This course will introduce major themes within the field of Latina/o studies, using an interdisciplinary approach to analyze the experiences of Latinas/os within the United States and throughout the Americas. Employing a range of historical, theoretical, political, and cultural texts, this class will ask students to think about a number of issues central to the field of Latina/o studies, including migration, language, nationalism, indigeneity, education, labor, assimilation, and cultural imperialism. This course will also look at the ways in which intersectional identifications, including race, sexuality, and gender, operate within frameworks of Latinidad.
Methodologically, this course will draw from such diverse fields as ethnic studies, history, political science, border studies, gender theory, sexuality studies, critical race theory, and urban studies. As we utilize a broad range of texts and synthesize diverse perspectives and ideas, students will be asked to interrogate formative concepts, such as the border, America(s), and the nation. Central class queries will probe the boundaries of Latina/o identity, the working of intersectional identities, patterns of migration, and the ways in which institutional power shapes the contemporary Latina/o experience. |