{"id":21983,"date":"2022-04-20T21:54:28","date_gmt":"2022-04-20T21:54:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/?p=21983"},"modified":"2026-04-23T21:26:51","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T21:26:51","slug":"border-crossings","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/premajor\/first-year\/discovery-core\/autumn-dcx\/border-crossings","title":{"rendered":"Border Crossings"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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A Discovery Core Experience<\/p>\n\n\n\n

May be taken as BCORE 104 <\/strong><\/strong>(Arts & Humanities). This course also meets the DIVERSITY<\/strong> graduation requirement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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About This Course <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What perspectives are gained through migration? This course, “Border Crossings – Stories of Cultural Encounter and Migration to the U.S.,” will examine stories about migration to the United States and the experience of straddling multiple cultures. These stories\u2014by authors such as Gish Jen, Edwidge Danticat, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Mohsin Hamid, Nam Le, and others\u2014offer diverse and layered perspectives on how race, ethnicity, and \u201cforeignness\u201d are constructed in the U.S. today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through reading fiction, short essays, and interviews, as well as watching the occasional film or talk, we will consider questions such as: How do artists navigate representing multiple identities, languages, and pressures to be culturally \u201cauthentic\u201d? What is the power of storytelling to create or deconstruct boundaries? How should we encounter the stories of cultural others, and what can (and can\u2019t) those stories do?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Should I Take This Course?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Encountering other cultural perspectives is part of all of our lives, both on and beyond our diverse campus. In part, this course will be concerned with learning how to learn about others\u2019 perspectives, as prompted by the authors of our course texts. If you enjoy reading and thinking about multicultural identities, navigating cross-cultural differences, and\/or issues surrounding migration to the U.S., this course is for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You will also be exposed to several contemporary authors who offer lenses for considering the systems of power that structure daily life in the U.S., including those of race, ethnicity, and language. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Professor Liz Janssen (she\/her\/hers)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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About Professor Janssen<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

“In my courses, I aim to help students appreciate complexity and nuance, and to connect course skills and topics with contexts that matter to them.” \u2014 Professor Janssen<\/p>\n\n\n\n