First Gen Students and the Promise of Higher Education

Writing 39C Potential Research Topics:

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Below you will find a short list of possible general topic areas that could lead to specific research projects for 39C. Your task in the first 10 days of class is to figure out which of the topics below is most interesting and meaningful to you! You will be working (reading, writing, discussing) around the topic you select for 10 weeks both in the Context Project and the Advocacy Project so it is important that you choose a topic that is genuinely compelling to you.

To begin exploring research topics, run a basic Google search for any of these topic areas that catches your interest, and also be sure to try Google News. Look for credible sources such as major-city newspapers (New York Times, Wall Street Journal, LA Times, Washington Post, etc.), reputable magazines (The Atlantic, The New Republic, The Nation etc.), or scholarly publications (websites with a “.edu” ending are usually a good bet). You’re also encouraged to look on some of the UCI Libraries databases, such as CQ Researcher and Academic Search Complete. You can access these by going to the UCI Libraries 39C Library Research Guide.

Keep in mind that many of these topic areas have updated information in the news almost daily. It is up to you to make sure you read recent news articles and reports in order to be up to date. Keep in mind, too, that the topic areas below are broad and will require a great deal more narrowing of the focus as you begin your project.

1. Who Gets to Graduate: This topic focuses on who gets to graduate from college and why with an emphasis on low-income first gen students and arriving to college underprepared

Excellencia in Education "Latino College Completion Fact Sheet"

The Atlantic, Adam Harris "The University of California Stands Out Among Top Schools When it Comes to Serving Poor Students"

NSC Researcher Center "College Completion by Race and Ethnicity"

Moody Us News "What to Know as a First Generation College Student"

Paul Tough "Who Gets to Graduate"

Mike Rose "The Politics of Remediation"

2. Undocumented Students and the Promise of Higher Education: Within this line of inquiry you can focus on Latina/o students, Asian-American students and other student populations that are part of our undocumented student population.

Gonzales, Roberto G. “Young Lives on Hold: The College Dreams of Undocumented Students”

William Perez "Cursed and Blessed"

Link to UCLA Labor Center Undocumented and Unafraid

"Students Informing Now Challenge the Racial State in California"

You Tube: I am an Undocumented Student

Kim and Yellow Horse "Undocumented Asians Left in the Shadows"

3. The Asian American Achievement Paradox: This line of inquiry focuses on some of the major challenges Asian-American First Gen Students face with an emphasis on the 'Model Minority' racial stereotype and how it shapes the college experiences of Chinese-American and other students from Asian immigrant families. Students have also focused on other topics such as the homogenizing effects of the category 'Asian-American' as it relates to the college experience; or you can focus on another specific challenge Asian American First Gen students face not on this list (check in with me if you decide to do this)

NPR Ailsa Chang interview reporter Arun Venugopal "What It's Like to Grow Up as a Member of the Model Minority"

Arun Venugopal The Atlantic "The Truth Behind Indian American Exceptionalism"

Asian-American First Generation College Students Fact Sheet

A is for Average, B is for Bad: Behind the Model Minority Myth Video Documentary

Ellen Wu Los Angeles Times "Asian Americans and the Model Minority Myth"

Asian American Students Push to Reveal What the Model Minority Myth Hides

Fuchs "Behind the 'Model Minority' Myth: Why the Studious Asian Stereotype Hurts"

Anderson "Asian Americans Students Still Struggle with the Burden of Expectation"

Kawai "Stereoptyping Asian Americans: The Dialectic of the Model Minority Myth and the Yellow Peril"

4. Asian-American First Gen Students and the Climate of Xenophobia and Anti-Asian Racism

5. K-12 Educational Inequality and Access to Higher Education:This line of inquiry focuses on what has been called the the Latinx education crisis, Latinx achievement gaps in K-12 education, and how they impact access to college

Matt Stevens New York Times "California Today: The Latino Education Crisis"

Patricia Gandara "The Crisis in the Education of Latino Students"

You Tube What is the Achievement Gap?

Jonathan Kozol "Resegregation: What's The Answer?"

Dong Wan Kang "UC Regents Unanimously Reestablish Affirmative Action"

6. First Gen Students Choosing a Major: One of the major challenges first gen students face is choosing a major or area of study. This line of inquiry examines why it can be more difficult for first gen students to decide on their major, what factors into that decision, and if they are more/less likely to choose and stay in specific majors or fields of study

UCI Zot Blog: A Blog by and for Undeclared UCI Students

Avalos Mendez "Eliminating Choice Through Indecisiveness" (UCI Student)

I’m not the only one going through this. The problem of major indecisiveness is much bigger than me, it affects a lot more students not only at UC Irvine but nationally. The problem can be traumatic and frustrating for students--Mendez

Inside Higher Ed "Decision Time"

The Atlantic "Rich kids Study English"

The Chronicle "How Some Colleges are Helping Freshmen Find Their Focus"

7. Public Universities and the International Student Industrial Complex: This line of inquiry focuses on the growing number of International Students entering U.S. public universities: Why do Chinese international students come to the U.S? Why are our public universities opening their doors to international students? What impact does the growing number of Chinese international students in our public universities have on the educational experiences of domestic first gen students, and more...

Los Angeles Times, "Not Only China's Wealthy Want to Study in America"

"How Universities Came to Rely on International Students"

Barta, Patrick. Et al. “How International Students Are Changing U.S. Colleges.” The Wall Street Journal

Belkin and Jordan "Heavy Recruitment of Chinese International Students Sows Discord on Campuses"

The Atlantic "The Burden of Being Asian-American on Campus"

Daniel Gao "The Truth About Being an International Student"

Podcast: The New Social Contract "What Does Covid 19 Mean for our Universities?"

Hawkins "How Rich Chinese Parents Get Their Kinds Into U.S. Colleges"

8. The Rising Cost of College & Access to Higher Education for Low-Income First-Gen Students: This research topic focuses on the rising cost of tuition, the state and federal defunding of public higher education, and impact this has on first generation low income students and students from nontraditional backgrounds.

"Price of College Increasing 8 Times Faster Than Wages

PPIC "Higher Education in California: Student Costs"

CNBC "Why College Tuition Keeps Rising"

CBPP Report "State Higher Education Cuts Have Pushed Costs to Students, Worsened Inequality"

Access & Equity California Fact Sheet

Shores, "A Brief History of UC Tuition"

9. Create Your Own Research Topic: If there is a challenge or important issue about first generation students in the university that you want to research and it is not on this list, you can email me about your ideas. Just do enough preliminary research online to make sure your topic idea is viable (that there are sources) beforehand