New 1-Credit Course Offering for Spring 2021!
LLAS 3990: Organizing for Immigrant Justice
LLAS 3990: Organizing for Immigrant Justice is a 1-credit course that will provide students with a hands-on introduction to immigration organizing in the United States. Students will have the opportunity to participate in actions to support immigrants in CT, including court accompaniment in deportation proceedings, check-ins, and hearings at Hartford Immigration Court.
Class discussion will focus on enhancing our understanding of immigrant justice processes, from pathways immigrants have to residency; to when and how ICE can remove them; to mass incarceration and mass deportation. We will also consider the practices of radical solidarity and modern abolition that move many to accompany immigrants and reflect on our own traditions of standing for others. We will review arguments for sanctuary, for health care for all, and consider what immigration and prison reform might look like.
Guest speakers will be present during 3-4 of the sessions to interact with students and will include 2 UConn activists-in-residence in spring of 2021: Varun Khattar, who advocates for the rights of the undocumented, and MaryJoan Picone, who advocates for migrant farm workers in CT and for asylum seekers on the U.S./Mexican border.
Students will work with local activist groups to either participate in court accompaniment or engage in other activities that will further the goals of immigrant rights groups. These might include awareness campaigns, fundraising, website or instructional video development, family support, etc.
Other assignments will be to read short articles for class discussion, write 3 short position papers on topics of their choosing, and join together short activism check-ins into a longer reflection at the end of the semester.
Students will also be required to attend one orientation training for court accompaniment on Sunday afternoon, January 31st.
Please contact Grace Lemire at grace.lemire@uconn.edu with any questions!
See course flyer here.
For more information, contact: Grace Lemire at grace.lemire@uconn.edu