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Since the formation of the current U.S.-Mexico border resulting from the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and the Gadsden Purchase, immigration (both legal and unauthorized) across this border has been a hotly debated political issue. That debate continues today as seen in the rhetoric of last year’s presidential election and the various issues pertaining to the border, including “The Wall,” the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and immigration. This seminar will explore various immigration issues across the U.S.-Mexico border through historical, humanistic, and sociological lenses. It focuses on the human drama that has played out, and continues to do so today, as people from Latin America attempt to cross the U.S.-Mexico border, the most frequently crossed in the world. Some of the questions addressed include: What is the border? Who crosses it? Why do they cross? Can the issue of immigration be resolved?
Required Reading:
Rubio-Goldsmith, Raquel; Celestino Fernández, Jessie K. Finch and Araceli Masterson-Algar, Eds. Migrant Deaths in the Arizona Desert: La Vida No Vale Nada. Tucson, AZ: University of Arizona Press, 2016. ISBN-10: 0816532524; ISBN-13: 978-0816532520.
Recommended Reading:
Ferguson, Kathryn. The Haunting of the Mexican Border: A Woman’s Journey. Albuquerque, NM: University of New Mexico Press, 2015. ISBN-10: 082634058X; ISBN-13: 978-0826340580.
Urrea, Luís Alberto. The Devil’s Highway: A True Story. New York: Back Bay Books, 2005. ISBN-10: 0316010804; ISBN-13: 978-0316010801.
