SourceWatch:Student Editor Program - Asian Pacific Americans and American Public Policy

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Note: This is the homepage for the ongoing project of University of Maryland professor Phil Tajitsu Nash and his Asian Pacific Americans and American Public Policy class. If you are a student or professor interested in participating in Congresspedia, contact Congresspedia Editor Conor Kenny at Conoremail.png

Class goals

The goals for this class are to:

  1. Increasing knowledge and awareness of U.S. immigration legislation and the records of Maryland members of Congress on immigration;
  2. Understand the history of U.S. immigration policy and the public debate around it;
  3. Learn how to participate in a wiki, where information is publicly shared;
  4. Create a cluster of wiki pages on immigration on Congresspedia; and
  5. Understand the role of message development and issue framing in public policy work.

Topic pages

Note: The Congresspedia editorial staff will work over the first half of February to clean up two articles on recent immigration legislation, U.S. immigration legislation (1987-2006) and U.S. immigration legislation in the 110th Congress. Groups 6-9 will use those as the basis for their interviews and write-ups of the records of Maryland members of Congress. Note that the Maryland primaries are on February 12, so interviews should be scheduled after then in order to only interview and do write-ups for the Democratic and Republican nominees for that district (there are no clear third-party or independent candidates at this point). Interviews could be scheduled in Maryland at the members' district offices (addresses are available on their Congresspedia profiles) or at their DC office (which will require travel to the Capitol in D.C., which is easily accessible by Metro). See the Maryland portal for a full listing of members and candidates.

  1. Immigration policy in the U.S. (current) - How many people are let into the country every year? What are the different kinds of visas and how many are available? How many people are granted political asylum? How are policies different for people from different countries?
  2. Immigration policy in the U.S. (historical) - (pre-1986) immigration policies - Specifically, the anti-Asian immigration policies are fascinating, as are the various other policies that targeted specific groups, be they to encourage or discourage immigration.
  3. Life under U.S. immigration policy - What are living and legal conditions like for immigrants residing in the U.S.? Talk to immigrant advocacy and support organizations to get fact sheets, reports, interviews, etc.
  4. Immigration demographics in the U.S. - What are the current demographics of immigrants? How many undocumented, green card holders, foreign-born citizens, first generation, etc. What are the historical demographics? How has the ethnic/national makeup of immigrants changed over time? How has the U.S. population been effected by this?
  5. Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 - What did it do? What were the big fights over? What kind of political rhetoric was used, etc. Look at the editorials at the more ideological publications (the National Review, the Nation, etc.) to see what kind of rhetoric the partisans were using.
  6. Group 6 will schedule interviews with Sen. Ben Cardin, Rep. Wayne Gilchrest, and Frank Kratovil, the Democratic nominee for district 1 on their record on immigration and add a write-up to their Congresspedia profiles. Links to Videos: Sen. Ben Cardin, Rep. Wayne Gilchrest, and Frank Kratovil
  7. Immigration Bills (2000's)Group 7 will schedule interviews with Sen. Barbara Mikulski, Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger and the Republican nominee for district 2 on their record on immigration and add a write-up to their Congresspedia profiles.
  8. Group 8 will schedule interviews with Rep. John Sarbanes and his Republican opponent, Rep. Albert Wynn and his Republican opponent, and Rep. Steny Hoyer and his Republican opponent on their record on immigration and add a write-up to their Congresspedia profiles.
  9. Group 9 will schedule interviews with Rep. Roscoe Bartlett and his Democratic opponent, Rep. Elijah Cummings and his Republican opponent, and Rep. Chris Van Hollen and his Republican opponent on their record on immigration and add a write-up to their Congresspedia profiles. Links to Videos: Rep. Roscoe Bartlett, Rep. Elijah Cummings, and Rep. Chris Van Hollen

Participants

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