Migration Personal History Activity
By the end of today 11/17: You will have completed more than half of your research necessary to complete this project. Document all of your research either on a webpage that you create today, or in an email that you will send me at the end of the class period. There should be ample evidence that you have maximized class time towards the successful completion of this project.
Any students that are here today that were not here yesterday will take the role of the Turkish migrant in Germany.
You will play the role of a refugee/migrant that has relocated from one part of the world to another. Some of you will be refugees forced to move to get away from horrible ethnic cleansing, while others are moving across the US as a result of a mandatory career change. Each scenario has some sort of push/pull factor that is driving the migration. In either case, your job is to research in detail the many factors that are involved in a migration.
You will only be given some basic information regarding your specific migration scenario. It is your job to conduct research to establish realistic demographic information for your scenario; you will need to create a name, family size, occupation prior to migration etc.
Your research should address 3 primary questions:
Where are you coming from?
Why are you moving?
How is your life different since your move?
You and your partner will need to produce a thorough written summary of your personal migration. Include as much detail as possible. Your summary should also include and relate to as many key concepts from Rubenstein Chapter 3 as possible. I have included many guiding questions to help you create an adequate profile for your personal migration scenario.
In addition to a written summary, you will be responsible to create a powerpoint of your story to present to the class. The powerpoint will consist of 5-6 slides and provide visual background to help your fellow students understand your story. Your powerpoint should address the three questions listed above. Each question could be addressed in 2-3 slides. The presentation should last approximately 5 minutes.
Here is a sample PPT:
The project consists of 4 components, and will be graded as follows:
Computer Lab Research _____ 30 pts.
Written Summary _____ 80 pts.
Powerpoint _____ 60 pts.
Presentation _____ 30 pts.
Total _______ 200 pts. (Tests are worth 400 pts)
Guiding Questions
Use these questions as a guide to what kind of information you should provide in your report.
To answer these questions, you will likely have to do some research. Use the links provided in the pcourse website post to assist you in gathering demographic data on your respective countries and peoples.
Where are you coming from?
Demographic Information:
(You should try to include as much information as possible)
What is the size of your family? (pg. 87)
What was your occupation in your homeland? How much did you earn?
What were your living conditions?
What is the financial, political, and social conditions in your homeland?
What is the background behind why your family had to, or decided to move?
Why did you move?
Why is your family moving? Describe the situation.
Was your move voluntary or involuntary?
What are the push/pull factors regarding your move? (Economic, Cultural, Environmental) (pg. 83-85)
How far did you migrate?
Was your move legal or illegal?
Were there any non-provit governmental organizations that helped organize your move? (NGO’s)
What is it like where you moved to?
What is your occupation in your new home? How does it compare to your old occupation?
Have there been any language/cultural/physical barriers to getting situated and finding employment?
How do you stay in touch with your homeland?
How many of you same people live in your new home? (pg. 88-90)
What are some of the obstacles that you face as an immigrant?
Are there any laws that threaten your ability to stay where you are?
How has your lifestyle changed since your move?
How have your children adjusted to the move?
………………………………………………………..
Migrant Profiles:
You are a refugee from Darfur. You have been relocated to Baltimore MD. In Darfur you lived in a small village and do not speak English. You have found a very small group of Sudanese refugees but live quite a far distance from them.
http://www.amnestyusa.org/darfur/darfur-facts/darfur-refugees/page.do?id=1102022
You lived in Orleans Parish in New Orleans LA when hurricane Katrina hit. You lived in the Superdome for a week until you were relocated to live with a wealthy family in Los Angeles. You are expected to quickly find work and find a place on your own.
http://lahd.lacity.org/lahdinternet/ReHousingHurricaneKatrina/tabid/277/Default.aspx
You are an illegal immigrant from Oaxaca Mexico that has recently relocated to Tuscon Arizona. You usually find day labor working for farmers harvesting crops. Sometimes you are paid only in food.
http://www.usimmigrationsupport.org/illegal_immigration.html
http://www.seattlepi.com/jamieson/30037_robert05.shtml
You are a Filipino that has moved to the Middle East for work. You have been living and working as a caregiver in Saudi Arabia for the last 5 years.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overseas_Filipino
You are an ethnic Russian who has fled from Chechnya. You have been relocated to London England. You have no skills and are still dependent on state support.
http://www.noborder.org/chechnya/display.php?id=108
You are a social worker that has recently moved from Sacramento CA to Baltimore, MD. You moved for a 10% increase in salary. You had never been to the East Coast prior to your move, and don’t know anyone in your new location.
You are a small family from Turkey that has recently migrated to Germany. You work at the Frankfurt Airport driving a floor cleaning cart. Your wife and kids still live in Turkey and you are trying to raise money and find a way to bring them to Germany to live with you.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turks_in_Germany
You are a Congolese refugee that has been relocated to Boston. You have a degree in civil engineering, but do not speak fluent English (yet).
You are a Chinese factory worker that has moved to live in Bulgaria in Eastern Europe. You sell cheap goods made in China in a Bulgarian strip mall.
http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/country,,IOM,,CHN,,415c6cba4,0.html
You are a family from Port au Prince Haiti that has recently migrated to the Florida following the recent earthquake. You lost several family members to cholera. You are a skilled in masonry.
http://www.oas.org/atip/Regional%20Reports/MigrationintheCaribbean.pdf
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=44647
You are a young student from Pakistan. You are studying biochemical engineering at Rutgers University. You are a faithful Muslim. You have no affiliation with radical Islamists, but live in an area where some Muslims openly express anti-American sentiments.