Citizenship Portfolio

Part I. Voting Worksheet (5%)

On November 3rd, 2020, the American voters will go to the polls for a presidential election. Representative democracy is the bedrock of the United States political system, and some argue that voting is a civic duty for all Americans. But what does voting actually look like? Who is eligible to vote? How do you register to vote? What are the local candidates and issues in your district? To answer these kinds of questions, you will be filling out a Voting Worksheet that you can download here. Submit Part I as a Word document in the following format: Lastname_CitizenshipPortfolio_Part1.docx (ex. Blevins_CitizenshipPortfolio_Part1.docx) and upload it to this Dropbox folder.

Due Wednesday, 1/22 by 11:59PM

Part II. Presidential Nomination (10%)

During the course of the spring semester the Democratic Party will be selecting a candidate for the 2020 presidential election (barring the unexpected, President Donald Trump will be the Republican candidate). Party nominations are conducted at the state level by allocating delegates through primaries and caucuses. Each of you will be assigned one of these primaries or caucuses. You will then write a report about how that state allocates its delegates, its demographic and political make-up in 2020, and its longer political history. Your report will be due prior to the first state caucus of the nomination season. Refer to this document for more detailed instructions on how to write your report. Submit Part II as a Word document in the following format: Lastname_CitizenshipPortfolio_Part2.docx (ex. Blevins_CitizenshipPortfolio_Part2.docx) and upload it to this Dropbox folder. You will also be responsible for giving your classmates an informal update on the results from your state during the class immediately following your primary/caucus (see Schedule page to locate your individual day).

Due Sunday, 2/2 by 11:59PM

Part III. Immigration Detainee Hearing (10%)

Update (3/12): In light of efforts to contain COVID-19 and Northeastern’s move to online learning, you have two alternatives to complete this assignment. Please refer to this page for details.

As we will see in this course, citizenship often gets defined by who isn’t a citizen. Immigration and its restrictions have long been a flash-point for defining American identity. This continues to be the case today in the Trump era. To get a real-world glimpse into this issue, you will be attending immigration detainee hearings at the federal Boston Immigration Court. These hearings are open to the public but can be logistically challenging to attend (see below for instructions). We will also be discussing details and procedures on how to attend a hearing in class. Bring a notepad and take notes while you are observe the courtroom for at least one hour. After attending a hearing, you will then write a short essay (800-1,000 words) about your experience and how it relates to the larger history of immigration in the United States.

  • What were your observations of the process and procedures of the courtroom?
  • What were your observations of the detainees?
  • Did you find anything notable, surprising, or confusing?
  • How did this experience inform your views and understanding of immigration or the judicial system?
  • How did your experience connect to the history of immigration you learned about in this class?

Submit Part 3 as a Word document in the following format: Lastname_CitizenshipPortfolio_Part3.docx (ex. Blevins_CitizenshipPortfolio_Part3.docx) and upload it to this Dropbox folder.

Logistics:

Hearings are held during a morning session (starting at 8:30AM) or an afternoon session (starting at 1:00PM). I would recommend arriving at the start time for your session just to be safe. If you have other classes or scheduling conflicts during these times, then it is possible to arrive later (since each session usually lasts for several hours) but there is no guarantee that the session will still be going on when you arrive. You are welcome to go in pairs or small groups, but because of limited space we need to limit the total number of students going to each session.

Judge Jennifer A. Mulcahy (Courtroom 9):

  • Monday Morning (8:30am - 12pm)
  • Tuesday Morning (8:30am - 12pm)
  • Thursday Morning (8:30am - 12pm)

Judge Todd A. Masters (Courtroom 10):

  • Tuesday Afternoon (1pm - 4:30pm)
  • Wednesday Afternoon (1pm - 4:30pm)

  • Thursday Afternoon (1pm - 4:30pm)

  • Boston Immigration Court is housed in the JFK Federal Building at 15 New Sudbury Street, Boston, MA 02203 [Google Maps]. If taking public transit, you can get off at either Government Center or Haymarket.
  • Enter the building through the main doors closest to Cambridge Street. You will need to go through security upon entering the building.
  • If you get lost or are not sure if you’re in the right place, ask for directions and say that you are there to observe “detainee master calendar hearings” for either Judge Mulcahy or Judge Masters, on the 8th floor.
  • Take the elevators by security up to the 8th floor and follow signs for immigration courtrooms. There should be a security person waiting outside.
  • Tell the security person that you are there for a class assignment and you would like to sit in on an immigration detainee hearing. They might ask you to wait until there is space available, or walk you directly inside one of the courtrooms.
  • Sit in the back row of the courtroom if possible and wait until a break between detainee hearings to either enter or exit.
  • You do not need to attend the entirety of the morning or afternoon session of an immigration detainee hearing, but you should stay for at least one hour in order to observe hearings for multiple detainees.
  • This is an official government proceeding that has enormous and very real consequences for the people involved. Behave respectfully.
  • Don’t talk, don’t bring food or drink, turn off your cell phones, and dress appropriately. If you are wearing shorts, gym clothes, etc. you might not be allowed into the courtroom.
  • It’s okay if you can’t follow the details for each hearing - there can be a lot of opaque technical and legal language. Follow along as best you can, but if you’re having trouble catching the details of the case itself, try and make observations on all the different people involved, what the process is like, etc. along with your reactions to what you’re observing.

Due Tuesday, 3/24 by 11:59PM