As part of the Lunchtime seminar series, ACMS invites you to a seminar titled “Migration is a Really Big Problem Here”: Literacy on the Move in the Transnational U.S.-Mexico Context to be presented by Prof Susan V. Meyers (Seattle University) on Thursday, 30 October. The seminar will take place from 13:00 in the Deans Committee Room, South West Engineering Building, at Wits Universitys East Campus. The history of U.S.-Mexico relations is strongly characterized by migration patterns between the two nations—and resulting policy decisions. These decisions influence and are influenced by a wide range of factors, including education. For instance, an initiative called the DREAM Act would allow undocumented youth who have grown up in the United States to pursue a college education and employment. However, the DREAM Act has spent more than a decade in Congress and has never been fully accepted. This impasse suggests a deep anxiety on the part of U.S. educators and policy makers with respect to the rising numbers of Mexican-origin students in the United States. In many cases, educators may feel particularly frustrated by the difference between their priorities and that of their students. In ironic accord, teachers on the Mexican side of the border carry similar frustrations: Students, they claim, don’t care sufficiently about school. In particular, teachers in rural areas complain that students often choose migration over education, despite the fact that students who do access higher levels of school (i.e. high school and beyond) typically rely on remittances sent from family members in the U.S. So, what is the effect of transnational migration on literacy development? Is migration a threat to literacy? Is it a boon? Moreover, what factors affect individuals’ choices and successes in schools—on the U.S. or the Mexican side of the border? This presentation analyzes findings from a year-long field research study in rural Mexico and receiving communities in Los Angeles and Iowa in order to redirect our understanding of literacy practices in the transnational context. Specifically, it identifies the ways in which migration often facilitates new literacy acquisition rather than limits it. At the same time, students in this context experience new layers of language practice, analytic expectations, and identity realignment as they find themselves caught between two ideological systems. Date: Thursday 30 October, 2014 Venue: Deans Committee Room, South West Engineering Building, East Campus, University of the Witwatersrand Time: 13:00 - 14:00 We look forward to seeing you there.
Posted on: Thu, 23 Oct 2014 10:40:12 +0000
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