Course Information:
History 2328 CRN: 94115
Mexican American History
Friday, 6:00-9:00, Northline 213
Spring 2016 / 3 Lecture 0 Lab
Contact Information:
Professor: Dr. Jesse Esparza
Office Phone: 713.313.4841
E-Mail: jesse.esparza2@hccs.edu
Office Hrs.: Fri, 4:00-6:00, Library
Course Description:
While Mexican Americans make up one of the oldest and fastest growing ethno-racial groups in the U.S.,
their historical experiences as well as their significance to the building of the United States has been too
often ignored and undervalued by most historians. And lost within the current debate over immigration
which paints Mexican Americans as recent newcomers and aliens, the fact is that Latinos have been in
what is now the U.S. since before the arrival of the Pilgrims on Plymouth Rock. The purpose of this
class, therefore, is to provide students with a survey of Mexican American history from pre-Columbian
times to the present. Our main goal is to gain a better understanding of the history of Mexican Americans
within the broader scope of American history and society. After all, Latino History is American History.
The class is structured chronologically and will explore broader historical themes such as ethno-racial
formation, conquest and colonization, gender relations, environmental exploitation, cultural and identity
formation, as well as labor relations. Course objectives include: becoming familiar with the struggles and
controversies that shaped both Mexican American and American history and society; showing that the
history of Mexican Americans is a part of a continental history; acquiring a historical understanding of
cultural groups and issues; increasing awareness to the role of interpretation in the creation of history;
recognizing and distinguishing between primary and secondary sources; critically reading and analyzing
primary and secondary sources; and improving students’ ability to write and comment effectively.
Texts & Additional Readings:
Arnold De Leon and Richard Griswold del Castillo. North to Aztlan: A History of Mexican Americans in
the United States. 2nd Edition. Harland Davidson, Inc., 2012. ISBN-13: 978-0882952437.
(Required Text)
Ignacio Garcia. White But Not Equal: Mexican Americans, Jury Discrimination, and the Supreme Court.
University of Arizona Press, 2007. ISBN-978-0-8165-2751-9. (Required Reader)
Neil Foley. Mexicans in the Making of America. Belknap Press, 2014. ISBN-9780674048485.
(Required Reader)
Assignments:
There will be five assignments this semester; two unit exams, two book assignments, and one archival
history project. Each exam (Midterm and Final) will be divided into three sections including multiple
choice, key term, and essay. Scantrons and bluebooks are required for completion of all exams. There
will also be two book assignments based off of the required readers. Lastly there will be an archival
history project assigned to the class. Details on these assignments as well as their due dates are provided
below in the course calendar and on my Learning Web account.
Make-up Policy:
There are no make-ups for assignments except in the case of a college-excused absence, a medicalexcused absence, or by prior arrangement with the Professor. If that should occur, make-ups will be
given or will be due within 30 days of the original assignment due date on a day determined by the
Professor. Make-ups will not be the same as regular assignments. All absences require a note from a
health care professional or school official confirming date and time of visit/event in order for the absence
to count as excused.
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Course Calendar:
Week 1:
Friday, January 22nd: FIRST CLASS DAY
Introduction to the Course
Week 2:
Friday, January 29th: Interpretations of Mexican American History
Discussion on Terminology
Film: Precious Knowledge
Archival Assignment 1: Macario Garcia
Week 3:
Friday, February 5th: Mesoamerican Empires & Civilizations, Pre-1492, Chapter 1
Olmeca: The First Americans
The Mayan: The Astronomers
Other Early Mesoamerican Groups
Culture & Society: Maize, Family, Religion, & War
Archival Assignment 2: Felix Tijerina
Week 4:
Friday, February 12th: Worlds Collide & the Spanish Era, 1492-1810, Chapter 2
European Invasion into Mesoamerica
Expansion & Colonization to the North
The Spanish Borderlands to the North
The Decline of Native Populations
Archival Assignment 3: Mexican Restaurants
Week 5:
Friday, February 19th: Life and Society in Mexico’s Northern Frontier, 1810-1848, Chapter 3
The Mexican War for Independence, 1810-1824
The Mexican Republic, 1824-1848
The Secession of Texas, 1835-1836
Conflict in Mexico’s Northern Frontier, 1837-1848
Archival Assignment 4: Our Lady of Guadalupe Church
Week 6:
Friday, February 26th: The Era of American Expansionism, 1848-1900, Chapter 4
The U.S. War Against Mexico
The Status of Mexican Americans
Mexican American Vigilantism
Mexican Americans in the U.S. Civil War
Mexican American s and the Indian Wars
Archival Assignment 5: Huelga Schools
Week 7:
Friday, March 4th: Immigration, Urbanization, & Americanization, 1900-1930, Chapter 5
The Mexican Revolution, 1910-1917
Immigration from Mexico
Mexican American Freedom Fighters: The Plan de San Diego
Mexican Americans and World War I
Mexican Americans and the Roaring Twenties
Archival Assignment 6: Mexican American Oversize Collection
Week 8:
Friday, March 11th: Midterm Exam
Week 9:
Friday, March 18th: NO CLASS (SPRING VACATION)
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Week 10:
Friday, March 25th: NO CLASS (GOOD FRIDAY)
Week 11:
Friday, April 1st: The Era of Depression and World War, 1930-1946, Chapter 6
Mexican Americans and the Great Depression
Mexican American Labor Rights Movement
Mexican Americans and World War II
America’s War at Home: Riots, Rebellions, & Justice Delayed
The Bracero Worker Program and Women Laborites
Archival Assignment 7: Lydia Mendoza
Week 12:
Friday, April 8th: Mexican Americans in Postwar America, 1946-1960, Chapter 7
The New American Labor and Civil Rights Movements
Mexican Americans and the Cold War
Civil Rights Litigation by Mexican Americans
Mexican American Political Action
Book Assignment 1 (White But Not Equal)
Archival Assignment 8: Houston Chronicle “Mexican American Hist.”
Week 13:
Friday, April 15th: Aztlan Rediscovered: The Chicano Movement, 1960-1975, Chapter 8
Huelga!: Dolores Huerta, Cesar Chavez, and the UFW Movement
King Tiger: Reies Lopez Tijerina & the New Mexico Land Grant Mvt.
Rudy Gonzalez: Cultural Nationalism & the Crusade for Justice
Walkout! The Chicano Student Movement
Mujer: The Chicana Women’s Movement
No Mas Guerra: The National Chicano War Moratorium
Third Party Politics: La Raza Unida Party
Archival Assignment 9: Gregorio Torres Valerio Collection
Week 14:
Friday, April 22nd: Mexican Americans at the End of the 20th Century, 1975-2000, Chaps. 9-10
A New Mexican American Voting Block
Unemployment, Drugs, Gang Warfare, and Race Riots
The English-Only Movement and Proposition 187
Mexican Americans and NAFTA
New Immigrants: Family, Culture, Society & Demographic Shifts
Political Growth and Challenges
Book Assignment 2 (Mexicans in the Making of America)
Archival Assignment 10: Houston’s Six Wards
Week 15:
Friday, April 29th: Mexican Americans in the 21st Century, 2000-Present, Chaps. 10 & 11
Culture & Society: Family, Religion, Film, Music, & Literature
The War in Iraq and the War on Terror
The 2008 Presidential Election of Barack Obama
The White Nationalist Movement & the Anti-Immigrant Backlash
Mexican Americans and the Recession
Education and the DREAM Act
The Attack on Mexican American Studies Programs
Latinos and the Future Direction of the United States
Archival Assignments: Leonel Castillo, John Herrera, & Jesse Reyes
Week 16:
Friday, May 6th: Final Exam
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Assignment Breakdown:
Midterm Exam:
Final Exam
Book Assignment 1:
Book Assignment 2:
Archival History Project:
Grading System:
A
90-100
B
80-89
C
70-79
D
60-69
F
1-59
I
Incomplete
W
Withdrawal
worth 100 pts.
worth 100 pts.
worth 100pts.
worth 100 pts.
worth 100pts.
Determining Grades:
Individual assignment grades are determined by way of an average. Your instructor divides the number
of points received on an individual assignment by the total number of points that assignment is worth.
Final grades, by extension, are determined by averaging out all individual assignment grades together.
That is, your instructor will add all individual assignments and then divide by five since there are five
total assignments.
Academic Dishonesty:
Academic dishonesty, including plagiarism or cheating on assignments will result in failure of those
assignments and class, and possibly grounds for suspension from the College. Do not cheat in class.
Plagiarism Statement:
Plagiarism is defined as the appropriation of passages, either word for word from the writing of another
and the incorporation of these as one’s own written work offered for credit. To avoid plagiarism, be sure
to paraphrase. If you quote directly from the text, use quotation marks and provide the proper citation
information; footnote or endnote. Be sure to include also the source from which you quoted in a Works
Cited or Bibliography page. Failure to do so will result in plagiarizing.
Attendance:
Regular, consistent attendance is an essential component of your overall success in this course. In a
lecture-driven course such as this, there is a direct correlation between success on assignments and
attendance. You are urged not to miss any class days. Attendance will be taken daily throughout the
semester. In case of illness or emergency, please notify the Professor.
Disabilities:
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides
comprehensive civil rights protection for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation
requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for
reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. Any student with a documented disability (e.g. physical,
learning, psychiatric, vision, hearing, etc.) who needs to arrange reasonable accommodations must contact
the Disability Services Office at the college at the beginning of each semester. Faculty are authorized to
provide only the accommodations requested by the Disability Services Office. Students who are
requesting classroom and/or testing accommodations must first contact the DSS Office for assistance
prior to the beginning of each semester at 713.718.6164.
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Disclaimer:
Be it understood that the dates of proposed lectures, assignments, and chapters can and often do change.
As such, the instructor reserves the right to deviate from the course calendar outlined in the syllabus so as
to accommodate the class. Be advised also that it is the intent of the instructor to use various forms of
audio/visual technology in the classroom to supplement and stimulate the lectures. Be aware, however,
that at times the information presented to the class can be considered highly sensitive and that viewer
discretion is advised.
Classroom Conduct:
One last word of wisdom I’d like to impart regarding classroom behavior. Classroom department requires
a certain degree of civility – translated; this means you are to conduct yourself appropriately. As such,
the following is prohibited: talking in a disruptive manner, dipping, smoking, sleeping, reading the
newspaper, studying for other classes, fighting, wearing sun glasses or shades, or any similar behavior
that is deemed disruptive or inappropriate by the Professor. This brings us to electronic devices. This
class offers you a zero tolerance policy on cell phones, iPhones, iPods, MP3s, PSPs and other similar
devices. Make sure they are turned off and put away during class time. Regarding laptops, iPads, and
voice recorders, they are allowed but only after speaking with the Professor first. For those utilizing
laptops or iPads, be sure that you use them only for class purposes; do not check your e-mail, face book,
blog, twitter, or watch videos during class. If the Professor suspects that you are using your laptop or
iPad for purposes other than class, he will ask you to shut it off and/or to leave. Lastly, please do not text
during class; do not check e-mail through your phone during class; and if you need to leave early please
make sure you let the Professor know before class starts. Only those enrolled in the course should attend
the class. The Professor reserves the right to remove from class anyone who violates these policies.
Writing Centers:
The Houston Community College Writing Centers provide a student-centered environment where
professional tutors support student success for all HCC students. The primary goal of the Writing Centers
is to offer free, convenient, and personalized assistance to help students improve their writing at any stage
of the writing process required in any courses at HCC. Tutors will also assist students with their job
application letters, resumes, and scholarship/transfer essays. Each session lasts about 30 minutes.
Students should bring the professor’s assignment sheet or notes about the requirements, a printed rough
draft, their textbook, and a flash drive. View Find-A-Tutor at http://ctle3.hccs.edu/alltutoring/index.php?link=stu for Writing Center locations and times. At HCC Writing Centers, each tutoring session becomes
a learning experience.
Title IX of the Education Amendments:
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 requires that institutions have policies and procedures that
protect students’ rights with regard to sex/gender discrimination. Information regarding these rights are on
the HCC website under Students-Anti-discrimination. Students who are pregnant and require
accommodations should contact any of the ADA Counselors for assistance. It is important that every
student understands and conforms to respectful behavior while at HCC. Sexual misconduct is not
condoned and will be addressed promptly. Know your rights and how to avoid these difficult situations.
Log in to: www.edurisksolutions.org. Sign in using your HCC student e-mail account, then go to the
button at the top right that says Login and enter your student number.
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Contract Acknowledging Receipt of Syllabus and Acceptance of Student Responsibilities
I, ____________________________________________, am aware and do accept that a passing grade
will not be given to me; that I must earn it. I also accept that I am required to attend class, take notes,
read my textbook, study the material, and complete all required assignments in order to successfully pass
this class. I understand that failure to do so will ultimately and almost certainly result in my failing the
class. I am aware that my instructor does not offer a make-up day; nor does he drop the lowest
assignment grade, or entertain the possibility of grade changes. I accept that all assignments must be
completed and that they all must have passing grades to increase my chances of passing this class. I
acknowledge that my instructor will do his part and that I, the student, am expected to do my part.
____________________________________________
Student Name and Signature
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_________________
Date