How the US Can Welcome Refugees
English 102 – Essay II – Assignment Sheet
Texts: “How the US Can Welcome Refugees” by David Miliband
“Why the US Can’t Immediately Resettle Syrian Refugees” by Teresa Welsh
“Strangers in a Strange Land: Refugees Face Hurdles to American Dream” by Moni Basu
Any of the 8 refugee organizations website/resources from ‘group investigations’
You may search and find an (1) additional source that may help support your essay
Topic:
In this section of class, we have read and discussed a few texts that explore aspects of the refugee experience and what should and shouldn’t be done to help provide sanctuary. After considering the topic and possible aspects of the refugee experience you would like to focus on, consider the following questions (just a few ideas, though you may have your own points of analysis) to build support points around. I wouldn’t expect an essay to answer all of these. In fact, that is probably not doable, but some of these questions need to be addressed in your essay:
Who are refugees and what is a major cause of refugees?
What effect does displacement and migration have on the refugee?
How may life in a new country challenge refugees? What hurdles do they face?
What effect (positive or negative) can refugees have on sanctuary countries?
What can be done to help refugees and what role should the US play? How can/should the US help refugees acclimate to their new country?
Remember that body paragraph points need to be built around specific ideas, so avoid paragraphs that look at multiple cause, multiple effects, or multiple solutions. Build paragraphs around one specific idea -> one specific cause or one specific effect or one specific ‘solution’.
Direction:
The thesis should be a specific position or perspective on the refugee experience and how sanctuary countries like the US should act. You may inform your audience on key background information about the refugee issue, but be sure you are also presenting your own vision for how refugees (and countries) may be affected by the experience, and/or how to best serve the needs of the refugees. Each author should have the agency to make choices that serve to benefit their paper when it comes to major points and the structure of their essay. Your essay needs to incorporate at least 2 sources to support your findings, follow MLA format basics, and be at least 4 full pages in length.
Requirements:
Essay must be 4 full pages minimum, and no more than 6.
Essay II should follow a 6-8 paragraph structure.
Essay should follow MLA format.
The essay needs to use at least 2 sources to support your points.
Pay close attention to essay and paragraph structure.
Outline due Wednesday, Apr. 25th, a Rough Draft due at beginning of class Apr. 30th, and final due by Wednesday, May 2.
Example Outline (Partial) for Essay II on Reverse Page
Thesis: Refugees forced from their homeland deserve another chance to live life freely, and need sanctuary countries to provide opportunities with proper services to create an environment of mutual benefit.
(P) Refugees leave their homeland due to extreme persecution, and are searching for an opportunity to start life anew.
Highlight ways they are persecuted and what it means to their ability to survive
(E) Paraphrase – Moni Basu tells the story of one Syrian refugee in the US, Ahmad. He fled from his life as a salesmen and his house in Damascus as the violent war entered his neighborhood. Ahmad avoided death but witnessed unspeakable acts of horror
(S) Return to idea of desperation, how the choice to leave is only the beginning.
(P) Life in a new country for refugees can be mentally challenging as they have often been separated from family members, and have to live without knowing how they are.
(I)
(E) God Grew Tired of Us – Use paraphrase of scene where Daniel shares his emotions of not knowing the fate of his family.
(S)
(P) Being removed from their culture, refugees can struggle with the drastic changes in worldview and life practices.
(I)
(E)
(S)
(P) Sanctuary countries and cities need to have a strong base of support from government agencies, non-profit organizations, and the public to help bridge the divides that will exist in the refugee’s new life.
(I)
(E) “Government needs to set the legislative framework . . . provide funding for initial housing, case management and language training. Once these needs are met, resettlement agencies in the United States work within their communities to develop volunteer programs and raise funds to augment the public provision”. – Miliband’s “How the US Can Welcome…”
(S)
(P) Education programs, specifically language education, for incoming refugees will greatly improve their chances at integration, and give their children an opportunity to maximize their potential in a new country.
(I)
(E)
(S)
