HIST 230 : AMERICAN IMMIGRATION HISTORY (DR)

Watch a television news program or read a newspaper's opinion page, and it seems that someone will always be talking about immigration. Whether in favor of open borders or proposing to electrify the fence between the United States and Mexico, it seems that these debates are a major issue of our time. But the issue of immigration and the role of immigrants within the United States is not a new question: since 1790, the United States have decided who can and who can't (legally) immigrate to the United States. The goal of this course is to demonstrate the historic role of immigrants in the United States; to examine the hardships and prejudice they have faced; and to explore strategies for adapting and thriving in their adopted homeland. Throughout the course, we will focus on the intertwined relationships of law, race, gender, and prejudice in American immigration policy and practices.