Topics in Latina and Latino Social and Political Issues (392-0-4)

Topic

Colonial Citizenship

Instructors

katrina quisumbing king
kqk@northwestern.edu

Meeting Info

University Hall 102: Tues, Thurs 3:30PM - 4:50PM

Overview of class

Debates over who should belong are long standing in the UnitedStates and informed by ideas of race. In this course, students willexplore how, as the United States empire expanded, powerful elitesand politicians decided what kind of people could be part of the polityand on what terms. Students will learn the history of U.S. citizenshiplaw, why certain people were eligible for U.S. citizenship, and whysome territories became independent, others became states, and stillothers remained colonies. Course material will primarily draw on andemphasize historical and social scientific approaches to the study ofrace, immigration, citizenship, and empire. Students will benefit fromprevious courses in any of these topics. This course puts thehistories of U.S. territorial acquisition in North America, theCaribbean, and the Pacific in conversation with one another. Theanalytical focus is on how the U.S. conquered, defined territory andpeople, and determined rights and membership. By paying attentionto how the United States constructed race in different times and fordifferent populations, students are encouraged to see commonalitiesin the classification and treatment of Asian (American), LatinAmerican (and LatinX) and Indigenous peoples. As a whole, thecourse will demonstrate how U.S. elites and state actors repeatedlyinvested in and defended the idea of the United States as a whitenation.

Learning Objectives

At the end of this class, students should have a familiarity with thehistory of U.S. territorial expansion on the continent, in theCaribbean, and in the Pacific. They should be able to identifyinstitutional, ideological, and material factors that contributed toexpansion and the consequences of U.S. imperial rule for thegeographic and demographic definitions of the United States.Students should also be able to compare the strategies and policiesof U.S. imperial rule. Students will learn to assess, analyze, andinterpret secondary sources and to use them to develop originalarguments. Finally, students should develop a sense of ownershipover and shared community in their coursework and learning.

Teaching Method

Lecture and small-group discussion

Evaluation Method

Attendance/participation, quizzes, group presentation, short paper

Class Materials (Required)

All materials for this course will be made available on Canvas - no
purchase necessary.

Class Attributes

Social and Behavioral Science Foundational Discipl
Interdisciplinary Distro-rules apply
U.S. Perspectives on Power, Justice, and Equity
Social & Behavioral Sciences Distro Area
Ethics & Values Distro Area