English 153/WS 153/ES 153
Fall 2012
Metherd
US Latino/a Literature and the Americas
Syllabus
MF 12:40-2:10, Dante 220
Week One: Introduction to Latin@ Literature
Mon. 8/27
Introduce Course Read “University Ave” in class and the corrido “The Battle of
Gregorio Cortez” 133 in The Latino Reader
Fri. 8/31
Read “We Owe History,” “What is a Hispanic” and “What’s the Problem with
Hispanic? Just ask a Latino”
Week Two:
Mon. 9/3
Fri. 9/7
Stories of Settlers and Immigrants
Labor Day Holiday
Read Juan Gonzalez, “Mexicans: Pioneers of a Different Type”
María Amparo Ruíz de Burton from “The Squatter and the Don” 81 and Américo
Paredes, “The Hammon and the Beans” 248
Week Three: La Raza Cósmica, Modernist Chicano Literary Expression
Mon. 9/10
Read Tomás Rivera, Y no se lo tragó la tierra/And the earth did not devour him
83-129
Fri. 9/14
Rivera, Y no se lo tragó la tierra/And the earth did not devour him 130-152
Corky González, Yo soy Joaquín 266
Week Four: El Teatro Campesino, a literary movement, and Chicano Civil Rights
Mon. 9/17
Valdez, Los Vendidos in CP
Extra Credit performance anyone?
Fri. 9/21
Read selection from Valdez, Zoot Suit 364
Zoot Suit film viewing
Week Five:
Mon. 9/24
Fri. 9/28
Literary Expressions of Chicano Masculinity
Read Villaseñor from Rain of Gold and Delson, “To The Men in The Latino
Discussion Groups” in CP
Read Munoz
Week Six:
Mon. 10/1
Fri. 10/5
Chicana Feminism in Literature and Theory
Read Cherríe Moraga 425 and selections from This Bridge Called My Back in CP
Read Gloria Anzaldúa “How to Tame a Wild Tongue” 445 and Anzaldua in CP
Week Seven: Language and Identity in Chicana/o Literature
Mon. 10/8
Richard Rodriguez, “The Education of Richard Rodriguez” 392 and Cisneros,
“An Offering to the Power of Language” in CP
Fri. 10/12
Read Lorna Dee Cervantes “Refugee Ship,” and “Heritage”, Pat Mora
“Immigrants”, Martín Espada, ”Revolutionary Spanish Lesson” in CP
Paper #1 Due
Week Eight: Myths and Memory in Literary Expression
Mon. 10/15 Cisneros, Woman Hollering Creek 1-67
Fri. 10/19
No Class Midterm Break
Week Nine: La Llorona, La Malinche and the Vírgen de Guadalupe
Mon. 10/22 Cisneros, Woman Hollering Creek 68-end
Fri. 10/26
Finish discussing Cisneros in class. Read: Pat Mora “Coatlicue’s Rules”,
“Malinche’s tips” and “Consejos de Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe”
Week Ten:
Mon. 10/29
Fri. 11/2
Nuyorican Literature
Creative Assignment #1 Due
Read Juan Flores, “Life off the Hyphen: Latino Literature and Nuyorican
Traditions” and Juan Gonzalez, “Puerto Ricans: Citizens Yet Foreigners” in CP
and Vando in CP and Laviera 378
Read Pietri “Puerto Rican Obituary” 328 and Piñero 349
Week Eleven:
Mon. 11/5
View film: Piñero
Thurs. 11/8 Attend the Fall Production of Spring Awakening
Fri. 11/9
Presentation for the Nuyorican Poets Café Due
Week Twelve: Lessons Your Mother Taught You in Short Stories and Poems
Mon. 11/12 Read Nicholasa Mohr “Aunt Rosana’s Rocker” in CP and
Sandra María Esteves “A la Mujer Borrinquena” 384
Fri. 11/16
Helen María Viramontes,“The Cariboo Café” in CP
Week Thirteen: A brief stop with Dominican-American Literature
Mon. 11/19 Read Juan Gonzalez, “Dominicans: From the Duarte to the George Washington
Bridge” and excerpt from Diaz’s The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao in CP
Tues. 11/20 Paper #2 Due by 5:00 pm. via email
Fri. 11/23
No class: Thanksgiving Break
Week Fourteen: A Cuban-American Novel
Mon. 11/26 Read Gonzalez, “Cubans: Special Refugees” in CP and Cristina Garcia,
Dreaming in Cuban 3-55
Fri. 11/30
Garcia, Dreaming in Cuban 57-160
Week Fifteen: Cuban-Americans
Mon. 12/3
Garcia, Dreaming in Cuban 161-209
Fri. 12/7
Garcia, Dreaming in Cuban 209-244
Scheduled final exam time: Wed. 10/12, 2:00-4:00