PMA 3215 - Performance and Immigration:Staging the Migrant, Alien, and Refugee in and outside the US

(GLC-AS, LA-AS)

Spring. 3 credits. Letter grades only.

J. Aldape Munoz.

In this course, we interrogate how immigration debates are staged and experiences of belonging are redefined through performance. The categories of “undocumented,” “illegal,” “displaced,” and “exile” collide on international and national stages when governmental bodies decide who gets to be a migrant and under what terms. We assess how bodies marked culturally and legally as “aliens” use performance to navigate complex migration laws and dangerous social terrains that appear to be shifting and solidifying at the same time. We consider performances on stage, as well as performance in a broader understanding. We examine visual, linguistic, and performative representations of migrant experiences. We analyze and write about performances that deal with issues of migration beyond economic and security models. (HTC)