Immigrant New York

From the Dutch settlers of the 17th century to immigrant mayors, and "transplants," New York has always been an immigrant destination and center of innovation, contestation, and claim-making amongst different groups. New York was written about and described as the Melting Pot in the early 20th century by Israel Zangwill. While this was a hopeful envisioning of New York and the United States more generally, the backdrop was one of immigrant and ethnic conflict, a thriving Americanization movement, and a population vying to learn to become American, create a livelihood, and secure a place for future generations. Immigrant New York explores these struggles and the contributions made by immigrants, past and present. Alongside text and theory, the course will be organized around research projects that take students off campus and into the 5 boroughs of New York City.