In this course we will explore questions about citizenship and immigration in the contemporary world. Readings will be drawn from scholarship in political theory, law, and the social sciences with the goal of integrating insights from these different fields in new, thought-provoking ways.
The first half of the course will focus on citizenship. How should we conceive of citizenship? As a formal legal status, an entitlement to a set of rights, active participation in self-governance, an identity, or something else? What is the relationship between citizenship, on the one hand, and race, class, gender, sexuality, and national origin, on the other? Which rights have historically been attached to citizenship status and which rights have been extended to noncitizens? What would cosmopolitan citizenship look like?
The second half of the course will focus on immigration. Why do people migrate across international borders? Should people be allowed to migrate across borders? States exert control over migration but what, if anything, justifies this control? What is the impact of migration on sending countries, receiving countries, and migrants themselves? What are the key dynamics in the politics of immigration and how do they constrain immigration policymaking? What are the current immigration categories and priorities in U.S. immigration law? What kinds of immigration policies should the U.S. and other liberal democratic countries pursue?
The course is cross-listed with the Law School. Restricted to Graduate student enrollment only.
Careful reading of texts, thoughtful participation in seminar discussions, and 5 papers approximately 1000 words each.