Waves of Immigration
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Instructions
Assignment Two: Final Paper - Waves of Immigration
Instructions:
This final paper will be 4-6 pages, not including title and reference pages, in which you analyze the future direction of stratification in the U.S. Maximum of 6 pages of content.
In this assignment, you will include:
1) A description of the latest wave of mass immigration, which began in the 1960s. Discuss in detail the particular issues of stratification faced by this latest wave of immigrants, integrating our course materials. Be sure to include dates.
2) A comparison of the impact of the latest wave (approximately 1960s-now) with the first wave (approximately 1820s-1920s) of immigrants in terms of types of populations involved, causes for immigrating, and overall impact on U.S. society, drawing from our course materials; be sure to include dates/years.
3) Your own analysis of how you think the negative consequences of stratification could be improved in society for one particular disadvantaged group of your choosing. What are the specific actions that could be taken and in what areas of social life would the steps create positive change? In doing so, you must apply:
Two social concepts (i.e. discrimination, racism, sexism, ethnocentrism, etc.) from our materials and/or outside scholarly readings for this group. You may find our Sociological Theories and Concepts Toolkit to be helpful (found in Announcements).
Two social theories (i.e. conflict theory, interactionist theory, feminist theory, critical race theory, etc.) from our materials and outside scholarly readings (journal articles no more than five years old) for this group. You may find our Sociological Theories and Concepts Toolkit to be helpful (found in Announcements).
In addition to our course materials (be sure to cite), you will significantly incorporate research throughout the paper from at least three peer-reviewed academic journals (journal articles) no more than five years old.
You will start with an introduction (including a thesis statement) and end with a closing or summary
Your paper should utilize sound critical thought and it should include appropriate APA in-text citations and full APA references.
The structure of the paper must include the following with subheadings to identify each section:
-- TITLE PAGE (1 page)
-- BODY OF PAPER WITH SUBHEADINGS (4 pages minimum - 6 pages maximum)
-- REFERENCE PAGE (1-page minimum)
General requirements:
Submissions should be typed, double-spaced, 1" margins, times new roman 12 pt font, and saved as .doc, .docx, .pdf.
Use APA format for citations and references
View the grading rubric so you understand how you will be assessed on this Assignment.
Disclaimer- Originality of attachments will be verified by Turnitin. Both you and your instructor will receive the results.
This course has a "Resubmission" status enabled to help you if you need to submit multiple documents as part of your Assignment. Resubmission of an Assignment after it is graded, to attempt a better grade, is not permitted.
Waves of Immigration - Final Essay
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Waves of Immigration - Final Essay
Question 1
The latest wave of mass immigration started in the 1960s in the US. The wave was characterized by a change in immigration policy, which prompted a change in the composition of the immigrants. The wave was triggered by the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 (Massey & Pren, 2012). The act abolished the national origins quota system, which had majorly favored immigrants from Western Europe. The act instead gave preference to employment skills and family reunification for the immigrants. The change in the immigration policy was critical in allowing immigrants from non-European countries like Asia, Africa and Latin America.
The latest wave of mass immigration faced various issues of stratification. Firstly, since the policy change allowed more immigrants from non-Western Europe countries, immigrants faced language barrier issues. A majority of the immigrants now came from non-English speaking countries. As a result, it was challenging for a majority of the immigrants to understand the English language (Rumbaut & Massey, 2013). The challenges in speaking English meant that they needed to take more time to acquire a command of the English language before they could access job opportunities. Secondly, the immigrants faced a challenge with their educational qualifications not being recognized in the US. Some of the degrees obtained from their home countries were not often equivalent to those offered in the US. As a result, a majority of the latest wave of immigrants had challenges securing employment opportunities in line with their academic qualifications. Moreover, the immigrants faced more discrimination, especially in the job market. Being non-Europeans subjected them to limited employment opportunities.
However, despite the integration challenges, a majority of the immigrants belonging to the latest wave have managed to integrate well into American society. The process of assimilation has allowed a majority of the immigrants to fit into American society and participate in various fields including business, politics and scientific fields. Some of the immigrants have continued to maintain strong ties to their cultural heritage, often keeping in touch with members of their families in their home countries. Others have quickly assimilated into American society and become part of it.
Question 2
A comparison of the First Wave (1820s-1920s) and the Latest Wave (1960s-now) shows significant differences. The first wave included immigrants mostly from Europe. The European immigrants were of diverse origins including a significant number from Germany, Italy and Ireland. However, the latest wave included immigrants from non-European countries. The immigrants were more diverse and included people from Africa, Asia and Latin America.
The causes of immigration were different for the two waves of immigration. For the first wave, the immigrants were looking for better opportunities in America. They wanted to secure better opportunities that were not available in Europe given that America promised more jobs and business activities. Religious freedom was also a major factor in immigration, with immigrants seeking religious freedom in America (Beckford, 2019). However, the latest wave had more complex reasons for coming to America. Immigration was motivated by seeking economic opportunities and escape from political instability in the home countries. The number of immigrants seeking asylum in the US increased during the latest wave. Moreover, more immigrants in the latest wave came to America to pursue better educational opportunities and seek skilled opportunities, since most of them had received education in their home countries.
Both waves had a significant impact on the US society. The two waves brought people from different countries, allowing the US to become multiethnic. Immigrants contributed immensely to the development of America, participating in various economic, religious and social activities. In particular, the first wave of immigrants faced nativism, which often prompted the passage of laws restricting immigration (Jaret, 1999). The quotas often reduced the number of immigrants from specific countries and kept immigration under control. However, the latest wave of immigrants faced fewer challenges emanating from restrictions and quota systems. The abolishment of the quota system in the new wave meant that individuals from all parts of the world could access the US and participate in its development.
Question 3
African Americans have experienced a long history of systemic racial discrimination. Such discrimination has over the years disadvantaged the group and subjected them to various challenges. Due to the historical injustices that African Americans have faced over the years, it is important to take various measures to address the issue. Firstly, there is a need to make adjustments to the educational system. African Americans face challenges accessing a quality education system due to the inability to afford the cost of education (Darling-Hammond, 2001). Equitable funding is critical in allowing Afric...