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Contested Boundaries:

The Past, Present, and Future of US Citizenship

 Thursday, September 30 – Friday, October 1, 2021

Thursday, September 30, 2021

Reception & Dinner 6pm-9pm: (To be held outdoors at the Courtyard Marriott Chevy Chase Hotel).

Friday, October 1, 2021

8:30am-9am:             Breakfast & Welcome Remarks by Dean Roger Fairfax

9:10am-9:30am:        Opening remarks, Mae Ngai (Columbia)

9:30-10:40am:            Session 1: Race, Sovereignty & Citizenship (Discussion of the evolving racial boundaries of US citizenship and the significance of settler colonialism to US citizenship)

      •  
  • Christopher Bonner (University of Maryland)
  • Stephen Kantrowitz (University of Wisconsin)
  • Rachel Rosenbloom (Northeastern)

10:40am-10:55am:    Break

10:55am-12:20pm      Session 2: Citizenship and Empire (Discussion of how, as the US expanded its presence globally, it also worked to regulate citizenship using shifting conceptions of jurisdiction, territory, and family status)

      •  
  • Kristin Collins (Boston University)
  • Rose Cuison-Villazor (Rutgers)
  • Lucy Salyer (University of New Hampshire)
  • Sam Erman (University of Southern California)

12:20pm-1:10pm:      Lunch

1:15pm-2:15pm         Discussion between Martha Jones (Johns Hopkins University) & Erika Lee (Minnesota) (moderated by Amanda Frost) (describing historical forces that have shaped US citizenship laws and policies and the role that history should play in current debates over citizenship & legalization).

2:20pm-3:45pm         Session 3: Creating New Citizens (Discussion of the history, politics, and policy behind legalization and naturalization policies)

      •  
  • Jayesh Rathod (American University)
  • Amanda Frost (American University)
  • Atossa Abrahamian (Journalist & Author)
  • Hiroshi Motomura (UCLA)
  • Kelton Williams (USCIS historian)

3:45-4:00pm               Break

4:00-5:30pm               Session 4:  Naturalization and Integration of New Citizens (Discussion of laws, policies and programs designed to integrate immigrants on their way to citizenship)

      •  
  • Ming Hsu Chen (University of Colorado)
  • Emily Ryo (University of Southern California)
  • George Escobar (Board Member of National Partnership for New Americans & Chief of Programs and Services at CASA of Maryland)
  • Kelly Ryan (USCIS) (Chair, Interagency Naturalization Working Group on Promoting Naturalization) (pending gov’t approval)
Washington College of Law The Oversight Project The program offers the country’s only student-edited blog covering the work of Federal government oversight and accountability institutions.
Washington College of Law The Government Contracts Initiative The program oversees development of the law school’s Government Contracts-related curriculum and relevant programming in order to prepare students for careers in the field of Government Procurement Law.
Washington College of Law The Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy Project The Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy Project is a nationally recognized law related education program that promotes democratic engagement, constitutional literacy, and legal advocacy.
Washington College of Law Senior Affiliates in Law and Government Senior Affiliates in Law and Government are recognized experts in their field who come to the law school to teach, mentor and advise students, and serve as a resource to faculty and alumni.
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