broken Dreams in class)
(We will be watching the film,
A16—November 21;Unit Three: Anti-Immigrant Sentiment and the Quota Laws, 1921 and
1924
Reading: Rest of Chapter 4 in Ethnic Americans, pp. 94-114
Part of Chapter 9 of Gjerde, pp. 285-306
--Congressman John Box Objects to Mexican Immigrants, 1928
--Third v. United States: The United States Supreme Court Clarifies the
Meaning of “White,” 1923
--The Evolution of Thought on Race and the Development of Scientific
Racism, by John Higham
--The Evolution of Legal Constructions of Race and“Whiteness,” by Ian
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Haney-Lopez
Study Day—November 23
A17—November 24: Anti-Immigrant Sentiment and the Quota Laws cont.
Reading: Golden Door, Chapter Two: The 1920s: The Triumph of Old Nativism
pp. 27-58
Part of Chapter 10 of Gjerde, Responses to Immigration: Exclusion,
Restriction, and Americanization, 1880-1924, pp. 306-332
--Josiah Strong, a Protestant Clergyman, Considers the “Perils” of
Immigration, 1885
--The Immigration Restriction League Outlines the “Immigration Problem,”
1884
--A German American Attacks “False Americanism,” 1889
--A Jewish American Playwright Celebrates the American ‘Melting Pot,”
1909
--Randolph Bourne Promotes Cultural Pluralism, 1916
--The Governor of Iowa Proclaims English the State’s Official Language,
1918
--Efforts at Americanization in the Industrial Workplace, 1914-1921
A18—November 26:
1924-1945
pp. 58-97
Unit Four: Migration in Prosperity, Depression,and post-World War II,
Reading: Golden Door, Chapter 3, No New Deal for Immigration,
(We will be watching the film Forgotten Ellis Island in class)
Port of Spain—November 27-28
A19—November 30: Post World War II—Admitting Displaced Persons/The
Door Opens Again (Second paper due in class)
Reading:
Golden Door, Chapter 4, Admitting Displaced Persons, 1946-1950, pp. 98-128
Ethnic Americans, part of Chapter 5: The Door Opens Again, pp. 115-133
Study Day—December 2
A20—December 3: Post World War II/The The Door Opens
Again/Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 (We will be watching the
documentary Which Way Home in class)
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Readings:
Ethnic Americans, rest of Chapter 5, pp. 133-176
Golden Door, Chapter 7, Lyndon Johnson and the End of the Quota System, pp. 129-144
A21—December 5:
Unit 6: Recent trends in immigration
Readings: Golden Door, Chapter 9, Immigrants from Other Worlds:Latinos, pp. 175-189;
Ethnic Americans, Chapter 7, Confronting Immigration, pp. 176-193
Puntarenas—December 6-11
A22—December 13: Recent trends in immigration/Refugees/Asylum continued
Readings:
Part of Chapter 14, Gjerde, Immigration Transforms America, 1965 to Present, pp.
450-465
--A Caribbean American Observes Life in New York City, 1971-1
--Santiago Maldonado, a Mexican American, Details the Lives of Undocumented
Immigrants in Texas, 1994
--A Cuban Flees to the United States, 1970
--A Hmong’s Story of Escape from Laos, 1975
--Valerie Corpos, a Skilled Filipina America, Reflects on the Advantages and
Disadvantages of Life in the United States, 1979
--A Korean American’s Bitter Life in the United States, 1984-1992
--A Vietnamese American Considering Changing Relations Between Parents and Children
in the United States, 1978-1984
A23—December 15: Recent trends in immigration/Refugees/Asylum continued
Reading: Golden Door, Chapter 10, Refugees and Human Rights, Cubans, South East
Asians and Others, pp. 190-218 (We will be watching the film Sentenced Home in class)
Study Day—December 17
A24—December 18; A-Day Finals
(Second multiple choice quiz to be taken in class)
Arrive San Diego—December 21
FIELD WORK
Field lab attendance is mandatory for all students enrolled in this course. Do not book individual
travel plans or a Semester at Sea sponsored trip on the day of your field lab.
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FIELD LAB (At least 20 percent of the contact hours for each course, to be led by the instructor.)
(The Field Lab will be one of the following two proposals)
Proposal # 1: United States Consulate Visit/Museum of Moroccan Judaism (Casablanca)
We will start our field lab with a visit to the Museum of Moroccan Judaism. In the course, we
will be studying various waves of Jewish immigration to the United States, including during the
late nineteenth and early twentieth century, and then before and after World War II. We will
be exploring the “push” and “pull” factors of the Jewish immigration to the United States. The
Museum of Moroccan Judaism will give students an opportunity to study another center of
Jewish life. In the 1940s, there were approximately a quarter of a million Jews living in
Morocco; now only about 3,000 remain, mostly in Casablanca. (The majority of them have
moved to France or Israel.)
This is the only museum of Judaism in the Arab world, and
students will learn how Jews have preserved their culture and traditions no matter where they
are, regardless of their pattern of migration. After lunch, we will visit the Citizen Services at
the United States Consulate in Casablanca. During the first part of the course we are going to
develop the concept of national sovereignty and citizenship---integral to understanding any
system of immigration. The United States Consulate is a perfect place for students to
appreciate what it means to be a U.S. citizen abroad---and what it does not. At the Consulate,
students will learn about all the services available to United States citizens who are in Morocco.
What happens when a baby is born in Morocco of U.S. parents? How do passports get
renewed? What happens when a United States citizen dies, or is arrested in Morocco? How
are visas processed by the Consulate? What criteria are applied in deciding which Moroccans
may visit the United States?
Academic Objectives
1.
To allow students to learn about how Jewish culture and traditions are preserved, no
matter where Jews migrate, and to understand more about the Jewish diaspora;
2. To introduce students to the services available to United States citizens abroad, and to
learn the limitations of those services;
3. To have students learn more about the visa granting process, and the criteria by which
Moroccans are selected to travel to the United States;
4. To have students gain knowledge about the United States Foreign Service in general,
and to have an opportunity to discuss careers in the foreign service
Proposal # 2: The traditions of the African Diaspora (Salvador)
In our course, we are not only going to study the history of voluntary immigrants to the United
States, but also the history of the African Atlantic slave trade with its involuntary migrants from
West Africa. Brazil was the last country in the western world to abolish chattel slavery in
1888, and over 4 million Africans were brought to Brazil, comprising about 40% of the slaves
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brought to the Americas. Candomble is an Afro-Brazilian religion based primarily on the beliefs
of the Yoruba and the other peoples of West Africa. We will visit two Candomble Terriores
and have local priestesses serve as our guides who will introduce the history, beliefs, traditions
and significance of the communities of Candomble. We will see how even involuntary
migrants bring their religions and traditions with them, and manage to preserve and perpetuate
their culture. We will also visit the Afro-Brazilian Museum where there is an exhibit of
Candomble, and Carybe’s statues of African gods called Orishas. As a contrast, we will step
into the Sao Francisco Church, and also visit the Pelourinho Square where slaves were sold and
tortured. This visit will give students an insight into the cruelty of the Atlantic slave trade, as
well as into the resilience of migrant communities, even those who came to a new country
under duress.
Academic objectives:
1. To educate students about the history of the slave trade from West Africa, and its
impact on the forced migration of Africans to the Caribbean and to the Americas;
2. To have students learn about the perpetuation and preservation of culture by even
involuntary migrants as they came to the new world;
3. To have students think about the different impact that the slave trade had on Brazil as
compared to the United States;
4. To have students ponder how the label of “immigrant” permitted the assimilation of
some ethnic groups into the American mainstream, and how its denial to others might
not have---and how does that same question play out in Brazil?
Methods of Assessment/Grading Rubric
The student will be required to take two take-home essays, two multiple choice quizzes, and
one reflective journal on the Field Lab in ________. Each essay and quiz will test for knowledge
of the readings, lectures and class discussions. Each take-home essay will consist of a 7-9 page
essay about an assigned topic. (You will have at least seven days at sea to complete each
take-home essay. It will be typewritten, double-spaced, with 12 pt. font and one inch margins.)
See the schedule below. Unexcused late assignments will have points deducted from the grade;
only extenuating circumstances will justify turning in a late paper. Rules concerning plagiarism
apply. Both of the multiple choice quizzes will be held in class.
As a third writing assignment, each student must write a reflective journal on the Field Lab in
____; it will be from 4-6 pages (typewritten; double-spaced; 12 pt. font, one inch margins). In
addition, before students disperse at each port, they will be asked to perform assigned
“research” tasks, e.g., talk to someone and inquire about whether anyone in his family is an
immigrant; talk to someone who has tried to get a visa to visit the United States; talk to
someone from the ship you have never met before about their family’s immigration history,
etc.. After each port, students will be asked to report orally on their in-port research. This will
not be a graded exercise, but all students are expected to participate.
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Each take-home essay will count for 25% of your grade, for a total of 50%. The two multiple choice
exams will each count for 15% of your grade, for a total of 30%, and your reflective journal on the
required Field Lab will count for 20% of your grade.
Here is the schedule for your essays and multiple choice portions:
Take-Home Essay # 1—Will be assigned on A-7 October 15th, and will be due on A-11th,
November 4th.
First Multiple Choice quiz:
A-14, November 11th
Take-Home Essay # 2---Will be assigned on A-15, November 19, and will be due of A-19,
November 30th
Second Multiple Choice quiz:
A-24, December 18
Reflective Journal on the Field Lab: _________ (One week after the Field Lab in _______)
Your writing assignments will be evaluated on the basis of two criteria: Form and Content.
Matters of form include grammar, spelling, punctuation, clarity and organization. Matters of
content include understanding of the material, use of texts to support positions, thoroughness,
originality, and overall quality of thought.
Additional Resources:
DVDs (to be provided by the instructor and shown in class):
Separate Lives, Broken Dreams (1994) (Library has copy)
Sentenced Home (2008) (Professor has copy)
Which Way Home (2011) (Professor has copy)
Forgotten Ellis Island (2009) (Professor has copy)
HONOR CODE
Semester at Sea students enroll in an academic program administered by the University of
Virginia, and thus bind themselves to the University’s honor code. The code prohibits all acts of
lying, cheating, and stealing. Please consult the Voyager’s Handbook for further explanation of
what constitutes an honor offense.
Each written assignment for this course must be pledged by the student as follows: “On my honor
as a student, I pledge that I have neither given nor received aid on this assignment.” The pledge
must be signed, or, in the case of an electronic file, signed “[signed].”
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