Introduction to Latina and Latino Studies: Space and Place (201-0-1)

Instructors

Merida M Rua

Meeting Info

Locy Hall 106: Mon, Wed 9:30AM - 10:50AM

Overview of class

The course offers students an overview of imperialism, colonialism, race, and capitalism to foster critical perspectives on how the Americas came to be. We will further explore how Mexican/Mexican American/Chicanx, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Dominican, Central American, and South American peoples are made and how individuals and communities from these backgrounds become Latinas, Latinos, Latines, and Latinxs in the United States.

Learning Objectives

• Engage with diverse sources and frameworks to critically examine structural arrangements and constructions of social difference, particularly how they assign meaning and value to space, place, and people;

• Articulate an understanding of the spatial logics of imperialism, colonialism, capitalism, racial formation, and nation;

• Examine and critically reflect on how Latinidad emerges as an ethnoracial category within the formation and structuring of the US nation-state and its relations of power in the Americas

• Develop their critical thinking and analytical skills through active collaboration with classmates and course assignments.

Class Materials (Required)

Cristina Henriquez, The Great Divide (2024)

Readings on Canvas

Class Attributes

U.S. Perspectives on Power, Justice, and Equity

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: Registration is reserved for Latina and Latino Majors and Minors during pre-registration. Regular registration will be open to all majors/minors after the pre-registration period.