Essay on Living as
an Illegal Alien
Chavez, Leo R. 2007 Learning
to Live as an "Illegal Alien" in Anthropology:
The Human Experience. Custom Reader for the
This article is excerpted from Leo Chavez 1998 book Shadowed Lives:Undocumented Immigrants in American Society. pp. 159-173.
For this essay you are required to work with at least four sources: Chavez' article, your textbook, a recent news article from a reputable news agency, and a popular song of your choice.
Your Assignment
1) Summarize the article. How is this article related to ANT 101 and, in particular, to the concerns in Chapter 18 of your textbook.
2) Select a recent news story concerning illegal immigration. Analyze the story focusing attention on the perspective from which it is written and comparing and/or contrasting it with the treatment of the problem provided by Chavez.
3) Chavez and his informants use the words of a popular song, Jaulo de Oro, to provide further insight into the problems that these undocumented immigrants are encountering. Select and discuss two verses from a song to which you listen that comment upon and provide insight into your own life situation.
Organize your thoughts carefully. Few people, if any, can simply sit down and write a 5 page essay 'off the cuff.' Most papers require several drafts. Be sure your paper has an introduction, body, and conclusion. Proof read your paper carefully (this involves reading it – not simply running it through spell-check). All quotations and paraphrases must be acknowledged. Plagiarism is the greatest academic sin of all.
Requirements
This essay provides you with an opportunity to demonstrate that you can write in an organized manner that sustains a particular point of view throughout.
Use one-inch (1") margins throughout (note these are not the default margins of Word). Use Times New Roman or Arial 11 point font and double space your text.
Use in-text referencing (e.g. Chavez 2008: 35)
Append a bibliography of all sources used.
This is a formal academic paper. Points will be deducted for errors in spelling, grammar, or style.