Migration and identity
IDS 2935: Migration and Identity
Quest 1 – Summer B 2025
Primary Gen Ed Designation: Humanities
Secondary Gen Ed Designation: International
Writing Designation: 2000 words
Sections:
This course accomplishes the Quest and General Education objectives of the subject areas listed above. A minimum grade of C is required for Quest and General Education credit. Courses intended to satisfy Quest and General Education requirements cannot be taken S-U.
Course Description
Who are you? Where are you from? The dynamics of migration have shaped identity throughout human history. Migrations change how we consider ourselves, how we view others, and how we think about our positions in the world. As we move through time and space, our identities transform, becoming trajectories in their own right. Most contemporary analysis of migration and identity, however, lacks historical depth. In order to make better sense of our globalized present, this course presents a comparative assessment of migration around the world. Rather than focusing on a discrete region, the course emphasizes a series of case studies. These include: the Great Migration of Late Antiquity, the deliberate and forced mobility of the Armenians, the Viking migration to the North Atlantic region, the trans-Atlantic slave trade, Jewish expulsions, Irish and Zoroastrian diasporas, displacement in Europe between and after the two World Wars, and migration to the United States.
With each case, we will consider a series of questions: Why do people migrate? How have migrations affected the construction of personal, social, cultural, and ethnic identities? How have past migrations shaped our understandings of belonging, nation, and home? We will engage these questions from multidisciplinary perspectives and explore the theoretical, historical, psychological, and sociological dynamics of migration and identity. In addition to lectures and discussions, students will analyze memoirs, letters, films, maps, paintings, oral histories, and artifacts. Students will also participate in three faculty-student “workshops” on digital mapping, oral history, and analytical writing. In doing so, students will develop a deeper understanding of the connections between migration and identity, and of the complexities that lie behind two seemingly simple questions: Who are you? Where are you from?
Required and recommended course materials
Recommended writing manual: Patrick Rael, “Reading, Writing, and Researching for History: A Guide for College Students,” available at https://courses.bowdoin.edu/writing-guides/
All other course materials are available on Canvas. There are no material and supplies fees.
Assignments
The instructor and TAs will return assignments within one week of the deadlines. Feedback on all assignments will be provided in subsequent section meetings and, upon request, during regular office hours.
Assignment #1: Story Map (25%) 7/25
Assignment #2: Interview Analysis (25%) 8/01
Assignment #3: Analytical Essay (25%) 8/08
Reflective Writing Journal (15%)
Participation (10%)
Assignment #1: Story Map (25%) due 7/25 – 500 words
In Week 2, you will participate in a digital mapping workshop on developing Story Maps: https://storymaps.arcgis.com Over the following week, you will reflect on the topics covered in the course and then imagine a story of migration related to one of the topics. You will then write a 500-word narrative of his or her life story. Some questions to consider: Who was this person? Where did he or she originate? What were the major (and minor) events of his or her life? Where and why did he or she migrate? What were the impacts of these migrations? How did migrations shape their identity? You will then create an interactive, multimedia Story Map to accompany your text.
Assignment #2: Interview Analysis (25%) due 8/01 – 500 words
In Week 3, you will select an interview related to migration from the SPOHP Digital Collection (https://ufdc.ufl.edu/oral) or from Migration to New Worlds (https://www-migration-amdigital-co-uk.lp.hscl.ufl.edu) and write a 500-word analysis of the interview: Who is the interviewer and who is the interviewee? What is the context for the interview? What languages are used? How do the questions shape the answers? Are oral histories valid sources?
Assignment #3: Analytical Essay (25%) due 8/08 – 1,000 words
For the final assignment, you will participate in a writing workshop and learn how to draw on primary and secondary sources to reflect on the relationship between migration and identity. First, you will interview two people (friends, family, roommates, neighbors, etc.) about their own experiences with migration. Your paper should contextualize your findings with reference to at least three scholarly sources from the course. You should also draw on reflections from your semester-long writing journal. Your essay should: (1) show close analysis of primary source interviews and writing journals; (2) connect evidence from your interviews and writing journals with conceptual ideas from course readings; (3) make a clear argument about the interconnected dynamics of migration and identity; (4) be written clearly and organized logically.
Reflective Writing Journal (15%)
Over the course of the term, you will have to write ten short self-reflections in response to prompts based on the daily readings. You may choose on which days to write. These self-reflections should be about 200 words each and will be due online via Canvas prior to your discussion section.
Participation (10%)
You should come to each discussion section having completed the assigned readings and prepared to participate actively. Consistent informed, thoughtful, and considerate class participation is expected and will be evaluated using the rubric in the appendix below.
Please note that there is no attendance policy for this course. Students are entirely responsible for attending all lectures and reading the required texts. Be respectful and empathetic toward one another. We all learn and process ideas in our own ways. If you have personal issues that prohibit you from joining freely in class discussion, e.g., shyness, language barriers, etc., see the instructor as soon as possible to discuss alternative modes of participation.
Grading scale
| Letter Grade | Number Grade |
|---|---|
| A | 100-92.5 |
| A- | 92.4-89.5 |
| B+ | 89.4-86.5 |
| B | 86.4-82.5 |
| B- | 82.4-79.5 |
| C+ | 79.4-76.5 |
| C | 76.4-72.5 |
| C- | 72.4-69.5 |
| D+ | 69.4-66.5 |
| D | 66.4-62.5 |
| D- | 62.4-59.5 |
| E | 59.4-0 |
Writing Requirement Statements
The Writing Requirement (WR) ensures students both maintain their fluency in writing and use writing as a tool to facilitate learning. The instructor will evaluate and provide feedback on all written work with respect to grammar, punctuation, clarity, coherence, and organization. WR course grades have two components. To receive writing requirement credit, a student must receive a grade of C or higher and a satisfactory completion of the writing component of the course. Specific guidelines for individual assignments will be provided during the term. In general, the instructor will evaluate you using the rubric in the appendix below.
Quest Learning Experiences
Experiential Learning Component
In this course, you will have several opportunities for experiential learning. First, for Assignment #2, you will create an imagined migration narrative and then bring it to life with a multimedia Story Map. In Assignment #3, you will explore and engage with digital archive of oral histories at Migrations to New Worlds. Finally, for Assignment #4, you will interview two people about their experiences with migration and identity formation.
Self-Reflection Component
You will also have consistent opportunities for self-reflection, primarily through the reflective writing journal, made up of ten reading responses. Additionally, you will reflect on your own experiences with migration and identity construction as you review your writing journal and interviews for the final analytical essay.
Quest 1 Program Description, Objectives, and SLOs
Quest 1 Program Description:
Quest 1 courses are multidisciplinary explorations of essential questions about the human condition that are not easy to answer, but also not easy to ignore: What makes life worth living? What makes a society a fair one? How do we manage conflicts? Who are we in relation to other people or to the natural world? Quest 1 students grapple with the kinds of open-ended and complex intellectual challenges they will face as critical, creative, and self-reflective adults navigating a complex and interconnected world. They apply approaches from the humanities to mine works for evidence, create arguments, and articulate ideas.
Quest 1 Objectives:
Quest 1 courses address the history, key themes, principles, terminologies, theories, or methodologies of various arts and humanities disciplines that enable us to ask essential questions about the human condition. Students learn to identify and analyze the distinctive elements of different arts and humanities disciplines, along with their biases and influences on essential questions about the human condition. These courses emphasize clear and effective analysis and evaluation of essential questions about the human condition from multiple perspectives. Students reflect on the ways in which the arts and the humanities impact individuals, societies, and their own intellectual, personal, and professional development.
Quest 1 SLOs:
- Identify, describe, and explain the history, theories, and methodologies used to examine essential questions about the human condition within and across the arts and humanities disciplines incorporated into the course. (Content)
- Analyze and evaluate essential questions about the human condition, using established practices appropriate for the arts and humanities disciplines incorporated into the course. (Critical Thinking)
- Develop and present clear and effective responses to essential questions in oral and written forms as appropriate to the relevant humanities disciplines incorporated into the course. (Communication)
- Connect course content with critical reflection on their intellectual, personal, and professional development at UF and beyond. (Connection)
General Education Objectives and SLOs
Humanities Objectives:
Humanities courses provide instruction in the history, key themes, principles, terminology, and theory or methodologies used within a humanities discipline or the humanities in general. Students will learn to identify and to analyze the key elements, biases and influences that shape thought. These courses emphasize clear and effective analysis and approach issues and problems from multiple perspectives.
These objectives will be accomplished by:
- Evaluating the interconnected dynamics of migration and identity through a series of case studies, readings, discussions, and workshops.
- Assessing and comparing the different methodological and multidisciplinary approaches scholars have used to examine the processes of migration and identity formation.
- Discussing the relationship between migration and identity in the past and present.
- Analyzing and interrogating a range of historical, literary, theoretical, and visual sources.
International Objectives:
International courses promote the development of students’ global and intercultural awareness. Students examine the cultural, economic, geographic, historical, political, and/or social experiences and processes that characterize the contemporary world, and thereby comprehend the trends, challenges, and opportunities that affect communities around the world. Students analyze and reflect on the ways in which cultural, economic, political, and/or social systems and beliefs mediate their own and other people’s understanding of an increasingly connected world.
These objectives will be accomplished by:
- Investigating the history of migration and identity in different parts of the world
- Analyzing how the histories of these migrations have continued to shape identities around the world today.
- Comparing these histories with examples of how migrations have influenced identity formation in the United States.
- Reflecting on and discussing the connections between migration and identity in students’ own lives.
Humanities SLOs:
- Identify, describe, and explain the history, underlying theory and methodologies used in the course (Content).
- Identify and analyze key elements, biases and influences that shape thought within the subject area.
- Approach issues and problems within the discipline from multiple perspectives (Critical Thinking).
At the end of this Quest 1 course, students will be able to:
- Identify and describe how migrations have shaped identities throughout history and explain how these processes have continue to shape the world today (Content).
- Identify and analyze how different disciplines and theoretical frameworks in the humanities have described and explained histories of migration and identity formation (Critical Thinking).
- Analyze, contextualize, and assess the significance of a variety of primary and secondary sources from multidisciplinary perspectives (Critical Thinking).
- Communicate insightful and reasoned responses to questions about migration and identity in discussion groups and written assignments (Communication).
- Reflect on how the dynamics of migration and identity formation examined in this course have played and will continue to play a role in their own intellectual, personal, and professional development (Connection).
International SLOs:
- Identify, describe, and explain the historical, cultural, economic, political, and/or social experiences and processes that characterize the contemporary world (Content).
- Analyze and reflect on the ways in which cultural, economic, political, and/or social systems and beliefs mediate understandings of an increasingly connected contemporary world (Critical Thinking).
At the end of this Quest 1 course, students will be able to:
- Identify and describe the historical, cultural, economic, and political dimensions of migration, and explain how these factors have shaped identities and social experiences in both the past and the contemporary world (Content).
- Critically analyze and reflect on how people in many different contexts and circumstances have understood themselves, their positions in the world, and their connections with others (Critical Thinking).
Required Policies
Students Requiring Accommodation
Students with disabilities who experience learning barriers and would like to request academic accommodations should connect with the disability Resource Center by visiting https://disability.ufl.edu/students/get-started. It is important for students to share their accommodation letter with their instructor and discuss their access needs, as early as possible in the semester.
UF Evaluations Process
Students are expected to provide professional and respectful feedback on the quality of instruction in this course by completing course evaluations online via GatorEvals. Guidance on how to give feedback in a professional and respectful manner is available at https://gatorevals.aa.ufl.edu/students. Students will be notified when the evaluation period opens and can complete evaluations through the email they receive from GatorEvals, in their Canvas course menu under GatorEvals, or via https://ufl.bluera.com/ufl. Summaries of course evaluation results are available to students at https://gatorevals.aa.ufl.edu/public-results.
University Honesty Policy
UF students are bound by The Honor Pledge which states, “We, the members of the University of Florida community, pledge to hold ourselves and our peers to the highest standards of honor and integrity by abiding by the Honor Code. On all work submitted for credit by students at the University of Florida, the following pledge is either required or implied: “On my honor, I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid in doing this assignment.” The Honor Code (https://www.dso.ufl.edu/sccr/process/student-conduct-honor-code) specifies a number of behaviors that are in violation of this code and the possible sanctions. Furthermore, you are obligated to report any condition that facilitates academic misconduct to appropriate personnel. If you have any questions or concerns, please consult with the instructor or TAs in this class.
The Writing Studio
The writing studio is committed to helping University of Florida students meet their academic and professional goals by becoming better writers. Visit the writing studio online at http://writing.ufl.edu/writing-studio/ or in 2215 Turlington Hall for one-on-one consultations and workshops.