Course Description
Summary
In his first months in office, President Biden announced a withdrawal of all US troops from Afghanistan, as well as a review of the Special Immigrant Visa Program, designed to provide protection for those Afghan nationals who worked with the United States. The current program is slow and confusing, and many Afghans are being killed while they wait for these visas. The situation is likely to get worse in the coming months. This research course will look at the history of the SIV program, the rationale for its existence, its consequence for the daily lives of many in both Afghanistan and America, and possible ways of reforming assistance to these individuals. Topics to be considered include: the role of race and gender in immigration policy, American imperialism and citizenship, policy reform etc. The first half of the term will be spent covering background information and theoretical frames, including visits from several speakers, and the second half of the class will be a series of student-led research seminars on topics selected by the student.
Terms