Topic: Essay on Acquiring US citizenship
Instruction:
This paper should describe and analyze an effort to acquire U.S. citizenship, whether
successful or unsuccessful. The paper can be based on your own experience or that of a
relative or friend who attempted (successfully or unsuccessfully) to acquire U.S. citizenship.
The paper should: (1) Discuss how and why the person decided to attempt to acquire
U.S. citizenship; (2) Describe the steps that the person undertook, including any research,
attendance at citizenship classes, consulting with immigrant advocates, lawyers,
friends/relatives who previously underwent the experience; (3) Discuss the person’s feelings
about both the process and outcome (whether satisfied, frustrated; degree of anxiety, if any,
during the process); (4) Based on the information you acquire, explain why the process proved
successful or unsuccessful (unsuccessful either because not pursued to completion or because
application was not approved) and show how the person’s experience was either consistent
with or contradictory to material presented in lectures and in the readings on citizenship.
Among the relevant motivations (pro or con) consider the following: interest in voting in
U.S. elections; preference for travel with U.S. passport; ability to stay abroad for unlimited
periods of time; ability to sponsor family members to immigrate to U.S.; interest in jobs
requiring U.S. citizenship; identity (pro: “feels American”; anti: betrayal of home country
patriotism); length of stay in U.S.; children/family/life is in U.S., no longer in country of origin;
concern about consequences of providing extensive documentation; anxiety regarding exam
and/or interview.
In assessing the success/failure of the process, consider the relevance of the person’s
length of residence in the U.S., the person’s command of and comfort with English, their
knowledge of American life and civic institutions, contact with other U.S. citizens (especially
family members), education and occupation.
The paper should be four pages in length. While you can use quotes for illustrative
purposes, do not write a paper consistently entirely or mainly of quotes strung together.
Instead, you should narrate the person’s experience/thoughts in your own words, making use
of quotes to add clarity, specificity, or greater forcefulness to the point you are making.
The paper should be 700-1000 words in length, typed in 12 point font and doublespaced.
Try to limit the amount of sources
No. of pages: 3
