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Program description:

The 2018/2019 CPGC Migration Study Program offers an in-depth analysis of migration through both domestic and international experiential learning. The program begins with a required fall semester course titled Global Citizenship: Migration in Philadelphia & Beyond (PEAC 209). The course will introduce students to cosmopolitanism or global connectedness in traditional, critical, and everyday forms. The course will also prepare students to think deeply about the intersections and interplay of migration and cosmopolitics—as they appear in local and global contexts. You can access the syllabus here (link coming soon).

The first component of the field study will take place during the fall semester. Students will explore the complexities of migration in the Philadelphia area. Included in the course schedule will be day excursions into Philadelphia and the surrounding area to learn from organizations working on issues that specifically pertain to daily migrant issues such as healthcare, workers’ rights, legal aid, and detention reform. Through this coursework and local engagement, participants will develop a more thoughtful understanding of migration before heading to Mexico City and the U.S./Mexico border region over winter break.  

Participants of this program will spend approximately a week as guests at La Casa de los Amigos and later at the border region. La Casa is a Quaker organization with a long-standing relationship with the CPGC. Its mission is to “promote peace with justice, foster understanding between groups and individuals, and support the human dignity of every person.” This organization and their volunteers offer housing and aid to migrants, travelers, asylees, and refugees from all parts of the globe. La Casa and their partner organizations in Mexico will facilitate student learning of migration through a series of presentations, conversations, and excursions aimed toward creating dialogue and a deeper understanding of the complex issues surrounding migration.

After time in Mexico City, participants will then travel to Tucson, Arizona where, again, they will be learning from local partners about the complexities of migration and how it affects our understanding of global connectedness. The border component of this program will involve first hand experiences with the “management” of migrants ranging from the legal system to detention facilities to the Pima county examiner’s office. Participants will then be hosted at the Tohono O’odhom reservation to learn more about migration and border politics from an indigenous community that spans the U.S./Mexico border region. Participants will also visit first aid camps in the Sonora desert, the border wall, and spend time learning from the perspective of Border Patrol agents. Participants will tour border towns like Nogales or Agua Prieta and learn about the economics, social justice, and human rights issues within the border region.

Contact Dr. Shannon Wheatley Hartman with questions (swhartman [at] haverford.edu)