WHAT? Immigration Timeline WHY? HOW? Dr. Angela Stuesse Assistant Professor Department of Anthropology University of South Florida WHY? Activity helps to facilitate conversation about the main themes in the course Helps students get to know each other Indicates to students that the course will require their active participation Facilitates first-day buy-in among students so they feel connected to the topic and to their classmates right away Exposes students to a broad view of the history of a field Helps students to identify themes or issues they may want to talk about over the course of the semester First day of class activity Small, seminar-style course Upper-division Anthropology majors Central theme of course is immigration and the people migrate Students are tasked with thinking about and sharing their family’s immigration journey in the United States HOW? The activity is prefaced with a brief introduction to the topic of immigration, specifically immigration to the United States. Prior to the class meeting, the instructor tapes the pictures that make up the timeline on the walls. The timeline highlights some of the biggest events in the history of U.S. immigration. Procedure Engage students in a discussion of the reasons why people immigrate Students draw a picture illustrating their family’s story of migration and mobility Students share the illustration with a partner and discuss Partners tour the immigration timeline together and insert their drawings into the timeline