Professor Weeks

Professor Weeks

Political Science 4600-001

Spring 2007

Office Hours: MW 10:45-11:45 (Fretwell 435N)

Website: http://www.politicalscience.uncc.edu/gbweeks

Senior Seminar:

The Politics of Latin American Immigration

Immigration from Latin America to the United States has become a critical issue for policy makers at all levels. It is a phenomenon that easily deteriorates into false assumption, myth, and stereotype. The purpose of this class is to separate myth from reality, and therefore to come away with a more nuanced empirical and theoretical understanding of such a critical issue.

Requirements

Since this is a seminar, it will not consist primarily of lectures. Instead, students will initiate discussion by analyzing each reading for the week. At the end of week 1, we will create a schedule detailing who will lead each week. The quality of these analyses, combined with class participation, will constitute 15% of your final grade.

The centerpiece of the course will be a 15 page term paper, which will be written in stages, each with a grade.

Two page paper topic with hypothesis, methods of measuring that hypothesis and a description of 5 sources (5% of final grade) DUE FEB 5
Complete rough draft of paper (10% of total grade) DUE APRIL 4
Final draft of paper (25% of final grade) DUE APRIL 30
Oral presentation of paper (5% of final grade)

Please turn all assignments in on time. There will be a penalty of 5 points (that is, a half grade) for every day late (though the minimum grade will be a 50 for any acceptable submission).

All papers will also be submitted to www.turnitin.com. I will provide instructions later in the semester. Remember that plagiarism is a violation of the honor code, and can lead to an “F” in the course.

For instructions on formatting, please see the Political Science term paper page at:

http://www.politicalscience.uncc.edu/jwalsh/stylemanual.html

There will also be an essay midterm (February 28 in class) and final exam, each worth 20% of the final grade. The final exam will take place as indicated in the university final exam schedule: Monday, May 7, from 8-10:45 a.m.

ASSIGNED WEEKLY READINGS (Note: all readings are available either online or on WebCT)

Week 1 (Jan 8 & 10) – Introduction & Historical Background

Gregory Weeks, “Immigration.” U.S.-Latin American Relations (forthcoming from Longman Publishers), Chapter 8. 44 pp. On WebCT

Gregory Weeks and John R. Weeks, “Irresistible Forces at Work.” Irresistible Forces (book draft), Chapter 1. 20 pp. On WebCT.

Week 2 (Jan 15 & 17): The Economics of Push Factors

NO CLASS ON JAN 15

“Survey of Mexican Migrants, Part III: The Economic Transition to America.” Pew Hispanic Center Report, December 6, 2005. 42 pp.

http://pewhispanic.org/files/reports/58.pdf

Ximena Clark and Jeffrey G. Williamson, “What Explains Emigration Out of Latin America?” World Development 32, 11 (November 2004). 20 pp. On WebCT.

Week 3 (Jan 22 & 24): The Politics of Push: Cuba and Central America

Jennifer H. Lundquist and Douglas S. Massey, “Politics or Economics? International Migration During the Nicaraguan Contra War.” Journal of Latin American Studies 37, 1 (February 2005). 25 pp. (on WebCT)

K.M. Greenhill, “Engineered Migration and the Use of Refugees as Political Weapons: A Case Study of the 1994 Cuban Balseros Crisis.” International Migration 40, 4 (2002). 36 pp. (on WebCT)

Week 4 (Jan 29 and 31): Pull Factors

Roberto Suro, “Survey of Mexican Migrants, Part I.” Pew Hispanic Center, March 2, 2005. 30 pp.

http://pewhispanic.org/files/reports/41.pdf

Fred Krissman, “’Them or Us’? Assessing Responsibility for Undocumented Migration From Mexico,” Center for Comparative Immigration Studies, Working Paper 46, December 2001. 22 pp.

http://www.ccis-ucsd.org/PUBLICATIONS/wrkg46.PDF

Week 5 (Feb 5 & 7): The Economic Effects of Immigration in Latin America

TOPIC DUE ON FEB 5

Adella Pelegrino, “Trends in Latin American Skilled Migration: ‘Brain Drain’ or ‘Brain Exchange’?” International Migration 39, 5 (2001). 22 pp. (on WebCT)

Hein de Haas, “International Migration, Remittances and Development: Myths and Facts.” Third World Quarterly 26, 8 (December 2005). 16 pp. (on WebCT)

Inter-American Development Bank, “Sending Money Home: Remittance to Latin America and the Caribbean.” May 2004. 31 pp.

http://www.iadb.org/mif/v2/files/StudyPE2004eng.pdf

Week 6 (Feb 12 and 14): The Economic Effects of Immigration in the United States

Arguing that the impact is negative: George J. Borjas, “Increasing the Supply of Labor Through Immigration: Measuring the Impact on Native-Born Workers,” Center for Immigration Studies Backgrounder, May 2004. 12 pp.

Arguing that the impact is positive: Julian Simon, The Economic Consequences of Immigration (1999), Chapters 11 & 12. 49 pp. (on WebCT)

In-Class Assignment: Determine the Methods Necessary for Measuring Economic Impact in the U.S.

Week 7 (Feb 19 & 21; Feb 26 & 28): Policy Response in the United States, Part I

Tamar Jacoby, “Immigration Nation.” Foreign Affairs (November/December 2006).

Available at http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20061101faessay85606-p0/tamar-jacoby/immigration-nation.html

We will also read competing congressional proposals for immigration reform.

On one side: Senator John McCain, S. 1033, “Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act” (introduced May 2005)

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/F?c109:1:./temp/~c109FlgoiG:e41964:

On another side: Tom Tancredo, HR 3700, “Reducing Immigration to a Genuinely Healthy Total Act” (introduced September 8, 2005)

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c109:H.R.3700:

These bills are very long and detailed, so our goal will be to analyze their core goals, assumptions and strategies.

Week 9 (March 12 &14): Recent Response in the United States, Part II

The politics of enforcement.

Federal Level: The “Secure Fence Act” of 2006

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c109:4:./temp/~c109uuBdmV::

Local Level: Lisa M. Seghetti et al, “Enforcing Immigration Law: The Role of State and Local Law Enforcement.” CRS Report for Congress (2005) 28 pp.

www.ilw.com/immigdaily/news/2005,1026-crs.pdf

Week 10 (March 19 & 21): Recent Response in the United States, Part III

Tom Barry, “Anti-Immigrant Backlash on the ‘Home Front.’” NACLA Report on the Americas 38, 6 (May-June 2005). 6 pp. on WebCT

Gordon H. Hanson, “Why Does Immigration Divide America? Public Finance and Political Opposition to Open Borders,” Center for Comparative Immigration Studies, Working Paper 129, December 2005. 71 pp.

http://www.ccis-ucsd.org/PUBLICATIONS/wrkg129.pdf

Week 11 (March 26 & 28): The Politics of Emigration

David Fitzgerald, “State and Emigration: A Century of Emigration Policy in Mexico,” Center for Comparative Immigration Studies, UCSD, Working Paper 123 (September 2005). 30 pp.

http://www.ccis-ucsd.org/PUBLICATIONS/wrkg123.pdf

Marc R. Rosenblum, “Moving Beyond the Policy of No Policy: Emigration from Mexico and Central America,” Latin American Politics & Society 46, 4 (Winter 2004). 35 pp (on WebCT)

Week 12 (April 2 & 4) – Latin American Policy Responses

PAPER DRAFT DUE APRIL 6

The Political: Michael Jones-Correa, “Under Two Flags: Dual Nationality in Latin America and its Consequences for the United States.” David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies, Working Paper 99/00-3 (2000). 42 pp.

http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~drclas/publications/PDFs/jones_correa.pdf

The Economic: Eric Popkin, “Transnational Migration and Development in Postwar Peripheral States: An Examination of Guatemalan and Salvadoran State Linkages With Their Migrant Populations in Los Angeles.” Current Sociology 51, 3-4 (May-July 2003). 28 pp.

Week 13 (April 9 & 11): Immigration to the South

“The New Latino South: The Context and Consequences of Rapid Population Growth.” Pew Hispanic Center Report, July 26, 2005. 51 pp.

http://pewhispanic.org/files/reports/50.1.pdf

John. D. Kasarda and James H. Johnson, Jr. “The Economic Impact of the Hispanic Population on the State of North Carolina.” Frank Hawkins Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise, January 2006. 65 pp.

Week 14 (April 16 & 18): Finish Discussions and Begin Presentations

No readings—finish up the final draft of the paper

Week 15 (April 23 & 25; April 30): Paper Presentations and Review

PAPER DUE ON April 30

No readings—finish up the final draft of the paper

Academic Integrity

Students have the responsibility to know and observe the requirements of The UNCC Code of Student Academic Integrity. This code forbids cheating, fabrication or falsification of information, multiple submissions of academic work, plagiarism, abuse of academic materials, and complicity in academic dishonesty. Any special requirements or permission regarding academic integrity in this course will be stated by the instructor, and are binding on the students. Academic evaluations in this course include a judgment that the student's work is free from academic dishonesty of any type; and grades in this course therefore should be and will be adversely affected by academic dishonesty. Students who violate the code can be expelled from UNCC. The normal penalty for a first offense is zero credit on the work involving dishonesty and further substantial reduction of the course grade. In almost all cases the course grade is reduced to F. Copies of the code can be obtained from the Dean of Students Office. Standards of academic integrity will be enforced in this course. Students are expected to report cases of academic dishonesty to the course instructor.