Civic Shifts
Caught in the Crossfire: The Effects of Immigration Enforcement on Undocumented Student Performance
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Daniel Hawes, Daniel Chand
This research posits that undocumented students living in communities with elevated levels of immigration enforcement will perform more poorly on standardized exams due to the external stress and threat such environments present. We test whether passive representation and/or immigrant-serving organizations (ISOs) mitigate these harmful effects and whether the mitigating effects of representation are conditional on community ISO supports. Using multi-level data for over 200,000 undocumented students in Texas, we find support that both passive representation and the presence of ISOs can mitigate the negative effects of enforcement on student performance. The effects of representation, however, are contingent on ISO presence.
‘Is Busan Ready for Multiculturalism?: Obstacles and Opportunities for Diversity in Korea View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Dustie Spencer
Busan, South Korea’s second largest city has placed a now failed bid to host the World Expo 2030. The city waged a massive public relations campaign and courted organizers with firework shows and BTS. It plastered the metro with advertisements featuring, among others, the star of Korea’s famous Netflix show, ‘Squid Game.’ It was Hallyu (Korean wave) with a promise of sustainable futures and prime locations for international trade and investment. Underneath the flash of Kpop and spice of kimchi, lay a foreign population of students, migrant workers, ESL teachers, and interracial families who have experienced discrimination, unfair and illegal labor practices, and growing disenchantment with life in Korea. This paper analyzes foreigners' experiences in Korea through the lens of regular and exchange students and Korean students who take courses with them. Focus groups conducted over two semesters at Busan’s top university, Pusan National University, reveal the experiences of students facing discrimination in Korea. It also explores what Korea has done right and offers policy proposals from foreign students who are often high-performing economic and politics majors. This paper hopes to offer a fresh and realistic picture of life in Korea that departs from the fantasies of Kdrama and reveals a more conservative, patriarchal society that is not as progressive and accepting as foreigners may initially believe. Lastly, it explores the importance of hosting the World Expo and what it means for Korea to have failed to secure the bid to host it in 2030.
