Immigrant Voices in Times of Fear 

By Alexandra McLaughlin ’16

A sociology course deepens classroom knowledge through voter outreach and community engagement. 

“It’s been incredibly fulfilling to be part of real-world activism, while at the same time engaging in rigorous academic discussions.”
—Peiwen Wang ’28

In her first month at Macalester, Lena Gordon ’28 (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) found herself door-knocking in a Twin Cities neighborhood, practicing her Spanish through a class partnership with COPAL, a Minneapolis nonprofit that supports Latine communities. The initiative aimed to boost voter participation. 

“My role involved using the MiniVAN app to manage voter lists,” said Peiwen Wang ’28 (Xiangyang, China). “We’d go door-to-door with a group, leaving informational flyers and having conversations about voting with those who answered. It was physically exhausting but very motivating.” 

Gordon valued connecting with residents and hearing their stories. This work is part of Immigrant Voices in Times of Fear, a sociology course led by Professor Erika Busse-Cárdenas, which examines the U.S. immigration system and the experiences of unaccompanied migrant youth from Central America.

“The course focuses on unaccompanied minors crossing the border,” Prof. Busse-Cardenas said. “We explore this issue through the lens of my first-year students, mostly 18 years old, who recently transitioned from being minors themselves. They’ve all moved away from home, whether from other countries, cities, or just across the river.”

Students consider the parallels and contrasts between their own experiences and those of unaccompanied minors. While her students came to Macalester for education, many unaccompanied minors left home to seek a better life for themselves and their families back home and escape violence. 

They study migration through the memoir Solito by Javier Zamora, a firsthand account of a child’s journey across the U.S. border, and sociological research on the barriers unaccompanied minors face. Students discuss questions such as: “What motivates people to migrate?” and “How do immigrants adapt to the new country?”

“Sociology forces you to make connections,” Dr. Busse-Cardenas said. “If you were born somewhere else, your life would be different, even if you were the same person. This skill, called the sociological imagination, helps students understand that their own biographies can only be understood in the context of the history and society they exist in.”

Another focus of the course is exploring why U.S. citizenship is defined by legal documentation rather than active community participation.

“Why, out of the four elements that compose citizenship, are we so attached to the document alone?” Prof. Busse-Cardenas said. 

The course brings in guest speakers, including D.C.-based experts, immigration attorneys and activists, scholars, and local partners, such as COPAL MN.

“This has greatly enriched our learning experience and opened up discussions that go beyond traditional lecture formats,” Wang said. She expressed appreciation for the hands-on opportunities.

“It’s been incredibly fulfilling to be part of real-world activism, while at the same time engaging in rigorous academic discussions,” Wang said. “These experiences have broadened my perspective on social justice and shown me how theory and practice intersect in powerful ways.”