“Introduction to Latina/O Studies,” University Of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Lawrence La Fountain-Stokes

Project Description:

This course is organized as a general introduction or survey of the experience of Latinas/os/x in the United States, focusing on historical, literary, and cultural aspects. It is the required gateway course for the Latina/o studies major and minor. The class is structured around the Keywords volume and is offered for American Culture and Latina/o studies majors and minors as well as students wishing to fulfill the college requirement on Race and Ethnicity or wishing to take it as an elective or cognate. The class focuses on the historical and cultural analysis of Mexican-Americans or Chicanas/os, Puerto Ricans/Nuyoricans, Cuban-Americans, Dominican-Americans, and Central and South Americans in the United States. The discussion of keyword essays is accompanied by historical and scholarly readings and by the discussion of works of literature and films and by a set of guest visits by varied faculty who teach Latina/o studies on our campus. Each faculty member was asked what keyword essay or essays they would like to focus on. In class, we highlight issues of race, ethnicity, racism, gender, sexuality, socioeconomic class, religion, education, and language, also paying attention to the intersections between U.S. Latina/o experience and that of African Americans, Native Americans or indigenous people, and Muslim Americans. The syllabus built on other Introduction to Latina/o Studies syllabi by Dr. Petra Rivera-Rideau (Wellesley College) and Dr. Anthony Mora (University of Michigan).

Instructor comments:

What worked: The students greatly enjoyed the combination of reading materials, guest lectures, and audiovisual materials, which included documentaries and songs. They appreciated going over basic definitions and facts and learning about the authors of the keyword essays. They were invited in lecture, discussion sections, exams and papers to compare and contrast different keywords and to highlight the strengths and limitations of particular essays. It is a very good idea to match the Keywords volume with other sources, in my case with Juan González’s Harvest of Empire: A History of Latinos in America (Revised ed., Penguin, 2011) and with Junot Díaz’s The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (Riverhead Books, 2008).

What needs work: The syllabus was overly ambitious and did not account for the fact that students need basic contextual information to be able to fully understand some of the keyword essays. We were not able to cover all of the additional scholarly articles included in the syllabus.

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Introduction to Latina/o Studies, Professor Lawrence La Fountain-Stokes, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

Introduction to Latina/o Studies

American Culture (AMCULT) 213.002

Latina/o American Studies (LATINOAM) 213.002

FALL 2018

Books

  1. Díaz, Junot. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. New York: Riverhead Books, 2008.
  2. González, Juan. Harvest of Empire: A History of Latinos in America. Revised edition. New York: Penguin, 2011.
  3. Vargas, Deborah R., Nancy Raquel Mirabal, and Lawrence La Fountain-Stokes, eds. Keywords for Latina/o Studies. New York: New York University Press, 2017.

Class Requirements

Attendance, Participation, Reaction Papers, Quizzes 10%

Midterm Paper 15%

Midterm Exam 25%

Final Paper 25%

Final Exam 25%

Course Expectations

Students are expected to complete readings and participate in class discussion and in section each week. You are required to take notes on readings and class lectures to assist you in preparing for class and exams.

Attendance, Participation, Pop Quizzes

Attendance to lecture is required and absences are highly discouraged. Students may miss two classes without any penalty. If you miss more than two unexcused days of class your grade will drop one letter grade for every day of absence. The professor reserves the right to fail students who miss more than two weeks of class without a written excuse from an academic advisor. Lateness is also highly discouraged. If you are late more than once, the professor will call it to your attention. If you continue to be late it will severely affect your grade. The professor and GSI reserve the right to give periodic pop (surprise) quizzes on the readings of the course, as well as material covered in lectures and discussions.

Notetaking in Lecture and Section and Use of Electronic Devices

You are expected to take notes in class on materials presented in lecture and to use pen or pencil and paper. Computers and other electronic devices (phones) are not allowed in class, except to access readings (PDF files, readings online). You will be asked to leave class for inappropriate use of devices.

Written Work

All written work must be typed and double-spaced with regular margins and uploaded to the class website. Handwritten work will not be accepted.

Each student will hand in a midterm paper (4-5 pages) on questions assigned in class. Papers are due on Wednesday, October 24. Papers will not be accepted more than one week late unless accompanied by a letter from an Academic Advisor explaining circumstances for tardiness. Unexcused late work will be graded down one letter grade.

Final Papers (8-10 pages long) must be on a U.S. Latina/o/x topic and should incorporate our class readings to the extent possible. Additional outside research is required. Students will be asked to hand in a preliminary one-page proposal and bibliography of 5 critical sources on Monday, November 19, several weeks before paper is due. Final papers are due on Monday, December 17. Students should become familiar with the Modern Language Association (MLA) International Bibliography, Hispanic American Periodicals Index (commonly referred to as HAPI), Chicano Database, and other electronic indexes available through the libraries’ web page. If you are not familiar with these resources, please talk to a librarian or to the professor.

Many of the course readings can be used as critical sources for the final paper, but you must complement these with additional sources.

Please follow either MLA (Modern Language Association) or Chicago style for notation and bibliography in your papers. Whatever you do, do it consistently throughout your entire paper and bibliography.

ALL WRITTEN WORK IN THIS CLASS IS INDIVIDUAL. STUDENTS MAY NOT WORK IN GROUP AND HAND IN THE SAME WORK FOR A GRADE WITHOUT PREVIOUS CONSENT OF THE PROFESSOR.

Exams

The Midterm (First Partial) Exam will be given during a class period ( Monday, October 29). The Second Partial Exam will be given during final exam period ( Thursday, December 13). You must bring a blue or green book to exam. Please write in blue or black ink. Exams will be a combination of objective questions (choose the best answer, true or false, match) and one essay question (you will have several to choose from).

Oral Participation

To be an active participant in any collaborative effort, you need to be fully prepared. This requires that you consistently read and contribute to class discussion.

General Guidelines

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY (e.g. cheating on tests, plagiarism of papers) WILL NOT BE TOLERATED AND WILL BE REPORTED TO THE ADEQUATE ACADEMIC AUTHORITIES (TO THE ASSISTANT DEAN OF UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION). Plagiarism is the representation of the words or ideas of another as one’s own in any academic exercise. To avoid plagiarism, every direct quotation must be identified by quotation marks or by appropriate indentation and must be promptly cited in the text or footnote. Acknowledgement is required when material from another source is stored in print, electronic, or other medium and is paraphrased in whole or in part in one’s own words. Plagiarism can, in some cases, be a subtle issue. Any question about what constitutes plagiarism should be discussed with the faculty member.

Essays or parts of essays copied from the Internet without appropriate citation constitute plagiarism. You will fail the assignment and it will be turned over to a dean.

No incomplete final course grades will be assigned. Whatever grade you have by the end of the semester will be entered as your final grade unless you have unusual circumstances that can be documented.

Calendar

Week One

Wed. SEPT. 5

Introductory conversation about Latina/o/x Studies.

VIDEO: Selections, The Latino Americans: The 500-Year Legacy that Shaped a Nation. WETA Washington, D.C.; Bosch and Co., Inc.; producers, Nina Alvarez… [and others]; directed by David Belton and Sonia Fritz, Episode One (2013). (6 hours)

http://www.pbs.org/latino-americans/en/watch-videos,

https://www.pbs.org/video/latino-americans-episode-1-foreigners-their-own-land/.

Week Two: Latina, Latino, Latin@, Latinx, and Latina/o/x Studies

Mon. SEPT. 10 Readings (please read before class):

  • Frances Aparicio, “Latinidad/es” (Keywords)
  • Juana María Rodríguez, “Latino, Latina, Latina,” Keywords for American Cultural Studies, second ed., NYU Press.
  • Sheila Contreras, “Chicana, Chicano, Chican@, Chicanx” (Keywords)
  • Frederick Luis Aldama, “Hyphen” (Keywords)

Maps: Latin America and the Caribbean; the United States.

Wed. SEPT. 12 Readings:

  • Gerald E. Poyo, “History” (Keywords)
  • Ana Patricia Rodríguez, “Literature” (Keywords)
  • John A. García, “Politics” (Keywords)
  • Richard T. Rodríguez, “X Marks the Spot,” _Cultural Dynamics_3 (2017).

Week Three: The History of Latinas/os/xs in the U.S.: Expansionism, Migration, Consolidation

Mon. SEPT. 17 Reading: Juan González, Harvest of Empire, Introduction (xi–xxiv) and chapters 1 and 2 (pages 3–57).

Wed. SEPT. 19 Reading: Juan González, Harvest of Empire, chapter 3 (58–78) and chapter 10 (167–198).

Week Four: The History of Latinas/os/xs in the U.S. (cont.)

Mon. SEPT. 24 Reading: Juan González, Harvest of Empire, chapters 4 to 6 (81–116)

Wed. SEPT. 26 Reading: Juan González, Harvest of Empire, chapters 7 to 9 (117–166)

Week Five: Latina/o/x History, Theater, Performance, and Incarceration

Mon. OCT. 1 Discussion of Film (view before class): Harvest of Empire: The Untold Story of Latinos in America / Onyx Films, EVS Communications and Loquito Productions present; in association with Getzells Gordon Productions; directed by Peter Getzels & Eduardo López; produced by Wendy Thompson-Marquez & Eduardo López. 2012. (93 min.)

Wed. OCT. 3 Guest Lecture on Theater, Performance, and Incarceration: Ashley Lucas (Associate Professor of Theater and Residential College, Director Prison Creative Arts Program)

Reading:

Week Six: Citizenship, Assimilation, Immigration, Exclusion

Mon. OCT. 8 Readings:

Wed. OCT. 10 Guest Lecture on DACA and Immigration

Prof. Jesse Hoffnung-Garskof (American Culture, History, Latina/o Studies)

Readings:

  • Juan Gonzalez, Harvest of Empire, chapter 11 (“Immigrants Old and New: Closing Borders of the Mind”)
  • S tudents receive topics for midterm paper.

Week Seven: Gender, Sexualities, and Feminisms

Mon. OCT. 15: NO CLASS: FALL STUDY BREAK

Wed. OCT. 17 Readings:

  • Sandra K. Soto, “Gender” (Keywords)
  • María Eugenia Cotera, “Feminisms” (Keywords)
  • Juana María Rodríguez, “Sexuality” (Keywords)
  • José Esteban Muñoz, “Introduction: Performing Disidentifications” (Disidentifications: Queers of Color and the Performance of Politics, 1999) (CANVAS)

Week Eight: Gender, Sexualities, and Feminisms (cont.)

Mon. OCT. 22 Readings:

  • Lawrence La Fountain-Stokes, “Translocas: Migration, Homosexuality, and Transvestism in Recent Puerto Rican Performance.”

http://hemisphericinstitute.org/hemi/fr/e-misferica-81/lafountain

Wed. OCT. 24: Guest Lecture on Eugenics, Sterilization, and Latinx Communities

Prof. Alexandra Minna Stern (American Culture, History, Latina/o Studies, Obstetrics and Gynecology)

Readings:

  • Alexandra Minna Stern, “Sterilization” (Keywords)
  • Austin Cross, “In the Eugenics Era, Mexican American Women Were Prime Targets of Sterilization in California” (text and audio),

https://www.scpr.org/programs/take-two/2018/04/05/62481/in-the-eugenics-era-mexican-american-women-were-pr/

Film (view before class): No Más Bebés = No More Babies / directed by Renee Tajima-Peña. [Los Angeles, California]: Moon Canyon Films, 2015. (54 minutes)

Turn in midterm paper in class and online.

Week Nine: Race, Ethnicity, Mestizaje: Legacies and Experiences

Mon. OCT. 29: Midterm (First Partial) Exam.

Wed. OCT. 31 Reading:

  • Silvio Torres-Saillant and Nancy Kang, “Race” (Keywords)
  • V. Olguín, “Raza” (Keywords)
  • Alicia Arrizón, “Mestizaje” (Keywords)
  • María Lugones, “Decolonial” (Keywords)
  • Julie A. Dowling, “White” (Keywords)

Week Ten: Race, Ethnicity, Mestizaje: Legacies and Experiences (cont.)

Mon. NOV. 5 Reading:

  • Maylei Blackwell, “Indigeneity” (Keywords)
  • Bianet Castellanos, “Rewriting the Mexican Immigrant Narrative: Situating Indigeneity in Maya Women’s Stories,” Latino Studies vol 15, no. 2 (2017): 219-241.
  • Juan Herrera, “Racialized Illegality: The Regulation of Informal Labor and Space,” Latino Studies, vol. 14, no. 3 (2016): 320-343.
  • Lourdes Alberto, “Coming Out as Indian: On Being an Indigenous Latina in the US,” Latino Studies, vol 15, no. 2 (2017): 247-253.

Wed. NOV. 7 Reading:

  • Tanya Katerí Hernández, “Afro-Latinas/os” (Keywords)
  • Vielka Cecilia Hoy, “Negotiating among Invisibilities: Tales of Afro-Latinidades in the United States.” The Afro-Latin@ Reader: Culture and History in the United States, eds. Miriam Jiménez Román and Juan Flores. Durham: Duke University Press, 2010. Pp. 426-430.
  • Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, “Reflections about Race by a Negrito Acomplejao.” The Afro-Latin@ Reader: Culture and History in the United States, eds. Miriam Jiménez Román and Juan Flores. Durham: Duke University Press, 2010. Pp. 445-452.
  • Jasmine M. Haywood, “‘Latino Spaces Have Always Been the Most Violent’: Afro-Latino Collegians’ Perceptions of Colorism and Latino Intragroup Marginalization.” International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education 30, no. 8 (2017): 759-782.

Week Eleven: Literature, Language, and Culture

Mon. NOV. 12 Reading:

  • John Nieto-Phillips, “Language” (Keywords)
  • María Elena Cepeda, “Music” (Keywords)
  • Curtis Marez, “Popular Culture” (Keywords)
  • Ana Celia Zentella, “Spanglish” (Keywords)
  • Juan González_, Harvest of Empire_, chapter 12 (“Speak Spanish, You’re in America!: El Huracán over Language and Culture”)

START READING JUNOT DIAZ NOVEL TODAY.

Wed. NOV. 14: Guest Lecture on U.S. Afro-Spanish and the Language of Reggaetón

Prof. Teresa Satterfield (Romance Languages and Literatures, En Nuestra Lengua)

Reading:

Week Twelve: Literary Representations of Diaspora

Mon. NOV. 19 Reading: Junot Díaz, Oscar Wao, Chapters 1-3 (1-165).

FINAL PAPER: Upload and hand in a preliminary one-page proposal and bibliography of 5 critical sources today.

Wed. NOV. 21: NO CLASS MEETING.

Thur. NOV. 22: Thanksgiving Recess.

Week Thirteen: Education; Literary Representations (cont.)

Mon. NOV. 26: Guest Lecture on Latinx Student Experience and Campus Climate at U-M

Prof. Lorraine Gutiérrez (Psychology and Social Work)

Reading:

  • Angela Valenzuela, “Education” (Keywords)
  • Results of the 2016 University of Michigan Student Campus Climate Survey on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

https://diversity.umich.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/DEI-STUDENT-REPORT-FINAL.pdf

  • Latino Students Send Demands on Representation to ‘U’ Administrators

https://www.michigandaily.com/section/campus-life/latino-students-send-demands-representation-u-administrators

Wed. NOV. 28 Reading: Junot Díaz, Oscar Wao, Chapters 4-End (167-340)

Week Fourteen: Migration, Exile, Religion

Mon. DEC. 3 Guest Lecture: Cuba’s Waves of Migration to the U.S.

Prof. Silvia Pedraza (American Culture and Sociology)

Readings:

  • Silvia Pedraza, “Cuba’s Refugees: Manifold Migrations.” In Origins and Destinies: Immigration, Race, and Ethnicity in America edited by Silvia Pedraza and Rubén Rumbaut (Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 1996).
  • José Quiroga, “Exile” (Keywords)

Students receive review sheet for second partial exam.

Wed. DEC. 5 Readings:

Week Fifteen: Diversity; Second Exam

Mon. DEC. 10 Film (view before class): New Muslim Cool, directed by Jennifer Maytorena Taylor. [San Francisco]: Kanopy Streaming, 2015. (83 minutes)

Thu. DEC. 13: FINAL EXAM, 4:00-6:00 PM

Mon. DEC. 17: TURN IN FINAL PAPER ONLINE.