AMST 202 Latina/o Cultural and Intellectual History

This course will examine issues and experiences pertinent to Latino origin communities in the United States—principally Mexican/Chicano, Puerto Rican, Cuban, and Central American—from the mid-19th century to the present. Secondary source articles about these U.S. Latino communities will orient students to the consequences of macro-historical events—such as the Mexican American and the Spanish-American wars of the 19th century, and U.S. economic and military intervention in Latin America in the 20th century—and broad social phenomenon in these communities—such as migration, urbanization, labor force participation and expressive cultural production. These secondary sources will support the central critical work of the course, which is to read, discuss and interpret primary source texts and documents that represent and respond to the complex situation of Latinos as racial, gendered and class subjects within U.S. society. These primary materials will include political manifestos and declarations, literary texts, personal memoirs, journalistic essays, musical lyrics and some visual art works.