Studies in American Culture (310-0-1)

Topic

Coming of Age in Latinx Studies: Scholars, Writer

Instructors

Merida M Rua

Meeting Info

University Library 4670: Mon, Wed 9:30AM - 10:50AM

Overview of class

This seminar focuses on age as a significant social and analytical category in the study of everyday life and creative expressions within self-identified Latina, Latino, and Latinx communities. Students will engage with a variety of materials, including historical studies and narratives, ethnographic texts, nonfiction essays, short stories, visual art, and popular culture to question common assumptions about how individuals and communities experience growing up and growing old. Discussions will highlight political and economic dimensions that affect life trajectories within communities, as well as how other categories of social difference inform ideas about age and age relations.

Learning Objectives

Students will develop an understanding of the experience of aging as a physical process as well
as a historical and sociocultural phenomenon. They will interpret and examine Latinas, Latinos,
and Latinxs within the broader rubric of racial and ethnic studies, situating their shared and
divergent experiences with other racialized communities. Students will also appreciate the
interdisciplinary framework of Latina, Latino, and Latinx Studies, which combines both social
science and humanities-based approaches to historical and contemporary issues, as well as
artistic, cultural, and performative dimensions.

Class Materials (Required)

Matt De la Peña, Last Stop on Market Street (2015)
Angie Cruz, How Not to Drown in A Glass of Water (2022)
Readings on canvas

Class Attributes

Social and Behavioral Science Foundational Discipl
Social & Behavioral Sciences Distro Area
Ethics & Values Distro Area