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Professor Pierrette Hondagneu-SoteloSpring 2011
Soc 356m
T-Th, 2-3:20 pm in KAP 166
Office Hours: Thursday 11am-1pm
Office: KAP 338A
SOC 356m: Mexican Immigrants in Sociological Perspective
Required Readings:
1. Beyond Smoke and Mirrors: Mexican Immigration in an Era of Economic Integration, Douglas Massey et. al.
2. Gendered Transitions: Mexican Experiences of Immigration, Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo
3. The Sexuality of Migration: Border Crossings and Mexican Immigrant Men, Lionel Cantu
4. Migration Miracle: Faith, Hope and Meaning on the Undocumented Journey, Jacqueline Hagan
5. Mexican Americans Across Generations: Immigrant Families, Racial Realities, Jessica Vasquez
You will also be required to read a series of articles that you will download from USC library electronic journals.
Course Themes
Mexican migration to the United States is the largest sustained flow of labor migration anywhere in the world, and in recent decades, the volume has increased. The Mexican-born population in the U.S. grew from less than one million in 1970 to more than 11 million in 2008. While migration has recently slowed, due to the economic crisis and declining birth rates in Mexico, Mexican immigrant communities in the U.S. are here to stay.
In this course, we will examine the diversity of Mexican immigration from macro, meso and micro levels of analysis. At the macro-level of political economy, we will examine how economic development strategies, and direct labor recruitment by employers and government have promoted Mexican immigration. At a meso or mid-range level of institutions, we will examine how social networks among Mexican labor migrants have given Mexican immigration its own particular momentum, one that sometimes runs counter to prevailing economic and political pressures, and we will examine Mexican immigrant social life. Last, but certainly not least, are the individual dreams, aspirations and urgencies that prompt people to pick up and leave behind everything and everyone they know in search of better life opportunities. In this class, we will try to understand how these three levels of analysis work together.
Los Angeles has its roots as a Mexican city, but as commentators have noted, it is more Mexican today than ever before. The 2010 census found that 48% of Los Angeles County’s population is Latino, with the majority tracing origins to Mexico. Los Angeles remains the undisputed Mexican capital outside of Mexico, but in recent years, Mexican immigrants have fanned out to just about every region of the United States; new Mexican immigrant communities have emerged in the Southeast, the Midwest, the Northwest, and even in New York City and Miami.
In this course, we’ll use the topic of Mexican immigration to explore issues of diversity and inequality in our society. In particular, we’ll explore issues of diversity as they relate to these categories of difference and inequality: race/ethnicity, gender, global inequality, sexuality, and citizenship. The course is organized so that it might illuminate answers to three broad questions:
*How do the above-mentioned categories of difference lead to inequality between Mexican immigrants and the U.S.-born population?
*How do these categories of difference shape views of Mexican immigration held by various sectors of society?
*How do these categories of differentiate Mexican immigrants and their experiences in the United States among themselves?
Course Requirements and Evaluation
I) Class Participation
a) Regular attendance, keeping up with the readings and active participation are the most important requirements in this class. Students must attend class, complete reading assignments on time, come to class prepared to discuss the readings on assigned seminar days, participate in discussion, and turn in all assignments by the due dates. We have the privilege of having an undergraduate seminar, so please come to class prepared to engage with the material. Make time in your daily schedule to complete readings and research assignments.
b)Keep up on the news.
Read a newspaper, and/or reputable on-line news sources. We are studying something that is very current in our society. Keep informed on what’s going on in Mexico City, Washington, Sacramento, Los Angeles or your own hometown with regards to Mexican immigration.
c) Take the reading seriously.
A note on the reading: yes, there is a lot of assigned reading in this class. If you aren’t able to schedule this reading load into your daily schedule this semester, you shouldn’t take this class. I’ve worked hard to prepare a detailed course syllabus, and most of the readings match up exactly to the topics we will be discussing on designated days. If students don’t do the reading, our collective course experience will suffer, and I may be forced to institute pop quizzes (which I don’t want to do). If you are willing to tackle this reading, I promise you this: you will learn a great deal about Mexican immigration, the society in which you live, and perhaps yourself.
II) Exams
There will be 2 exams based on the class material. They will consist of a combination of short answer and essay questions. If an emergency pops up and you cannot attend the scheduled exam, please let me know in advance. Otherwise, your grade will be 0.
III) Seminar Discussions
On the days indicated on the syllabus, classroom time will be devoted to discussions of particular readings. On days noted as “seminar discussions,” we will conduct the class much like a graduate seminar. On these days, the professor will begin the class with a mini-lecture offering information about the assigned reading—locating the text in the literature and scholarly debates—but class will be devoted to discussion of the reading assigned for that day. The professor will prepare a typed list of discussion questions (to be handed out at the previous class to each student) and students will be assigned to lead the discussion. A sign up sheet at the beginning of class will determine our schedule of discussion leaders. These discussions are intended to allow student participation, and to facilitate deeper understanding of the major debates in immigration scholarship today. You will be evaluated on the basis of your ability to lead and participate in discussion.
IV)4 Short Response Papers.
You will write four short papers (2-3 pages, double-spaced) based on your responses to questions on particular assigned readings; these papers will be due on February 7 and 21, April 3 and 24.
Please turn these in on time—that means at the beginning of class. There will be a 5 point penalty for each day your paper is late (each one is worth 50 points). Remember, always keep a hard copy of everything you hand in to me (or to any other instructor).
Study Evaluation
Midterm Exam25%
Final Exam25%
4 Short Papers (5% ea)20%
Course Participation10%
Seminar Discussion10%
Ground Rules
Please make an effort to arrive to class on time. Once you are in class, I don’t mind if you bring snacks or drinks for yourself (in fact, it’s great if you can share and bring them for the entire class!), but please refrain from exiting for vending machine, restroom or phone call breaks in the middle of class. Turn off cell phones in class. Please don’t read the Daily Trojan or other materials, including online on your laptop, in class while I’m lecturing, or while someone else is speaking. Make every effort to respect your classmates and show tolerance for views with which you disagree. If you need to leave early for an appointment, just let me know ahead of time, and sit near the door. If tragedy strikes, or you are just facing a difficult time in life, let me know. I’m able to respond more compassionately and generously to absences when I know what’s going on with a particular student. Finally, do the reading religiously and make every effort to really engage with it—don’t just memorize facts and dates, but really try to respond to what you are reading and share those responses in class.
Pedagogical Approach
I know a good deal about Mexican immigration, but I don’t pretend to know it all. I think of myself and this syllabus as a guide for your learning. I also know that each of you enters this class not as a blank slate, but as a person with book knowledge and situated knowledge based on your own life experiences. To the extent possible, I would like to draw on your own individual and collective situated experience, but this means that you must be willing to share it with us verbally, and to make connections with the material you will be exposed to through lectures, reading, discussion and videos.
Course Outline and Assignments
I) Introduction and Overview
Jan 10 TIntroduction to the course
Jan 12 ThWhat characterizes Mexican immigrants?
*Chapter 3 in Gendered Transitions
Jan 17 TGuest Lecture: Emir Estrada, PhD Candidate, Expanding Intersectionalities
*Estrada and Hondagneu-Sotelo (2011) “Intersectional Dignities: Latino Immigrant Street Vendor Youth in Los Angeles,” Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, 40: 102-131.
Jan 19 ThGuest Lecture: Professor Manuel Pastor
*Pastor et. al,“All Together Now?: African Americans, Immigrants and the Future of California,” download short version, and read pages 1-29
Jan 24 TTheories of Migration
*Chapters 1 & 2 in Beyond Smoke and Mirrors
Jan 26 ThHistorical Origins of Mexican Immigration to the US
*Chapter 2 in Gendered Transitions
*Chapter 3 in Beyond Smoke and Mirrors
Jan 31 TThe Bracero Program & Beyond
*Chapter 4 in Beyond Smoke and Mirrors
Feb 2 ThBraceros as Gendered Migrants
*Chapter 4 in Gendered Transitions
--in class, or at 5pm: Screening of documentary,
“Harvest of Loneliness”
Feb 7 TWomen, Children and the Bracero Program
*”Breaking the Silence: Mexican Children and Women’s Confrontation of Bracero Family Separation, 1942-1964”by Ana Elizabeth Rosas in Gender & History 23(2):382-400, 2011. Available as pdf from professor.
--Seminar Day: Discussion of Rosas’ article
Feb 9 Th Professor absent
Feb 14 TIRCA: Legalization and Employer Sanctions
*Chapter 5 in Beyond Smoke and Mirrors
Feb 16 ThMilitarization of the Border
*Chapter 6 in Beyond Smoke and Mirrors
Feb 21 TClass Discussion: What is the best policy solution?
*Chapter 7 in Beyond Smoke and Mirrors
--Seminar Day: Discussion of Massey et. al, and policy
Feb 23 ThTBA, and Midterm review
Feb 28 TMidterm
March 1 ThDocumentary: Crossing Arizona
(in class, or at 5pm)
March 6 TBorder Crossing with Faith
*Chapters 1 and 2 in Migration Miracle
March 8 ThMiracles in the Desert
*Chapters 3 and 4 in Migration Miracle
March 12-16Spring Break
March 20 TReligion vs. the State at the Border
*Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo, Genelle Gaudinez, Hector Lara and Billie C. Ortiz (2004), “’There’s a Spirit that Transcends the Border’: Faith, Ritual and Postnational Protest at the U.S.-Mexico Border,” Sociological Perspectives, 47(2):133-159.
March 22 ThDirty Work, or Tending to Life? Domesticas
*Chapter 6 in Gendered Transitions
*Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo and Ernestine Avila (1997), "'I'm Here, But I'm There': The Meanings of Latina Transnational Motherhood," Gender & Society, 11:548-571.
March 27 TMexican Immigrant Gardeners
*Hernan Ramirez and Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo (2009), “Mexican Immigrant Gardeners in Los Angeles: Entrepreneurs or ExploitedWorkers?” Social Problems 56(1):70-88.
March 29 Th Renegotiating Gendered Spousal Relations after Migration
*Chapter 5 in Gendered Transitions
April 3 TGay Mexican Immigrants
*Chapters 1 and 4 in The Sexuality of Migration
--Seminar Day: Discussion of Cantu readings
April 5 Th*Chapters 6 & 7 in The Sexuality of Migration
April 10 TSecond Generation Sexualities
*Gonzalez-Lopez, “Fathering Latina Sexualities: Mexican Men and the Virginity of their Daughters”Journal of Marriage and Family 66, 2oo4:1118-1130.
April 12 Th The Mexican American Middle Class
*Jody Aguis Vallejo, “The Mexican Origin Middle Class in LosAngeles”
and
*Chapters1&3in Mexican Americans Across Generations
April 17 TGuest Lecture: Jazmin Muro, PhD student
*Chapters 4 & 5 in Mexican Americans Across Generations
April 19 Th*Chapters 7 & 8 in Mexican Americans Across Generations
April 24 TThe Dreamers
*Roberto Gonzalez, “Learning to be Illegal: Undocumented Youth and Shifting Legal Contexts in the Transition to Adulthood,”American Sociological Review2011
--Seminar Day: Discussion of Gonzalez article
April 26 ThLast day of class. Potluck.
Final Exam: May 3, Thursday 2-4 pm