syllabus final

Running head: IMMIGRATION AND SOCIETY 1

Syllabus Design: Immigration and Society

Megan Segoshi

Loyola University Chicago

IMMIGRATION AND SOCIETY 2

Syllabus Design: Immigration and Society

The syllabus I have designed is for an advanced-level undergraduate service learning

course. The emphasis on research is why it was designated to be an honors course, in addition to

the fact that it serves to fulfill the Honors Capstone requirement for those students. It is a

rigorous course that focuses on immigration policy, and therefore will likely be best suited to

students interested in sociology, economics, anthropology, and civic engagement. This course

has a very large research component to it, and is therefore also best suited to students who have

an interest in qualitative methods and who may be looking to gain experience in research in

preparation for graduate studies. The professor’s academic background is in sociology, social

justice, and social work, which undoubtedly influenced the content of the course and should be

taken into consideration for students interested in enrolling. This paper will examine the ways in

which the learning goals, learning activities, and feedback and assessment of the course are

connected to create significant learning experiences for students (Fink, 2003).

Learning Goals

Foundational Knowledge

Each learning goal is situated within one of each of the following categories:

foundational knowledge, application, integration, human dimension, caring, and learning how to

learn (Fink, 2003; Nilson, 2010). The first goal, from foundational knowledge, is that students

will be able to articulate historical patterns in U.S. immigration and key policies that have

influenced them. This learning goal will be achieved in several different ways, which can be

found in the weekly course schedule. These include guest speakers from various departments,

reading and reflection, and facilitated course dialogues based in the readings and films that will

be viewed in the class. Foundational knowledge is key in the learning environment for students


to develop more critical thinking skills and better understand the many world views and

perspectives impacting the broad topic of immigration policy. In addition to this goal enhancing

the students’ knowledge of immigration itself, it is also intended to serve as practical information

that they will carry forward after the completion of the course (Fink, 2003).

Application

The application learning goal for this course is that students will be able to construct an

oral history qualitative research project on a topic of their choosing related to immigration policy

and their service organization. This learning goal is a key component of the course; the idea is

that students will be able to take the foundational knowledge they gain from the course,

understand the ways in which that information is acted out in real life (through service learning),

and then synthesize this experience through a research project. The skills developed through this

learning goal are in qualitative research, including interviewing, active listening, constructing

stories from transcripts, analyzing data, and integrating literature and previous research into their

discussion.

Integration

The integration learning goal for this course is that students will be able to explain the

ways in which policy impacts the lived experiences of communities (immigrant and non-

immigrant alike) in the U.S. This learning goal is concerned with the students’ ability to connect

what they learn in the course (foundational knowledge) to the experiences they see in their

nonprofit organizations (Fink, 2003). This will be monitored and assessed throughout the

semester during class discussions, but especially at the end of the year when the students conduct

their final presentations.


Human Dimension

The fourth learning goal, human dimension, is concerned with the students understanding

their own position in relation to their surroundings and their world (Fink, 2003). It is stated that

through critical reflection, students will be able to articulate the ways in which their partnership

with their organization has influenced or changed their views on immigration. This learning

outcome can be measured through course discussion and will be developed through journaling.

Also, the students will need to articulate a stance on immigration policy in their final project.

Caring

The caring component of the course is one of the most important. There is somewhat of

an assumption going into the course that because this is an upper level, intensive honors research

course, that the students bring at least some interest or investment in the topic. My hope would

be that through their experience in this course, the students are inspired to continue engaging

with their community organizations in productive, mutually beneficial ways. At the end of the

day, even if students do not come away from this course with a thorough and integrated

understanding of policy, it is important to me as the instructor and as an advocate for social

justice that the students remain involved with, inspired by, and engaged in their communities.

Learning How to Learn

The learning how to learn outcome is that students will develop their own perspectives on

immigration policy and be able to articulate their stance. This outcome is similar to the human

dimension outcome in that it requires students to form a personal stance on the issue of

immigration policy. However, it is more comprehensive in that in doing so, the students will be

able to connect their course projects, readings, journals, and other activities to their learning and

understand the ways in which these tasks enhanced and shaped their experience. It is the goal of


this outcome that students will be able to better understand the way in which they learn (i.e. their

strongest learning style), how to think critically about immigration and policy in general, and

how to then transfer those skills into being lifelong learners (Fink, 2003).

Learning Activities

As stated by Fink (2003), active learning can be enhanced by incorporating activities that

include getting, experiencing, and acting on information and ideas. This course utilizes this

concept to form the basis for all of the learning activities and assessments. I will provide an

overview of the learning activities that take place in the classroom and through experiential

learning before delving into the tools for assessment, which overlap with learning activities but

are designed more so as graded projects and mechanisms for feedback.

As you can see in the course schedule, the students have a variety of in-class activities

that include more than just discussions on readings. Although these will happen frequently, it is

important to cater to various learning styles within the classroom. The in-class activities will

also include peer review sessions, films and documentaries (complemented with discussion),

social justice trainings and activities, and guest lecturers from other departments. Out of class

activities will consist mostly of reading, writing, journaling (reflecting), conducting research, and

volunteering. Table 1 demonstrates the learning goals associated with each of the above

activities.

Table 1

Learning Activities

Activity Learning Outcome(s)

In-Class Discussions Foundational Knowledge

Human Dimension



Peer Review Sessions Learning How to Learn

Films and Documentaries Integration

Caring

Social Justice Trainings Integration, Human Dimension

Caring

Guest Lecturers Foundational Knowledge

Reading Foundational Knowledge

Application

Integration

Writing Application

Journaling Integration

Human Dimension

Conducting Research Application

Human Dimension

Volunteering Application

Human Dimension

Caring

Assessment and Feedback

This course’s means of assessment and feedback are designed to provide students with

the tools they need to get a good grade, which is intended to be a reflection of their learning. The

entire course is built around a final project and presentation, with various due dates along the


way to ensure that students are progressing in their work. This is also intentionally designed so

that students can be receiving ongoing feedback throughout the semester. At the end, the

students should have a very good idea of what their grade is before they actually get it.

The main project for this course is a research paper, coupled with a brief presentation,

which the students will work on continually once they have some foundational knowledge of

their topic and research methodology to work with. The grading rubric for this project is

included at the end of the syllabus. Students will have opportunities throughout the semester to

receive feedback from both the professor and their peers, which is intended to give them some

experience in reviewing others’ work and providing constructive feedback. It may also give

them a sense of comparison for their own progress.

Students are given the opportunity to assess themselves in this course. However, I am

aware that people with marginalized identities (especially those who are female) may be much

less inclined to give themselves high scores on a self-assessment tool. Therefore, I will give

them the opportunity to write, in a reflective exercise, how they think they are doing on their

progress in the class and what they have learned thus far. This assessment should be useful not

just so that I can give them a grade, but so that I also get feedback on my own teaching

effectiveness. After the students have written and submitted their (ungraded) self-assessment,

we will hold a meeting in my office to discuss it and any other concerns they may have.

One of the most important components of my assessment design is that students can

choose how many points they want allocated to their project and presentation. Of course there

are limits to this – they cannot opt to have zero points towards anything – but this allows for

them to tell the professor what they think their greatest strengths are, and focus their attention on


those assignments that are worth more points. This is also intended to place some power in the

students’ hands, by allowing them some agency in the way they are evaluated.

Reflection

Challenges

Creating this course syllabus was challenging in a number of different ways, and

definitely opened my eyes to the amount of thoughtfulness and intention that goes into designing

a course curriculum. For me, the most challenging aspect was thinking of activities to fill in

each day with. I think part of this is because I have been conditioned to be used to lecture after

lecture, and unfortunately haven’t had many experiences of more creative teaching methods in

my own education. However, I was able to pull from some of what I would consider my more

original experiences and integrate them into this course. As an introvert, I was thinking of ways

to engage those who may not be apt to contribute to a larger class discussion, but who might

thrive in smaller groups, reflective exercises, and writing.

Another challenge of this course for me was integrating the learning goals into the course

activities. It wasn’t until I actually put together a chart and started thinking through these goals

that things started really coming together. I was pleasantly surprised at how useful it was to

develop learning outcomes, even if it was only a few, before moving onto other stages in the

planning process (Nilson, 2010). My natural tendency is to jump right into activities and

projects rather than taking a step back and setting my intention first, so this was certainly a

learning exercise for me.

What Came Easy

I was very excited about designing this course because I am personally interested in the

topic and have some experience from previous classes that I was able to integrate here.


Therefore it was very easy for me to think of things like course readings and assignments. In

fact, it was so easy for me to think of course readings that I had to scale it back and take a few

books off of the list. This is because I wanted the topic, which is already broad, to be more

pointed towards policy. I didn’t want to do the opposite, which would have been to provide the

students with so much broad information that they lost focus.

The overall design of the course as a research and service learning course was also

relatively easy to conceive, because it was loosely based on my own service learning experience.

I had participated as a senior in a service learning capstone, which required me to spend a certain

number of hours each week volunteering at a nonprofit organization. I focused my project on

immigration, but that was not a central theme of the course. Instead, in my class students

volunteered at a variety of nonprofits targeting different social issues, and each of us selected a

different topic based on our unique experiences. I thought that for this course it would be more

manageable for the professor if all students focused on one topic, and that the professor (me) had

some academic or experiential background in the field. Of course, in order to focus on

immigration, this course would have to be situated within an urban center so that there were

enough immigrant-serving nonprofit organizations in the area to partner with. A similar course

design, though, could be applied to a number of different social and socio-political issues, such

as homelessness, addiction, social services, and youth development.

Conclusion

In creating this syllabus I learned about the extensive care one has to approach this

project with. Aside from coming away from this assignment with a renewed appreciation for the

effort all of my professors put into their own syllabi, I also felt an appreciation for the liberties I

was able to take in creating my ideal learning environment. When I entered the PhD program


here I had never been empowered to think creatively and add my own voice to my work.

Through this project, though, and others like it, I am able to be innovative, creative, and have my

own voice validated. In this assignment I was able to exercise so much agency and control in the

creative process, which made me feel empowered. Although sometimes this feeling can be a bit

overwhelming (we are so used to being told what to do all the time, and how to do it), ultimately

it is freeing. I hope that someday I have the opportunity to exercise such agency in my career,

whether it is through curriculum and course design or otherwise.


References

Fink, L.D. (2003). Creating significant learning experiences: An integrated approach to

developing college courses. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Nilsen, L.B. (2010). Teaching at its best: A research-based resource for college instructors. San

Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.


Honors 350

Capstone: Immigration and Society

Spring 2015

Tuesdays and Thursdays 9:00 – 11:30 am

Course Description

Professor: Megan Segoshi, PhD student (she/her/hers pronouns)

Office Hours: Monday and Tuesday 12-2 pm

Office Location: University Hall 725

Email: [email protected]

*Email is the best way to contact me. Please allow at least 48 hours for a response.

This course is a six credit intensive senior capstone course for honors-track students in the social

sciences. As a major component of the course, students will engage in experiential learning

through volunteering and observing at one of three local nonprofit organizations that primarily

serve immigrant communities. Students will conduct their own individual research projects on

issues impacting the experiences of the clientele. The staff of each organization has delineated

the ways in which the structure of each project can be most useful for the organization to use in

their marketing and grant writing activities.

Students will complete an oral history project as the culminating project for the course.

As such, this course has a strong emphasis on qualitative research. Students will be engaged in

their own research projects, from the design of their project to the presentation at the end. Along

the way, course material on immigration policy will be integrated into the framework through

which students will gain valuable research skills. Students are encouraged throughout the

process to integrate their own experiences and voices into their work.

This syllabus serves as an agreement between students and the professor. I expect you to

be actively engaged in your learning, as you can expect me to be actively engaged in the

teaching of the course. The syllabus is subject to change.

Course and University Policies

Attendance

Students are expected to be on time, present and engaged in every course session. Excused

absences due to family emergencies, illness, or other unforeseen events must be communicated

to the professor as early as possible. Unexcused absences may impact your participation grade.

Late Assignments

Late assignments will not be accepted. You are expected to plan according to the course outline

(below) and be prepared to turn in assignments when they are due. This should not be an issue

as many of the assignments are part of your ongoing project which you will receive support and

feedback on continuously.


Academic Honesty

Academic honesty is an expression of interpersonal justice, responsibility and care, applicable to

Loyola University faculty, students, and staff, which demands that the pursuit of knowledge in

the university community be carried out with sincerity and integrity. The School of Education’s

Policy on Academic Integrity can be found at:

http://www.luc.edu/education/academics_policies_integrity.shtml. For additional academic

policies and procedures refer to: http://www.luc.edu/education/academics_policies_main.shtml

Accessibility

Students who have disabilities which they believe entitle them to accommodations under the

Americans with Disabilities Act should register with the Services for Students with Disabilities

(SSWD) office. To request accommodations, students must schedule an appointment with an

SSWD coordinator. Students should contact SSWD at least four weeks before their first semester

or term at Loyola. Returning students should schedule an appointment within the first two weeks

of the semester or term. The University policy on accommodations and participation in courses is

available at: http://www.luc.edu/sswd/

Learning Outcomes

Foundational Knowledge

Students will be able to articulate historical patterns in U.S. immigration and key policies that

have influenced them.

Application

Students will be able to construct an oral history qualitative research project on a topic of their

choosing related to their service organization.

Integration

Students will be able to explain the ways in which policy impacts the lived experiences of

communities (immigrant and non-immigrant alike) in the U.S.

Human Dimension

Through critical reflection, students will be able to articulate the ways in which their partnership

with their organization has influenced or changed their views on immigration.

Caring

Students will be able to express the ways they can continue to be engaged with their

communities after completing college and moving on.


Students will develop their own perspectives on immigration policy and be able to articulate their

stance.

http://www.luc.edu/education/academics_policies_integrity.shtml

http://www.luc.edu/education/academics_policies_main.shtml

http://www.luc.edu/sswd/


Learning Activities

Service Learning

Each student will partner with a local nonprofit organization that provides services to

immigrants. This may be an organization that provides English classes, shelter or transitional

housing, or other services. The partnerships with the organization were formed by the teacher

before the course started. The students are required to volunteer with the organization for at least

5 hours per week for the duration of the semester.

Class Discussion

Each week, students will be assigned readings and are expected to come to class prepared to

engage in thoughtful discussion on these readings. These discussions will be facilitated in ways

that encourage students to draw connections between their volunteer experience, lived

experience, and course material.

Reflective Dialogue

Students will be required to keep a journal of notes on their volunteer experience as a way of

documenting their experience at their organization. This is also a way for them to engage in

ongoing reflection that will document any changes in their own perspectives or development of

new ideas.

Course Materials

The following books are required for this course. They will be available at your local downtown

bookstore and on course reserves at the library:

Books:

Ronald Takaki, A Different Mirror

Donald A. Ritchie, Doing Oral History

William Henry Chafe and Raymond Gavins, Remembering Jim Crow: African Americans

Tell about life in the Segregated South

Mark Bixler, The Lost Boys of Sudan

The following films will be viewed during class. There is no need to purchase them.

Documentary/Films

Undocumented (available on Netflix)

Amreeka

A Day without a Mexican


Grading

Journals 10 pts

Participation/Attendance 20 pts

Feedback from your organization will be taken into account, discussed with student, and

included in the participation grade.

Final Project

Presentation 20 pts

Paper 80 pts

*For these two components, students can opt to have the presentation weigh between 15-

30 points and the paper weigh between 70-85 points, so long as the total is 100 points.

Journals

Each week, students should keep track of their experiences, questions, concerns, and reflections

on their volunteer organization. They will be responsible for maintaining the journal throughout

the semester, and turn it in at the end. Full credit will be given to students who exhibit

thoughtful reflection and insight and have at least once weekly entries.

Participation/Attendance

Students will be graded on their participation in class, including attendance. Failure to attend

class without excused absences will result in a decrease in participation grade. Participation

grades not only depend on students’ verbal contributions during class, but also their ability to

engage in active listening, dialogue, and group work. At least twice during the semester I will be

meeting with staff from your organizations to discuss your contributions and attendance. Any

feedback I receive from them will be discussed with you before affecting your grade.

Final Project and Presentation

Throughout the semester, students will work on, submit, and receive feedback on various

portions of their final paper. The grade will be based upon several factors, including the strength

of the following components:

Introduction & Literature Review

Methodology

Findings/Analysis

Discussion

Presentation

It will be crucial that students take into account the feedback they are given throughout the

semester.

The presentation will be practiced and graded in class, but will ultimately be presented at the

Undergraduate Honors Research Symposium at the conclusion of the semester.


Course Schedule

Week In-Class Between In-Class Between

1 Intro to

Course

-Syllabus overview

-Introduction of

organizations

-Matching of

organizations (bring

org staff members to

class)

Reading Social justice and

team building

activities –bring in

facilitators from

multicultural affairs

or other trained

facilitators

Reading

2

Intro to

Research

-Introduction to

methodology and

qualitative research

-Preparation for

volunteering; what to

expect, etc. (class

discussion)

Volunteering

Reading

Journaling

-Report out on

volunteering (class

discussion: clear up

expectations, ethical

issues)

-Issues in Qualitative

Research (ethics)

Volunteering

Reading

Journaling

3

Intro to

Immigration

Introduction to

immigration (history;

bring guest speakers

with different

expertise; i.e.

economics, public

health, sociology)

Volunteering

Reading

Journaling

Introduction to



with different

expertise; i.e.

economics, public

health, sociology)

Volunteering

Reading

Journaling

4

Intro to

Immigration

and

Research

continued

Introduction to



with different

expertise; i.e.

economics, public

health, sociology)

Literature review due

Volunteering

Reading

Journaling

Continue with

methodology:

constructing an oral

history project

Volunteering

Reading

Journaling

5

Constructing

a Methods

section

Methodology section

due

Undocumented

immigrant policy

introduction

View film:

Undocumented

Volunteering

Reading

Journaling

Continued: policy on

undocumented

immigrants and

students (DACA,

DREAM Act, etc)

Volunteering

Reading

Journaling

6

Integrating

Social

Justice

Mid-semester reviews

View film: A Day

without a Mexican

Volunteering

Reading

Journaling

Class visit from

Freedom University

professors and

students

Discussion: How do

your identities impact

your research?

Volunteering

Reading

Journaling


7 No Class- Data

collection

Volunteering

Journaling

No Class- Data

collection

Volunteering

Journaling

8

Data

Analysis

Introduction to data

analysis

View film: Amreeka

Topic: Refugee and

asylee policy

Volunteering

Journaling

Data analysis

continued

Volunteering

Journaling

9 No Class- Data

collection and self-

assessments

Volunteering

Reading

Journaling

No Class- Data

collection and self-

assessments

Volunteering

Reading

Journaling

10

Reflexivity

and Findings

Reflexive activity:

How did your

identities impact your

research?

Group discussion on

data collection

Volunteering

Journaling

Transcribing

Continued group

discussion on data

collection processes

How to present your

findings

Volunteering

Journaling

Transcribing

11

Constructing

your

Findings

In-class practice of

constructing findings:

students bring their

transcripts to class and

work individually on

their findings

Volunteering

Reading

Journaling

In-class practice of

constructing findings:

students bring their

transcripts to class

and work individually

on their findings

Volunteering

Reading

Journaling

12

Findings

wrap-up

Findings section due

Structuring the rest of

your paper: situating

your research within a

larger context.

Volunteering

Reading

Journaling

Peer review session

for paper edits

Volunteering

Reading

Journaling

13

Peer review sessions

for paper edits

Volunteering

Reading

Journaling

Final papers due Volunteering

Reading

Journaling

14 Final Presentations Volunteering

Reading

Journaling

Final Presentations Volunteering

Reading

Journaling

15 Journals Due

Wrap-up

Report out: overall

experience?

Volunteering

Journaling

Present at

undergraduate

research forum


Final Project Rubric

Excellent (A) Good (B) Fair (C) Poor (Failing)

Introduction &

Literature Review

Literature

review situates

research within

relevant

context.

Diversity of

resources (10-

15) are used and

cited.

Synthesizes

themes in

existing

literature to

provide context

for research.

Literature

review situates

research within

relevant

context.

Several

resources (7-10)

are used and

cited.

Demonstrates a

thorough

understanding

of existing

literature.

Literature

review is related

to research.

A limited

number (5-7) of

resources are

used and cited.

Demonstrates

some

understanding

of the existing

literature

Literature review

is not connected

to the research

being conducted.

Few sources (0-

5) are used and

may be

improperly cited.

Demonstrates a

lack of

understanding of

current literature

on the topic.

Methodology Methodology is

explained in

detailed

manner.

Exhibits a

thorough

understanding

of oral history

methods and

justifies its use.

Methodology is

explained.

Exhibits an

understanding

of oral history.

Methodology

lacks detail in

its explanation

(i.e. lacks

procedural

description).

Oral history is

not presented as

valid

methodology.

Methodology is

incomplete.

Lack of

description of

oral history as

methodological

tool.

Findings/Analysis Findings are

presented in a

structured, well

thought out and

easily readable

manner.

Careful

attention has

been paid to

representing the

experiences of

participants in a

socially just

manner.

Analysis

identifies and

integrates

Findings are

presented in a

well thought out

and easily

readable

manner.

Demonstrates

attention to

representing the

voices of

participants.

Analysis

identifies

several themes

across data.

Findings are not

presented in a

structured or

well thought out

manner.

Findings are not

represented in a

way that

represent or

reflect the

actual

experiences of

participants.

Analysis

identifies some

themes across

data.

Presentation of

findings is

difficult to make

sense of

(incorrectly

ordered).

Findings do not

represent or

reflect the actual

experiences of

participants.

Analysis fails to

identify themes

across data.


themes across

data.

Discussion Literature is

thoughtfully

integrated into

the discussion.

Discussion

includes

implications for

current policy

and future

research.

Some literature

is referenced in

discussion.

Discussion

includes

implications for

current policy

and future

research.

Literature is not

referenced in

discussion.

Discussion

might mention

but not delve

into

implications for

current policy

and future

research.

Literature is not

referenced in

discussion.

Discussion does

not make

reference to

current policy or

future research.

Presentation Presentation is

well prepared

(evidently

rehearsed) and

emphasizes

findings and

discussion.

Presentation is

within the

allotted time

limit.

No grammar or

spelling

mistakes.

Presentation is

well prepared,

mostly

emphasizing

findings and

discussion.

Presentation is

within the

allotted time

limit.

Few grammar

or spelling

mistakes.

Presentation

fails to

emphasize

findings and

discussion.

Presentation is

over or under

allotted time

limit.

Several

grammar or

spelling

mistakes.

Presentation fails

to emphasize

findings and

discussion.

Presentation is

over or under

allotted time

limit.

Distracting

number of

spelling and

grammar

mistakes.

Other Proper use of

grammar and

spelling.

Properly utilizes

APA format.

Paper is turned

in complete and

on time.

Few mistakes in

grammar and

spelling.

Few APA

formatting

errors.

Paper is turned

in complete and

on time.

Several

mistakes in

grammar and

spelling.

Incorrect APA

formatting.

Paper is turned

in complete and

on time.

Distracting

amount of

mistakes in

grammar and

spelling.

Incorrect APA

formatting.

Paper is not

turned in

complete and/or

on time.

syllabus final

Documents