Synopsis:
In this course, we will examine a variety of texts and films that depict various
issues regarding people called Hispanic in the United States. Although we will
begin by examining issues relating to Mexican Americans, we will move to a much
broader conception of this fastest growing segment of US society. Thus we will
also examine texts and issues relating to Cuban Americans and Nuyoricans (Puerto
Ricans in the US and New York especially). While we will find various
similarities among these texts and issues, we will also find substantial
differences. We will focus on three main themes, history, voice, and Latinidad,
and we will read Latina/o texts in a comparative manner, examining both to what
degree these themes are present, repeated, and changed in each text, as well as
what these comparisons reveal about "ethnicity" in US literature and
cultural/political discourse.
Weekly Syllabus: (note reading assignments are to be completed by the first day of class for which the specific text is assigned. If it becomes evident that reading assignments are not being completed on time, then we will have quizzes)
History: We will begin to address Latina/o literature through issues of history, the history of Mexican/American relations, the history of Mexican Americans, and the history of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. We will address how history is narrated and recovered. What constitutes a new history? How is history related to literature?
Aug. 28 Intro
Sep. 2 Americo Paredes. With His Pistol in his Hand
Sep. 4 With His Pistol in his Hand
Sep. 9 Luis Valdez. Zoot Suit
Sep. 11 Zoot Suit
Sep. 16 Oscar Zeta Acosta. Revolt of the Cockroach People
Sep. 18 Revolt of the Cockroach People
Sep. 23 Revolt of the Cockroach People
Test #1 (Take-home)
Voice: We will move from history to address issues of voice. How is voice related to literature? How is voice related to identity? How important is language difference (Spanish) in questions of voice? Students should consider to what extent voice is necessary to discover and narrate a new history, and to what degree narrative of community is both connected to historical recovery and also capable of moving beyond historical considerations to narrate specificity or difference within identities formed through historical recovery.
Sep. 25 Tomas Rivera. And the Earth did not Devour Him
Sep. 30 And the Earth did not Devour Him
Oct. 2 Gloria Anzaldúa. Borderlands/La Frontera
Oct. 7 Borderlands/La Frontera
Oct. 9 Borderlands/La Frontera
Oct. 14 Helena María Viramontes. Under the Feet of Jesus
Oct. 16 Under the Feet of Jesus
Oct. 21 Under the Feet of Jesus
Test #2 (Take-home)
Latinidad: In this last section, we will move beyond considerations of
Mexican/American issues and address a broader notion of Hispanics, Latina/os.
Consider the historical similarities and differences between Chicana/os and
Cuban Americans and Nuyoricans. How are issues of history and voice changed by
this broader conception? As we have read in the newspapers, Hispanics or Latinos
are the fastest growing segment of the US population, and in terms of
population, the US is one of the largest Spanish speaking nations in the world.
How do questions of language determine this category of Latino, and how much
does this notion of Latinos somehow provoke issues more closely related to
Chicanos, such as immigration and foreign nationality?
Oct. 23 Miguel Algarín (ed.). Aloud, Voices from the Nuyorican Poets Cafe
Oct. 28 Aloud
Oct. 30 Aloud
Nov. 4 Esmerelda Santiago. When I was Puerto Rican
Nov. 6 When I was Puerto Rican
Nov. 11 When I was Puerto Rican
Nov. 13 Abraham Rodriquez. The Boy Without a Flag
Nov. 18 NO CLASS
Nov. 20 The Boy Without a Flag
Term Papers due (no exceptions)
Nov. 25 Cristina Garcia. Dreaming in Cuban
Nov. 27 Thanksgiving
Dec. 2 Dreaming in Cuban
Dec. 4 Conclusion
Final Exam Period: Test #3
Notice: some of these texts address issues of sexuality and use contemporary
language that some individuals may find offensive. Students are strongly advised
to examine the texts when preparing to purchase them at the bookstore.
Assignments:
Term Paper will be 12 page research paper concentrating on one of the assigned
class texts. Papers will cite at least five sources in addition to the primary
text. Encyclopedias and dictionaries, whether bound, on-line, or on CD (while
helpful and viable sources of information) will not count toward the five source
citation requirement. Additionally, all sources of information will be cited
using MLA format and MLA format only. Plagiarism will result in a failing grade
for the assignment.
Grading:
Tests: 20% each
(Quizzes, if necessary, will each be worth 5% deducted from the 20% overall test
percentage for the section in which quiz is administered.)
Term Paper: 30%
Participation: 10%
Participation grades will be determined as follows:
Active participation and unfailing attendance: 10%
Frequent participation and constant attendance: 9%
Occasional participation and good attendance: 8%
Pleasant demeanor and quiet, persistent presence: 7%
Scowling demeanor and spotty attendance: 6%
Talking to neighbors, reading newspaper: 5%
Belching in class, producing odors: 4%
Sickness in class, bleeding on floor: 3%
Dragging intestines, bones poking through skin: 2%
Death in class: 1%
Face and name utter mystery to Professor: 0%
Que les vaya bien.