Organizing and Defending Immigrant Workers

Explore the contentious issues surrounding immigration and the growth of an immigrant workforce. Partner with a local immigrant rights organization to explore ways to defend immigrant rights and to improve the working conditions of immigrants.

Student Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, students will be able to:

  • Critically analyze important social and political questions related to immigration.
  • Participate in a constructive and respectful discussion focused on some of the most important social issues.
  • Provide a well-reasoned position on these issues supported by documented research.
  • Plan, organize, and implement a project of value to a community organization.


Course Activities

  • Participate in classroom discussions and activities relevant to the course goals
  • Participate in online discussions
  • Write weekly reflection papers and complete assigned readings
  • Meet with our community partner to learn about VOZ and it’s work
  • Complete a project to further the goal of the community partner.


Community Partner - VOZ
VOZ is a workers rights education project founded in June of 2000. The mission of VOZ is to empower immigrant workers, particularly day laborers, to gain control over their working conditions and to exercise their collective power to address the issues they face.

Project

Organizing and Defending Immigrant Workers

This is a multi-term course. Students will conduct a Community Needs Assessment for immigrant day laborers. Identifying these needs will help to determine activities for future iterations of the course with VOZ. Students will develop a model for partnership with immigrant worker support organizations to guide future iterations of the course.

Students organize a public forum on the topic of immigrant workers. This forum would constitute a process-type project for the students in this course and will culminate their research and learning over the term. Students join one of three subcommittees to organize this event: Speakers Committee, Logistics Committee (venue, sound, etc.), and Publicity Committee.