Students will explore the economic, social and political characteristics of migration and globalization through the lens of the "global city" as exemplified by Los Angeles and London. Students will utilize fiction film and contemporary television show excerpts about the experience of immigrants and migrants as a vehicle for analysis. Students will examine the films' portrayal of migration to these two cities, focusing on who the immigrants are, why they migrated, where they live, how their labor is utilized, and how their experiences vary depending on race, class, gender and nationality. In addition to film analysis, students will augment their study with primary sources. They will also read and evaluate secondary sources that analyze immigration and migration in the context of the global city's development over the twentieth century. The history of film, produced about the global city will also be examined

This unit will be useful in satisfying the particular requirements of AP World History Unit "Accelerating Global Change and Realignments, c. 1900 to the Present". Common Core standards of gathering and evaluating sources (e.g. visually), in order to address a question or solve a problem apply.

(Recommended for World History AP and World History, Grades 10-12)