Global Forces/Local Diversity

As promised, the final assignment …

Please write an essay addressing one of the following two options.

Option 1:

Attend the following event, and write a response to it, drawing on concepts and information from class readings and lecture.

Event info is:

On Monday the 3rd of December at 7:00 PM at MacMillan Hall at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, the Cincinnati Immigrant Theatre will perform “Human Stories of Inhuman Treatment.” The 20 minute play, based on the book of the same title, chronicles the stories of Latino immigrants’ journeys from their homes to Cincinnati, Ohio. The Cincinnati Immigrant Theater is a group of young Latino immigrant actors working with Margaret Singer and Barbara Gutting to present the experiences and expressions of immigrants from their own perspectives. “These are stories of heartbreaking courage that should inspire us all to demand humane and comprehensive immigration reform now,” explains Ms. Singer. The performance will be followed by a question and answer session with the actors about their roles and their personal experiences as Latino immigrants in the Cincinnati area. A reception with food and drink from Taqueria Mercado will be provided. Copies of the book by Margaret Singer and Nancy Thorsen will be available for purchase. This event is free and open to the public.

I have no idea how good this performance will be, but it certainly sounds interesting. Also, Taqueria Mercado is itself a product of migration; the first really authentic Mexican taqueria I’ve come across in Ohio, with a predominantly immigrant clientèle. Good food, and an interesting place to visit.

Option 2:

Choose a photograph from the Migrations website. Create a narrative that explains the photograph: who the migrants are, where they come from, where they move to, and perhaps how that process contributes to larger changes in the culture, economy, or politics of different places. This narrative should include data about the specific push and pull factors that are driving migration in the particular context represented in the photograph.

Following is your next assignment, which is due Thursday, November 1, in breakout section (as usual).

Using concepts of nation, state, and geopolitics, explain the establishment of the modern state of Iraq.

To answer this question, consider:

• What is the identity content of the Iraqi nation? Put differently, what is the basis of the notion of an Iraqi nation?
• Under what historical and geopolitical conditions were the modern borders of Iraq established, and who was involved in that process?

While you may use Wikipedia as a start, do not use it as a primary citation source. For citation, use APA style (again, as usual).

Before we watch the film, I will handout out an assignment related to it. Just in case, a PDF copy is here.