Introduction to Latina and Latino Studies: Movements (202-0-1)

Instructors

Elvia Mendoza
Crowe Hall, Room 1144

Meeting Info

Kresge Centennial Hall 2-410: Tues, Thurs 11:00AM - 12:20PM

Overview of class

This course examines formations of various histories and communities through physical and social movements across, and often despite, US geopolitical boundaries. The course explores how the trans-border circulation of peoples and cultures across the Americas influences the development of Latinx socio-spatial relations, intersectional identities, and politics. Additionally, it discusses the broader meanings of these dynamics for critical debates regarding democracy.

Learning Objectives

In LATINO 202, by engaging the course materials and one another in discussion and group work, as well as through writing assignments, students will:
1. Understand and explain the historical circumstances of migrations — whether through the shifting of borders or border crossings — that shaped or made Latinx communities.
2. Recognize the particularities of Latinx identity or subjectivity formations across variant regions or urban areas.
3. Discuss and analyze the long history of Latinx social movements, the contexts in which they took shape, and their effects on communities, identities, and politics.
4. Reflect on how Latinxs used formal politics to petition for belated inclusion and civil rights under the law, as well as how and why some Latinxs became skeptical of formal politics (liberal humanism and/or reform), prompting them to begin to imagine, if not deploy, alternatives.)

Class Materials (Required)

Readings and other course materials will be available on Canvas.

Class Attributes

Social and Behavioral Science Foundational Discipl
U.S. Perspectives on Power, Justice, and Equity
SoC Individual and Social Behavior Distro