FALL 2010: Latinos in the United States
Tuesdays & Thursdays, 3:30-4:45 p.m.
SPAN 402-3 / HUMN 300-8 / HONR 385-11
This class will examine the
present-day situation of Latinos in the United States (both documented
and undocumented), controversies surrounding immigration and language,
Latinos' historical presence in what is the present-day United States,
as well as the civil rights and workers rights movements in the second
half of the 20th century, through reading fictional and
(semi-)autobiographical writings by first and second generation
American Latinos as well as current-day non-fiction accounts and
historical background (e.g., refugees from the Cuban and Mexican
Revolutions, the Mexican-American War and the Treaty of
Guadalupe-Hidalgo, and the political status of Puerto Rico and Puerto
Ricans), and viewing of films and documentaries treating this topic. In
addition to in-class discussion, students will write
reaction/commentary assignments, make an in-class presentation, and
write a research paper.
Class will be conducted in
English; assignments will be completed in Spanish or English, depending
on which course you register for.
TEXTBOOKS:
Alvarez, Julia. How the García Girls Lost Their Accents. 1991. New York: Plume, 1992. ISBN 9780452268067
Arellano, Gustavo. Orange County: A Personal History. New York: Scribner, 2008. ISBN 9781416540045
Cisneros, Sandra. The House on Mango Street. 1984. New York: Vintage Books, 1991. ISBN 9780679734772
Additional readings downloaded from Moodle or the Internet, or on reserve at the library.
