THE SHAPING OF THE MODERN MIND, HONORS 200, SECTIONS 011/013
BEYOND THE BORDER: THE MAKING OF MEXICAN AMERICA
Fall 2014, Class meets Tu/Th in Honors room 180
Pia Møller, Visiting Assistant Professor of Cultural Studies, office: Honors House 125
Office hours: Mondays 2-3 PM, Tuesdays 3-4PM, Wednesdays 10-noon, and Thursdays 3-4 PM.
Email: moller@uwm.edu
Course Description
Illegal immigration, drug smuggling, and the loss of US factory jobs—these are the topics in
most discussions of Mexican-American relations today. But the relationship between the two
countries is much more extensive, and it has a long history. Beginning with the US
colonization/conquest of northern Mexico in the 1800s, the two countries have developed
deeply intertwined complex relationships. Over time, millions of Mexicans have become part of
the United States, yet their inclusion in U.S. society has often been ambiguous and uncertain.
In this course we will examine Mexican American experiences from a historical perspective.
How have Mexicans experienced becoming American? How are their experiences shaped by
age, gender, and class? How do Mexican Americans fit into the U.S. racial order? Are Mexican
Americans an ethnic or racial minority? Finally, we will consider the place of Mexican American
history in educational institutions.
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READINGS
1. Gilbert Gonzalez and Raul Fernandez, A Century of Chicano History: Empire, Nation and
Migration, Routledge 2003. ISBN-13: 978-0415943932.
2. Vicki Ruiz, From Out of the Shadows: Mexican American Women in Twentieth Century
America, Oxford University Press, 2008. ISBN-13: 978-0195374773.
3. Debra Lattanzi Shutika, Beyond the Borderlands: Migration and Belonging in the United
States and Mexico, University of California Press, 2011. ISBN: 9780520269590
Other shorter readings will be posted on D2L (marked *).
REQUIREMENTS
Three Smaller informal papers/commentaries: 15%
Lead discussion: 15%
Participation in discussions: 20% (see hand-out on participation)
Two essays: each 25% (the first two of which may be revised for a higher grade).
FILMS
The Other Side of Immigration (2010, 55 min) DVD-6369
Harvest of Empire, dir. Juan Gonzalez, DVD
The Harvesters or A Forgotten Injustice (depending on availability)
Precious Knowledge (2012, 70 min) DVD-6862 / 6925
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
The course will enhance your knowledge of Mexican America, past and present. You will
become knowledgeable about the historical and transnational political-economic relations that
produced Mexican America, and you will gain an understanding of how factors such as race,
class, and gender have shaped Mexican American experiences. You will also develop your
understanding of historiography as we consider how the history of Mexican America has been
written and rewritten in the United States. The course also aims to strengthen critical skills that
form the foundation of a liberal arts education and informed citizenship in the 21st century:
Reading skills: the ability to examine scholarly research; to identify, consider, and assess
academic arguments.
Dialogue and discussion: the respectful exchange of ideas and perspectives; the ability to
articulate ideas and raise questions; to listen and participate actively in intellectual discussions.
Leadership and cooperation: the ability to guide a discussion, draw in class mates, to contribute
to effective group work, to take responsibility and encouraging others to do the same.
Written communication: to develop your analysis and ideas in focused, organized and succinct
writing, discuss your writing and revise it using feedback and criticism.
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SCHEDULE OF READINGS
WEEK ONE: INTRODUCTIONS
Tuesday Sept 2
Introduction to the course, to the Honors College, seminar-style learning
Thursday Sept 4
*Rubén Martinez, Excerpt from Crossing Over
WEEK TWO
Tuesday Sept 9
*Rubén Martinez, Princes of Norwalk
In-class film: The Other Side of Immigration (2010, 55 min) DVD-6369
Thursday Sept 11
Gonzalez & Fernandez, p.xi-xv and 11-20 (you may skip p.1-11 because
this is largely an argument with fellow historians); respond to question
sheet & bring to class.
In-class: finish The Other Side of Immigration
WEEK THREE
Tuesday Sept 16
DUE: first short paper (350-500 words, 5% of course grade)
Gonzalez & Fernandez, Chapter II: Empire and the Origins of Twentieth
Century Migration from Mexico to the United States (29-60)
In-class: Watch segment of Harvest of Empire on Mexico
Thursday Sept 18
*Gonzalez, “Imperialism and Labor: Mexican, Indian, and Algerian labor
Migrations in Comparative Perspective” (14-50)
WEEK FOUR
Tuesday Sept 23
Gonzalez & Fernandez, Chapter III: The Ideology and Practice of Empire
(67-96)
[in-class analysis of primary source: Fenton on Milwaukee + judge rulings]
Thursday Sept 25
Gonzalez & Fernandez, Chapter IV: Agency, Gender, Migration (97-122)
Ruiz, Introduction and chapter 1 (1-32)
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WEEK FIVE
Tuesday Sept 30
Thursday Oct 2
WEEK SIX
Tuesday Oct 7
Thursday Oct 9
Ruiz, Chapter 2: Confronting America (33-50) + D2L text
DUE: second short paper (350-500 words, 5% of course grade)
Ruiz, Chapter 3: The Flapper and the Chaperone (51-72)
*Garcia, “Confronting and Contesting Patriarchal Constraints” (111-145)
Ruiz, Chapter 4: Pickets, Baskets and Ballots (72-98)
Gonzalez & Fernandez, V: The Integration of Mexican Workers (123-148)
Film Screening TBA (The Harvesters, 1960 (19 min, primary source,
http://ahiv.alexanderstreet.com/View/1686824 ) or Vicente Serrano’s A
Forgotten Injustice, 2008)
Gonzalez & Fernandez, Conclusion (180-195)
*Acuña, Chicanos in the 1960s, Becoming Chicana/o Studies
WEEK SEVEN
Tuesday Oct 14
Thursday Oct 16
This week is reserved individual meetings about your papers (15 mins)
Submit draft of your first essay (25% of grade) via D2L by 6 PM the day BEFORE you meet w. me
Introduction to the Chicano Movement: read the Wikipedia entry on watch 2 PBS
documentaries on the Chicano movement (each 55 minutes):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicano_movement
Chicano! Fighting for Political Power: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xK6gLOaZagw
Chicano! Taking Back the Schools: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NL4rQHKza9Y
WEEK EIGHT: MEXICAN AMERICAN CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT(S)
Tuesday Oct 21
* Vidal, Women: New Voice of Raza” (1-15)
*Gutiérrez, ‘They Breed Like Rabbits’” (35-54)
Thursday Oct 23
WEEK NINE
Tuesday Oct 28
Thursday Oct 30
*The Ban on Mexican American Studies in Tucson, AZ
Begin in-class screening: Precious Knowledge
DUE: FIRST PAPER. No readings due but read over your notes.
Finish Screening of Precious Knowledge
*The Ban on Mexican American Studies, part 2
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WEEK TEN:
Tuesday Nov 4
Shutika, Beyond the Borderlands, Introduction, 1-38
Thursday Nov 6
Shutika, Chapter 2 (38-90)
WEEK ELEVEN:
Tuesday Nov 11
Shutika, Chapter 3 (68-90)
Thursday Nov 13
DUE: Third short paper (350-500 words, 5%)
Shutika, Chapter 4 (91-135)
WEEK TWELVE
Tuesday Nov 18
Shutika, Chapter 5 (136-165)
Thursday Nov 20
*Nativism in PA: Schuylkill, MALDEF texts, Hazleton ordinance
WEEK THIRTEEN
Tuesday Nov 25
*Text and documentary film TBA
(The Sixth Section+ Robert Smith excerpt or other combo)
Thanksgiving Recess November 26-30
WEEK FOURTEEN
Tuesday Dec 2
Shutika, Chapter 6 (166-202)
Thursday Dec 4
Shutika, Chapter 7 and epilogue (203-248
WEEK FIFTEEN
Tuesday Dec 9
DUE: second (and final) essay for class review
Thursday Dec 11
Final paper due. Course Wrap up and Evaluation
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