How Educators Can Overcome the Controversies Surrounding Border Immigration

A stigma surrounds modern U.S. border policy with Mexico, as it has never been a more polarizing topic or the subject of such heated debates. Within the education field, border policy is a very delicate topic that is often overlooked due to these controversies. However, educating students about border policy is important, because knowing about this issue at the forefront of contemporary political debate can improve their civic awareness. Therefore, how can educators overcome the stigma behind immigration and best explain to students the issues surrounding U.S. border immigration policies over time? I believe the best way to accomplish this is to dissect the opinions from experts in various fields in order to identify the major issues surrounding these policies and to then provide this information to students and peers as a resource for formulating their own opinions on the policies. In order to accomplish this, two main disciplines will be utilized: history, which shows what effects policies had in the past, and geography, which offers a viewpoint into both immigrants and American citizens. Utilizing both disciplines together allows for an interdisciplinary approach and multiple perspectives. In addition, viewpoints from the education field will also be used to lend information to the educational portion of this research. This research will include an empirical analysis of sources from the three disciplines previously described, along with lesson plans to suggest how to teach the issues to students