Assignment

(Class: critical thinking).

Assignment:

In a minimum of 750 words total, use at least four of the readings to discuss some of the parallels between immigration as a controversial issue in the U.K. and in the U.S. How does the recent news regarding “Brexit” and the Supreme Court decision (as well as the Trump presidential campaign) demonstrate the appeal to racism and xenophobia? To what extent are people uninformed vs. misinformed on the issues? How, if at all, would a critical thinking education (including the requirement to consider the stories of immigrants themselves) change perceptions and attitudes?

The readings:

1. “The Uncomfortable Question: Was the Brexit Vote Based on Racism?” https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/06/25/the-uncomfortable-question-was-the-brexit-vote-based-on-racism/

2. “Spate of Racist Attacks Blamed on Brexit Vote” http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/06/26/spate-of-racist-attacks-blamed-on-brexit-vote/

3. “Why the Language We Use to Talk About Refugees Matters so Much”  https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/07/30/why-the-language-we-use-to-talk-about-refugees-matters-so-much/?tid=a_inl

4. "Brown and Gray Dynamics" http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/07/brown-and-gray-dynamics/432273/

5. “Supreme Court Tie Blocks Obama Immigration Plan”   http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/24/us/supreme-court-immigration-obama-dapa.html?_r=0

6. “Happy Birthday DACA! Now, for Real Immigration Reform” http://www.colorlines.com/articles/happy-4th-birthday-daca-now-real-immigration-reform

7. “The DREAM Movement’s New Agenda”                                  http://fi2w.org/2014/04/28/the-dream-movements-new-agenda-five-young-immigrants-tell-us-why-theyve-moved-beyond-seeking-a-pathway-to-citizenship/

8. “Chinese Exclusion and the Dangerous Islamophobia of Donald Trump” http://reappropriate.co/2015/12/chinese-exclusion-and-the-dangerous-islamophobia-of-donald-trump/

9. Finally, this is a documentary made by pro-legalization advocates which was produced just weeks before the last anticipated Congressional votes on immigration reform. Keep in mind that the perspective is one-sided, but you should also realize that these stories are authentic. But as you watch, don’t just absorb the info as presented. Stay critical of the perspective, the narrative, the audience, etc. “The Dream is Now”   http://www.thedreamisnow.org/documentary