Minor in International Migration
Studies
a new program of the
CENTER FOR COMPARATIVE IMMIGRATION
STUDIES and ELEANOR ROOSEVELT COLLEGE at the
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA,
SAN DIEGO
The Minor in International Migration Studies is jointly administered
by the Center for Comparative Immigration Studies (CCIS) and
Eleanor Roosevelt College (ERC). It is first undergraduate
instructional program with this focus to be offered at any university
in the United States. The minor will give students an in-depth
understanding of the causes, politics, and social consequences
of international migration from a broad comparative perspective.
This program of study helps to prepare students for a career
in research and teaching, immigrant service-providing organizations,
government agencies, or law. The unique research and writing
opportunities offered by this minor also make it excellent preparation
for graduate school.
The minor is interdisciplinary in content and
method. It covers a wide range of topics, including the
economic, cultural, demographic, and political impacts of immigration;
laws and government policies for controlling immigration and
refugee flows, and the outcomes of these laws and policies;
ethnic, gender, citizenship, and transnational dimensions of
immigration; the integration of immigrant and ethnic minorities;
and immigrant history and literature. Students learn about
other countries of immigration (especially in Western Europe
and East Asia) in order to place the U.S. experience in comparative
perspective.
Requirements for the Minor
The Minor in International Migration Studies
consists of a total of seven courses (28 units). The requirements
can be fulfilled by courses at the lower and upper division
levels drawn from various departments or a combination of coursework
and either field research in immigrant communities or internships
with local immigrant service organizations. All courses
must be taken for a letter grade, except for “199: Independent
Study” courses. For a diagram of the requirements, click
here.
(1) One lower-division course from the following
list is required. These courses provide background
for understanding immigration to the United States and an appreciation
of the ethnic and cultural diversity that immigrants have created.
- Anthropology LD 23. Debating Multiculturalism: Race, Ethnicity,
and Class in American Societies (4)
- Ethnic Studies 1A. Introduction to Ethnic Studies: Population
Histories of the United States (4)
- Ethnic Studies 1B. Introduction to Ethnic Studies: Immigration
and Assimilation in American Life (4)
- History LD 7A. Race and Ethnicity in the United States (4)
- History LD 7B. Race and Ethnicity in the United States (4)
- History LD 7C. Race and Ethnicity in the United States (4)
- Political Science 40. Introduction to Law and Society (4)
(2) One upper-division immigration
course using a comparative, cross-national approach is required
from the following list. These courses provide a broad
perspective on the social, economic, and political aspects of
immigration and expose students to the experiences of countries
of immigration other than the United States.
- Political Science 150A: The Politics of Immigration--The
U.S. in Comparative Perspective (4)
- Anthropology GN 100: Special Topics in Sociocultural Anthropology--Migration
and Society (4)
- Anthropology GN 100(b): Special Topics in Sociocultural
Anthropology--Immigration to California in Comparative Perspective
(4)
(3) Students complete the minor (20 more
required units) by pursuing one of two separate tracks:
Track 1: Additional Coursework
After completing (1)
and (2) above, students can choose to take five additional
courses from a list of approved courses, four of which
must be upper-division. These courses provide in-depth
coverage of specialized topics in immigration studies. Click
here for the list of approved courses. Students
in the coursework track may not take more than a total of four
courses from any one department for this minor
Because
of the international nature of the minor, students will be allowed
to complete up to three courses (12 units) of their minor requirements
through study abroad, especially in the United Kingdom, France,
Germany, Italy, Spain, or Mexico, countries in which
immigration studies programs are now well-established.
Students taking this
minor are encouraged (not required) to attend the biweekly seminars
hosted by the Center for Comparative Immigration Studies, in
which UCSD faculty, CCIS visiting research fellows, and non-local
immigration experts present their most recent research.
These seminars are held throughout the academic year in the
conference room on the ground floor of the ERC Academic Administration
Building; click
here for directions.
Track 2: Field Research or Internship
After
completing requirements (1) and (2) above, students choosing
this track will receive intensive training in field research
methods appropriate for studying international migration, and
then conduct field research in immigrant communities or
do an academic internship in a local immigrant/refugee service-providing
organization.
All students in this
track are required to take one upper-division research
methods course, chosen from the following:
- Political Science 181A: Field Research Methods for Migration
Studies
- Ethnic Studies HN 190: Studying Racial and Ethnic Communities
- Sociology 104: Field Research—Participant Observation
- Sociology 108A: Survey Research Design
Field Research Track
If you are interested in doing the Field Research Track
in 2004-05, you need to take a three-course sequence:
Political Science 181A: Field Research Methods for Migration
Studies (course code 511595) in Fall Quarter 2004; Political
Science 181B (Field Research Practicum) in Winter 2005; and
Political Science 181C (Data Analysis/Write-up) in Spring 2005.
This three-course sequence is the core of the Field Research
Track within the minor. For more information on the content
and requirements for these courses, click
here. To complete registration for Political Science
181A, you will need to meet with the instructor,
Prof. Wayne Cornelius (contact Carmen
Rodriguez, tel. 858-822-4447, for an appointment). It is
also recommended that you take Political Science 150A: Politics
of Immigration (course code 511593) in Fall 2004, if you have
not already taken this course (Anthropology GN100: Migration
and Society, being offered in Spring 2004, is equivalent).
These courses provide important background for the field research
project to be undertaken by students who enroll in Political
Science 181B (Field Research Practicum) in Winter 2005.
During that quarter, students will go to Mexico for three weeks
to conduct research under Professor Cornelius’ supervision
in a rural community that sends numerous workers to the United
States. Participants in the field research project must
be proficient in Spanish, at a level sufficient to conduct detailed
interviews with residents of the research community. Because
of the intensive nature of Political Science 181B, 12-unit course,
students are not expected to take any other courses during the
Winter Quarter. If you must take an additional course
during this quarter to meet graduation or departmental requirements
(including a senior honors thesis course), special arrangements
should be made with Professor Cornelius and the instructor of
the additional course.
Students who do not enroll in Political Science 181B
and 181C may complete the remaining 16 units of the research
track for this minor through a combination of courses from the
list under Track 1 and by completing one or two “199:
Independent Studies” courses (4 units each), in order
to pursue a field research project with a faculty member.
No more than two 199 courses may be applied to the minor.
Students choosing this option will be required to conduct field
research in a local immigrant community (preferably as part
of a group project) and write a substantial research paper based
on this research. CCIS’ academic staff, UCSD faculty
affiliates, and postdoctoral visiting research fellows will
be available to supervise students for these research projects.
Internship Track
As an alternative to conducting field research, students may
do an academic internship in a non-governmental organization
or government agency that has extensive interaction with immigrants
or refugees in the San Diego/Tijuana area. For examples
of these organizations, click here.
Internships for up to eight units will be arranged by the UCSD
Academic Internship Program (AIP). These internships
must have a substantial research component. The remaining
units needed to complete the minor will consist of courses from
the list under Track 1.
Students choosing either the field research or the internship
track may have an opportunity to present their independent research
findings at the Undergraduate
Research Conference, sponsored each year by CCIS.
This conference is usually held in mid-May.
