Instructor: Dr. Maria Cotera GSI: Kathy Jurado
mcotera@umich.edu kjurado@umich.edu
3666 Haven Hall 3504 Haven Hall
Office Hours M/W: 3-4:30 Office Hours M: 2-3, W:1-3
Course Description:
Born in the wake of struggles for social justice and educational equity of the 1960s, Latino Studies is a critical practice as varied as the group it seeks to represent. An interdisciplinary approach to the study of Puerto Rican, Mexican, Cuban, Caribbean, Central American, and Latin American communities in the US, Latina/o Studies offers a rubric for understanding not only the interconnections between diverse Latina/o communities but also the differences that sometimes divide them. This course will introduce students to the many practices of Latina/o Studies by giving them the opportunity to meet and learn more about scholars engaged in this field of study. The class will consist of a series of lectures/projects designed in conjunction with scholars, activists and cultural practitioners working in different areas of Latino Studies at the University of Michigan and beyond.
This course includes an optional Latina/o Film Festival. Film and Video Studies professor, Catherine Benamou has designed this film series to interface with the major themes of the course. Beginning in week three we will have regular Tuesday night film screenings (6-8pm) located at 2306 Mason Hall. Although you will not be required to attend the film screenings unless you decide to focus on Latina/o film for your final project (see Final Project descriptions), we strongly encourage you to attend all or at least some of these screenings since they will contribute immensely to your overall experience in the course.
Online Resources:
Ctools: http://www.ctools.umich.edu/portal
AC213 Website: http://www.umich.edu/~ac213
Required Texts:
Juan Gonz�lez, Harvest of Empire: A History of Latinos in the U.S. (Shaman Drum)
AC213 Course Reader: (AccuCopy)
Course Requirements:
Attendance & Class Participation-10%
Surveys (2)- 10%
Mid Term Examination-30%
Final Project-50%
Attendance & Class Participation (10%): Regular attendance, constructive class participation, and consistent and engaged reading of assigned texts are required from all registered students. At the beginning of every class, you will sign our class roster indicating that you were present for that class session. Because the class is only 50 minutes long, and we have many lectures scheduled that will go the full period, tardiness is unacceptable. You are allowed up to two (2) excused absences during the semester, but you must show documentation in order for an absence to be counted as �excused.� Absences are excused for personal illness, family emergencies, jury duty and religious holidays. Every unexcused absence will result in the lowering of your attendance and class participation grade by one point per absence out of a total of 25 possible points (one point per class meeting).
Surveys (10%): These surveys offer you an opportunity to contribute to the design of future gateway courses. Survey #1is a pre-survey about your academic interests and your reasons for taking the class. This survey should be completed by the start of the third week of class (Due Date: Sunday, September 19). Survey #2 is an exit survey designed to give the instructors a better idea of what worked and didn't work in the class (Due Date: Wednesday, December 20). You can find a link to the survey on the "resources" page of our ctools site.
Mid-Term Examination (30%): The mid-term examination will consist of short answer, multiple choice and identification questions and at least one short essay question. Exam questions will draw from both lectures and readings. Exam date: Wednesday, October 20.
Final Project (50%): You have three options for your final project. Each of these projects involves a series of short assignments (4 total) spaced at regular intervals throughout the semester. The short assignments will help you to get an early start on your final project so that you aren't scrambling to finish at the end of the semester. Assignments 1-3 will be submitted on ctools, Assignment #4 will be submitted in class on the last class meeting. These assignments will be graded individually and will contribute to your overall final project grade. You must decide which final project you want to undertake by the third week of class and submit a Project Proposal to ctools by Sunday, September 26. Your final projects are due on the day scheduled for our final, Monday, December 20.The descriptions below are brief overviews of your final project options. For more detailed information please consult the AC213 Website: http://www.umich.edu/~ac213.
Option #1: Web-based Project (collaborative project)
Form a group of 2-3 students. Create a website that addresses some aspect of the Latina/o experience. See the Web Project Resources page on our class website for more detailed information on project guidelines and resources.
Option #2: Latina/o Film Project (individual project)
This is an individual project linked to the Latina/o film festival. Attend the Tuesday night film screenings. Write short film reviews for each film you see. At the end of the term submit a Film Review Portfolio consisting of a short Introduction, a collection of 8-10 film reviews from the semester and an annotated bibliography of Latina/o film criticism. See the Film Project Guidelines page on our class website for more detailed information on project guidelines and resources. Remember that in order to complete this project you will have to attend all of the film screenings.
Option #3: Community Service Learning Project (experiential project)
Volunteer with one of the following community service organizations: Latinos Unidos, The Detroit Project, Associaci�n Latina Alcanzando Sue�os (ALAS). Write a final paper (10-15 pgs.) that reflects on your experience and draws from class readings & lectures. See the Community Service Project Guidelines
page for more detailed information on project guidelines and resources. Remember that in order to complete this project, you will have to spend at least 2 hours per week working on-site at the community service organization.
Week 1: Wednesday, September 8
Introduction to the Course
UNIT ONE: THE HISTORICAL ORIGINS OF U.S. LATINA/OS
Week 2: September 13-15 (Pre-Survey due: Sunday, September 19)
Lectures:
Maria Cotera: Introduction to History of Anglo-Latina/o Relations
Maria Montoya: 1848 and the Creation of the Southwest.
Readings:
Monday
� �Conquerers and Victims,� Harvest of Empire
� �Shades of the Tenth Muse,� Jovita Gonz�lez
Wednesday
� �Legacy of Hate: The Conquest of Mexico�s Northwest,� Rodolfo Acu�a
� Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, Articles IX and X
� �We Call Them Greasers,�Gloria Anzald�a
Extra Credit Opportunity:
Volunteer to help with Festival Latino at Riverside Park, Ypsilanti. Sunday, Sept. 19, 11-5
(one 3-hour slot) includes free admission, food, raffle (worth 1 point on your overall grade)
Contact: Clarissa Sansone - (734) 973-6320 Clariggy@hotmail.com
Week 3: September 20-22 (Project Proposal due by email: Sunday, September 26)
Lectures:
Maria Sanchez: A New People: Mexican Americans in the 19th Century.
Maria Cotera: The Spanish American War & the Caribbean Diaspora
Readings:
Monday
� Selections from �Who Would Have Thought It?,� Ru�z de Burton
� Selections from �The Squatter and the Don,� Ru�z de Burton
� �Tierra de viejitas,� John Phillip Santos
Wednesday
� �The Spanish American War,� David Trask
� review this website before class:http://www.loc.gov/rr/hispanic/1898/ (on Ctools)
� �A Vindication of Cuba,� Jose Mart�
� �Simple Verses,� Jose Mart�
Film Screenings: The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez (dir. Robert Young, Embassy Pictures, 1983)
Week 4: September 27-29
Lectures:
Jesse Hoffnung-Garskof : Race and the Caribbean Diaspora
Silvia Pedraza: Cuban Immigrants: Revolution and Exodus
Readings:
Monday
� �What Sort of Country, What Sort of People?�, �Uncle Sam�s Burden: Puerto Ricans, Filipinos and Other Colonial Subjects�, �Peasants in the Hills� & �Conclusion� in The Puerto Rican Nation on the Move, Jorge Duany
Wednesday
� �Cubans: Special Refugees,� Juan Gonzalez
� �Cuba�s Refugees: Manifold Migrations,� Silvia Pedraza
� �Pedraza�s Cuba: Past but Ever Present,� Carla Howery
� Selections from USA Today, �A Family Divided�
Film Screenings: Getting
To Heaven/Ganarse El Cielo (dir. Alfredo Bejar, 1994) short
Nueba Yol III: Under the New Law (dir. Angel Mu�oz, 1997)feature
Week 5: October 4-6 (Assignment #1 Due: Sunday, October 10)
Lectures
Maritza C�rdenas: Central Americans.
Maria Cotera: Central Americans "After the Earthquake/Despu�s del Terremoto"
Readings:
Monday
� �Central Americans:Intervention Comes Home to Roost,� "Columbians and Panamanians:Overcoming Division and Disdain" Harvest of Empire
� �The Truth of El Mozote,� Mark Danner
� �Coffee,� Lorna Dee Cervantes
Wednesday
� �Central American Migration: A Framework for Analysis,� Nora Stoltz and Norma Chinchilla (81-100)
Film Screenings: The Gringo in Ma�analand (dir. Dee Dee Halleck, 1995) feature
After the Earthquake (dir, Lourdes Portillo, 1979) short
UNIT TWO: POLITICS OF IDENTITY
Week 6: October 11-13
Lectures:
Maria Cotera: "�Adelante Raza!": Chicano Nationalism
Maria Cotera: "The Young Lords": Puerto Rican Nationalism.
Film Viewing Pa�lante, Siempre Pa�lante.
Readings: Complete all readings by Monday
� �Establishing an Identity in the 60�s,� Suzanne Oboler
� �Aztl�n, Borinquen and Hispanic Nationalism in the United States,� Klor de Alba
� �El Plan Espiritual de Aztl�n�
� �El Plan de Santa Barbara�
� �Young Lords Party 13 Point Platform�
� �Puerto Rican Obituary,� Pedro Pietri
� �El Louie,� Jos� Montoya
Film Screenings: Break of Dawn (dir. Isaac Artenstein, 1988) feature
Week 7: October 18-20
Fall Study Break¾Monday, October 18
MID TERM EXAMINATION¾Wednesday, October 20
Week 8: October 25-27 (Assignment #2 Due: Sunday, October 31)
Lectures:
Maria Cotera: Borderlands Identity
Suzanne Oboler: Latinidad in the Post-911 Moment
Readings:
Monday
� �Yo Soy Joaqu�n,� Rodolfo �Corky� Gonzales
� �Notes from a Chicana Co-ed,� Bernice Zamora
� Selections from Borderlands/La Frontera, Gloria Anzald�a
Wednesday
� "The Politics of Labeling: Latino/a Cultural Identities of Self and Others" Suzanne Oboler
Film Screening: Grounds
(dir. Dolissa Medina, 2000) short
The Blue Diner/ (dir. Natascha Est�ba�ez & Jan Egelson, 2000)
Extra Credit Opportunity: Gloria Anzald�a Memorial, Friday, October 29. Time & Place TBA
UNIT THREE: THE LATINA/O EXPERIENCE
Week 9: November 1-3
Lectures:
Alexandra M. Stern: Medical Discourse and the Latina/o Immigrant Body
Alexandra M. Stern: (contd.)
Readings:
Monday
� �Buildings, Boundaries and Blood,� Alex Stern.
� �Policing Pregnant Pilgrims,� Elena Gutierrez .
Wednesday
� �Aguacero,� Aurora Levins Morales
Film Screening: La Operaci�n dir. Ana Maria Garc�a, 1983)
Week 10: November 8-10
Lectures:
Robert Ortega: Latina/o Youth
Lorraine Gutierrez: Latino/a Youth and Community Activism
Readings:
Monday
� "Latinos and Child Welfare" Robert Ortega
Wednesday
� "Latino Leadership Development: Beginning on Campus," Marco A. Davis
� "Young People as Competent Citizens," Barry Checkoway, et al.
� Please take a look at the following websites before Dr. Gutierrez' lecture: http://www.swop.net/ and http://www.youthec.org/youthforce/ (on ctools)
Film Screenings: Justifiable Homicide (dir. Jonathan Stack and Jon Osman, 2001)
Fear and Learning at Hoover Elementary (dir. Laura Ang�lica Sim�n, 1997)
Week 11: November 15-17 (Assignment # 3 Due: Sunday, November 21)
Lectures:
Mary Beltran: Latina Star Power and Star Bodies, 1950�s - Present
Kathy Jurado: Latina/o Representations in the Media
Readings:
Monday
� "Hollywood Latina Body as Site of Social Struggle," Mary Beltran
Wednesday
� �The Hispanic Challenge,� Samuel Huntington (1-17)
� �Immigrants, Aliens and Extraterrestrials,� Charles Ram�rez Berg (39-65)
UNIT 4: LATINA/O EXPRESSIVE CULTURE
Week 12: November 22-24
Lectures:
Catherine Benamou: Latina/o Documentary
Catherine Benamou: Latina/os and Transnational Television
Readings: Complete all readings by Monday
� �A Crash Course on Hollywood�s Latino Imagery,� Charles Ram�rez Berg.
� �The Latino Community-A Huge Potential Market,� NALIP.
� �Latino Advocacy: The Numbers Game,� Chon Noriega, NALIP.
� �A Program for Change,� Ray Santisteban, NALIP.
Required Film Screening:
Why Cyberbraceros? (dir. Alex Rivera & Lalo Lopez, 1997) short
Se�orita Extraviada (dir. Lourdes Portillo, 2002) feature
Week 13: November 29-December 1
Lectures:
Monday-No Class
Maria Cotera: The Politics and Poetics of Chicano Art
Readings:
� "Arte Chicano: Images of a Community," Tom�s Ybarra-Frausto
� "Introduction" Signs From the Heart, Sperling-Cockcroft & Barnet-Sanchez
� �Domesticana: The Sensibility of Chicana Rasquachismo,� Amalia Mesa-Bains
Film Screening: Art Beat with (WDET, Fall 2003) short
Carmelita Tropicana, "Your Kunst is Your Waffen (dir, Ela Troiano, 1993)
Ex Voto (dir., Tania Cipriano, 1990) short
Required Field Trip: Detroit Institute of Arts & Tour of Detroit Murals Saturday, December 4.
Week 14: December 6-8
Lectures:
Monday-Maria Cotera (film screening: Chulas Fronteras)
Wednesday-Roland Vasquez, "Poetry & the Drum: Afro Latin Music as Mythic Influence on
American Culture(s)"
Readings:
Monday
� The Texas Mexican Conjunto,� Manuel Pe�a (86-117).
� Bidi Bidi Bom Bom: Selena and Tejano Music in the Making of Tejas," Deborah Vargas
Wendesday
� �Bumb�n and the Beginnings of Plena Music,� Juan Flores .
� �Rapping two Versions of the Same Requiem" Raquel Rivera
Film Screening: Plena is Work , Plena is song (dir. Pedro A. Rivera & Susan Zeig, 1989) short
Crossover Dreams (dir. Le�n Ichaso & Orlando Jim�nez Leal, 1985) feature
Week 15: December 13 (Assignment #4 Due IN CLASS: Monday, December 13)
Lecture:
Monday-Lawrence La Fontaine-Stokes. Performing: �Abolition of the Duck: Queer Performance in the Americas (An Illustrated Talk).�
Readings:
� �Sister Act: Ella Troyano and Carmelita Tropicana,� Jos� Esteban Mu�oz.
� �The Other History of Intercultural Performance,� Coco Fusco.
� �Imagining Community: Video and the Installation Work of Pep�n Osorio,� Tiffany Ana L�pez.
� �Memory Performance: Luis Alfaro�s �Cuerpo Politizado�,� Jos� Esteban Mu�oz
Optional Reading:
� �Dancing La Vida Loca: The Queer Nuyorican Perfomances of Arthur �viles and Elizabeth Marrero,� Lawrence La Fontaine-Stokes (162-176).
Exit Survey due: Wednesday, December 20 (5:00 pm)