Reading and Writing Workshop

Contemporary Immigration Trends (1970s–Present)
Session 1: Immigration from Latin America, Southeast Asia, Africa, and the Middle East
Readings:

• Excerpts from Enrique's Journey by Sonia Nazario (focus on Enrique’s journey through Central America and Mexico)
• Excerpts from Jacob Riis' How the Other Half Lives (1890) to draw parallels between 19th-century urban immigrant experiences and contemporary migration:
  https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/45502

Discussion Topics:

• Push and pull factors influencing immigration from Latin America, Southeast Asia, Africa, and the Middle East since the 1970s.
• Comparing historical urban immigrant struggles with modern immigrant narratives.

Writing Prompt:

• Write a short essay or reflection comparing Enrique’s story with immigrant experiences depicted by Riis, addressing how patterns of migration and settlement have evolved.

Session 2: Refugee Resettlement (Vietnamese, Cuban, Somali, Syrian, etc.)
Readings:

• News articles on modern refugee crises (focus on Vietnamese boat people, Cuban exiles, Somali and Syrian refugees).
• Excerpts from A Lady’s Life in the Rocky Mountains by Isabella L. Bird (1879), offering a view of frontier and resettlement challenges in the American West:
  https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/5700

Discussion Topics:

• Historical and contemporary refugee resettlement in the U.S.
• How resettlement in unfamiliar landscapes (whether frontier or urban) has shaped refugee and migrant identities.

Writing Prompt:

• Write a creative letter or journal entry from the perspective of a refugee arriving in a new land (inspired by either modern refugees or frontier settlers like Bird).

Session 3: Undocumented Immigration and Border Policies
Readings:

• Excerpts from Enrique's Journey (focusing on border crossings).
• Excerpts from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass (1845), focusing on Douglass’s escape and the danger of crossing boundaries to seek freedom:
  https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/23

Discussion Topics:

• Risks and moral dilemmas faced by undocumented immigrants at the U.S. border.
• Parallels between Douglass’s search for freedom and the risks modern migrants take.

Writing Prompt:

• Write a persuasive piece on how modern immigration policies could be informed by historical understandings of migration, resistance, and survival.

Session 4: Immigration and Globalization
Readings:

• News articles on immigration and globalization (focus on labor markets, remittances, multinational corporations, etc.).
• Excerpts from The Jungle by Upton Sinclair (1906), focusing on immigrant labor exploitation in early 20th-century America:
  https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/140

Discussion Topics:

• How globalization has influenced labor migration and economic policies.
• How immigrant labor conditions in The Jungle mirror modern conditions faced by undocumented and documented workers alike.

Writing Prompt:

• Write an analytical response comparing immigrant labor in Sinclair’s novel to contemporary global labor markets and supply chains.

Session 5: Modern Case Study - DACA and Refugee Crises
​Readings:

• News articles on DACA recipients ("Dreamers") and Syrian refugee crises.
• Excerpts from The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Du Bois (1903), focusing on the concept of "double-consciousness" as a lens to view immigrant identity today:
  https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/408

Discussion Topics:

• The intersection of identity, legality, and belonging for DACA recipients and refugees.
• Applying Du Bois’ concept of "double-consciousness" to modern immigrant youth.

Writing Prompt:

• Write a personal narrative or fictional story from the perspective of a young immigrant navigating two worlds, inspired by both DACA stories and Du Bois’ writings.

Notes:

• Modern excerpts from Enrique’s Journey and current news articles will supplement each session to ground discussions in contemporary realities.
• Public domain works provide historical and thematic context, helping students see continuities across time.