Im/migrant Agency "Brief"

DUE: February 1, 2006 Week 3

Write up a brief report about your assigned im/migrant agency or organization in response to the questions below. You should be able to research your agency on the internet—a Google search should locate your agency’s web site, but you will need to supplement this by using library online resources as well. Supply supporting information or evidence from your research, focusing on migration issues.

Learning Objective: Understand that data, information, views on im/migration always come from particular perspectives, even though these may not be explicitly stated. Identify key perspectives about immigration issues and concerns held by these agencies to assist our evaluation of their partisan positions taken in data and reports issued, analyses of immigrant policy, etc. Perspectives may be implicit; sleuth them out by reviewing agency communications or critical evaluation of the agency by others.

Assignment Goal: Compile a resource list for our course web site based on our collective research to serve as a guide for the class and others concerned with im/migration issues.

Answer ALL of the following based on your research into your assigned agency. Please use this A-to-N format—just add your responses after the question. This will keep the annotations consistent and facilitate putting them on your Web Portfolio later. Get an electronic version of this sheet on our BB site.

A. Title of agency or organization?

B. Where is home base (city/state/country)?

C. Date founded?

D. Names of key spokespersons/officers

E. What/who is key constituency or audience?

F. What are the agency’s main activities?

G. Mission statement? (you may quote mission statement if available; use quotation marks!)

H. What are the key im/migration issues of concern to this agency?

I. As best as you can determine, on what evidence/sources/research/community does this agency base its informational statements issued, press releases, reports, etc.?

J. Any publications? (what types, sample titles; if online, give links)

K. Give at least one citation about this agency from a newspaper article (preferably an Arizona newspaper). Use a citation index to research this e.g., Lexis Nexis, available from the Migration Course Web Page made by the Fletcher Library:  http://library.west.asu.edu/subjects/SOC/soc331.html  Briefly state what the article is about, and provide a quote from the article that includes the agency’s name and gives a good idea of this agency’s perspective on im/migration.  Note: not a quote from agency’s own web site!

L. Any other issues of interest about the agency?

M. Is the agency noticeably pro or con immigration? (You may need to determine this from “reading around” in its position papers, press releases, news reports, etc)

N. Web site? Give URL

Caution: Do not simply copy the agency’s own words. Instead, give synopsis based on your research.
What to do with your report: 1) turn in hard copy Feb 1.  2) Post to BB Discussion forum for this assignment (copy you’re A-N questions & answers and paste to message, do not send as an attachment). 3) Save your report to put on your Web Portfolio later.

Read our Reports!