CLA 200 - Contesting Citizenship (SYS) (1)

This course grapples with fundamental questions of our democracy: Who belongs and how do we treat those who live side by side with us or who wish to join us? These questions have been shaped by personal stories, when we arrived, where we came from, the color of our skin, our gender, and have been codified in our institutions and laws. We will examine historic and contemporary definitions of “citizen” drawn from ancient Greek and Roman texts as well as American history to understand how concepts such as free person, gender, and race are socially constructed. Students will meet and interview immigrants, undocumented workers, leaders of social service agencies, and/or advocates in these communities. Finally, students will analyze stories of civic engagement by citizens and non-citizens of the US that illustrate the ongoing construction, policing, and contestation of definitions of citizen. Only open to sophomores.
(Sophomore Year Seminar (SYS)) (Humanities)