COURSE DESCRIPTION

After the implementation of the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act, there was a boom in immigration to the United States by Caribbean nationals – now entering and living in largely urban cites and having a great impact on the social, political and economic status and structures of these cities. The term “Caribbeanization” has therefore “been used to denote the increasing impact of Caribbean immigrants and citizens on the political scene of urban cities” after 1965 (Caribbean Studies Association). However, the Caribbean presence has been felt long before 1965 and as early as the 17th century.

In this course, we will therefore examine such a presence in North America and will culminate with an interrogation (readings and mapping for example) of the Caribbean presence in New York City.

In addition to discussing Caribbean migration to the United States, its selection process and settlement patterns, we will also look at the transformation of immigrants in the United States, their transformation of American society and the creation of diasporic Caribbean spaces.

This course is Zero Textbook Cost/ZTC.

 COURSE OBJECTIVES

At the end of this course, students will be able to:

• Discuss the economic and geopolitical role that the Caribbean has played in the history of the United States.
• Understand the formation of Caribbean cultures and societies and their role in a hemispheric context.
• Describe Caribbean migration as it transforms the migrants and the United States.
• Develop analytical skills through engagement with interdisciplinary scholarship in Caribbean studies
• Evaluate readings and arguments critically and analytically.
• Produce well-reasoned written or oral arguments using evidence to support conclusions.

ICC STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of this course, students will be able to:

• Understand linguistic and cultural differences, whether they are defined by national boundaries or the coexistence of different language communities within countries
• Use appropriate tools to identify and analyze behavioral norms and social values
• Explore the relationships among region, nation, culture, migration, and identity
• Apply appropriate knowledge about language, culture, nation and identity to interactions with individuals from cultures other than their own

DEPARTMENT OF AFRICANA STUDIES STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of this course, students will be able to:

• Identify and summarize the social, political, historical, and cultural experiences that shape and reflect the lives of people of African descent in the Americas, Africa and Europe.
• Recognize and explain the vernacular, popular, and creative arts as sites of self-definition, engagement with other cultural traditions, self-invention and resistance.
• Appraise the interconnections of race, gender, class and nationality in the formation of notions of identities.
• Demonstrate critical thinking and analytical skills through comparative and interdisciplinary inquiry and thought, as well as interrogate the ideological, methodological, cultural, and social ways of looking the regions of the African Diaspora and its members.
• Utilize academic writing to demonstrate facility in disciplinary and interdisciplinary methods of research, independent thought, and critical analyses.