Month: February 2016

The biography should be 3-4 pages or about 1000-1250 words. The biography should be in a narrative format with an intro, body, and conclusion, rather than an interview format (Q & A).

This biography of Sonia Sotomayor is a good example of a format for this short biography.

http://www.biography.com/people/sonia-sotomayor-453906

Here’s a biography of Junot Diaz that is in a journalistic style, that also incorporates his work and voice. It weaves the biographical information between mention of events (Pulitzer prize) and quotes (from fans and by Diaz).

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-wondrous-life-of-junot-diaz/

You will want to start with an overview which can be some basic biographical information or  a sentence or two that foreshadows themes that you will cover in the biography. Then, you should find an interesting way to divide the narrative into specific parts that are relevant to the topic of immigration. You should conclude with a brief statement that summarizes well the theme covered in the biography.

Your first required assignment is to interview and write a biography of an immigrant or the child of an immigrant.

You can interview friends, family, or Middlebury community members, and I would stick with people you are connected with for this particular assignment. This should not be about you, but it can be about someone who shares parts of your own migration history.

You should do some basic research on the migration histories of the group in which your subject hails. Initially, this may mean a quick Google search or a Wikipedia perusal. You will need to include one academic reference in your biography to offer context. You can speak to me or a librarian about finding an appropriate source (academic book published by an academic publisher, government data, library reference materials on population statistics, or peer-reviewed academic journal).

We will brainstorm good questions and trouble shoot issues.

You should complete your interview by next Tuesday and we will talk about writing the material into an effective biography next week.

Here are some great guides:

Smithsonian Oral History Guide

Oral History Association principles and best practices

Interview Tips for Undergraduates in Anthropology (UCSD Guide)

Please bring a copy of your graph to class on Thursday, February 18.

These two sites will have raw data that you can use:

http://www.dhs.gov/immigration-statistics

http://factfinder.census.gov/

Or you can do a google search and essentially copy the material off another graph or several graphs.

You can draw your graph or produce one easily using Excel or Google Sheets (please see a media tutor if you would like some help).

Please include a citation for your graph.

Simply photocopying the graph will not be enough. I want you to make or remake the graph yourself.

As you make choices about the graph, think about the primary message you want to convey through the graph. Why is this particular representation especially compelling? Why did you choose the particular style and format of graph? How does color or pattern change the effect?

“Graphical excellence is that which gives to the viewer the greatest number of ideas in the shortest time with the least ink in the smallest space.”
― Edward R. Tufte, The Visual Display of Quantitative Information

In this class, we will focus on immigration into the United States from the late 19^th century to the present. We will investigate political, economic, social, and cultural dimensions of migration through historically specific cases. Using texts from a number of disciplines, we will analyze important thematic and ideological continuities and contradictions.

We will investigate the changing economic, political, and legal dimensions of immigration. What is the relationship between the labor needs of the United States and immigration? What is the connection between imperialism and migration? Why does war and political violence spur migration? How do laws, policies, and institutions attempt to manage and regulate migration?

This class will also investigate the subjective experiences of immigration through fiction, ethnographies, and film. We will discuss themes such as assimilation, generational conflict, gender differences, transnationalism, nativism, and racialization. We will also discuss changing and contradictory attitudes toward migration over the last 150 years.