Latina & Latino Youth in U.S. Cities (222-0-1)

Instructors

Ana L Aparicio
847/491-5132
1810 Hinman Ave. #212

Meeting Info

Kresge Centennial Hall 2-435: Wed 2:00PM - 4:50PM

Overview of class

Latina/o/x populations are en route to becoming the "majority-minority" group; youth constitute a significant segment of this population. This course will examine the cultural, social, and political contexts that help us understand the lives of Latina/o/x youth in the U.S. In the context of contemporary racialization processes, increasing poverty, government disinvestment in education and after-school initiatives, and growing investment in the prison industrial complex, how do Latina/o/x youth develop ideas of self and civic engagement? Inherent in this reading of the lives of Latina/o/x youth is an examination of the ways in which they experience and act upon racial discourse, state policies and practices, cultural or identity shifts, and/or political innovations. Readings are drawn from a variety of scholarly fields and popular genres and are complemented by guest lectures, films, and student participation in and research on contemporary Latina/o/x youth culture.

Learning Objectives

Critical reading of texts - academic and mainstream media - about Latina/o/x youth and communities; developing a research project, collecting and analyzing data, writing research paper.

Class Materials (Required)

• Alvarez, Julia. 2007. Once Upon a Quinceañera: Coming of Age in the USA. Viking Press.
• Hernandez, Jillian. 2020. Aesthetics of Excess: The Art and Politics of Black and Latina Embodiment. NC: Duke University Press.
• Perez, Gina. 2015. Citizen, Student, Soldier: Latina/o Youth, JROTC, and the American Dream. NY: NYU Press.

Class Attributes

Social & Behavioral Sciences Distro Area