History of Latino Social Movements
Department of Latino and Hispanic Caribbean Studies
History Department
Course Description
Representing approximately 48 million, Latinos are the largest minority group in the United
States, itself the second-largest Spanish-origin population in the hemisphere, after Mexico. Yet
while their presence has been reflected in all aspects of American life for much of the last two
centuries most have been perceived as non–Americans belonging to an inferior culture.
Paradoxically, to many Americans Latinos have become somehow “American” while still
remaining “ethnic Others.” In order to fully appreciate the complexity of this historical social
position, students will explore, through an interdisciplinary approach, the unequal distribution
of power, privilege, and participation in the United States. In doing so, this course examines
efforts by Latina/o subgroups to achieve first-class citizenship, societal inclusion, cultural
relevance, illimitable job mobility, and self-determination under conditions of institutional
discriminatory practices and policies. After a summarizing look at early Latina/o experiences
with U.S. foreign policy, we will review the circumstances under which Mexican Americans,
Puerto Ricans, Cuban Americans, Dominican Americans, and Central/South American heritage
citizens became to varying degrees racialized ethnic “minorities.” Through confrontation,
negotiation, organizational networking, and political alliances, Latinos sought educational
reform, reshaped public space, and influenced the terms of exchange, while paving the way for
social accommodations in an environment that previously negated their existence. As a result of
legislation, litigation, and other forms of social mobilization activities such as strikes, boycotts,
walkouts, sit-ins, marches, the state of Hispanic America has not only gained greater access to
the American Dream, but has surfaced from the shadows of the historical black/white binary
construction of race—a dynamic we will delve into throughout the semester.
Objectives: Perspectives, Tools, and Applications
The course will follow an advanced thematic format, encouraging a reciprocal and cooperative
learning environment for synthesizing and analyzing. Through lectures, readings, discussions,
film analysis, and in-class exercises, moreover, students will engage in the intellectual
exploration of the structures, systems, ideologies and so-called “natural” social order that
sustained Hispanic discrimination. We especially need to understand how men and women of
Latina/o heritage have coped in cultural and social terms with an oftentimes hostile American
society. In addition, students will carefully survey the ways in which Latinos demonstrated
social agency through pioneering and precedent-setting desegregation court cases, grassroots
community organizing and far-reaching public campaigns. Special attention will be given to the
emergence of the Chicano Movement of the late sixties and seventies, its relation to other social
movements of that period (Puerto Rican Civil Rights Movement, etc.), its leaders (i.e. César
Chávez, Reies López Tijerina, Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzáles, José Angel Gutiérrez, etc.) and its
cultural production (i.e. murals, poetry, scholarship, theater, film, etc.). The course also seeks to
discuss social movements of the last dozen years as well as their foundational issues that
continue to galvanize both long-standing Hispanic communities and newly evolving Latina/o
neighborhoods. Along the way, students will develop a deeper understanding of the ways in
which social movements differ between generation, subgroup, and region. Indeed, students will
foster a growing awareness about movement distinctions around themes such as race, place,
class, nationality, gender, and short and long-term goals. Taken together, students will anchor
part of their analysis on how segments of Hispanic communities coalesced and either worked in
concert or competition with other historically underrepresented groups. Overall, students will
learn about the formation and transformation of Latino/a communities; identify the main
leaders and ideological underpinnings of major social movements; demonstrate knowledge of
Latino/a responses to intimidation and marginalization and the resources various social
movements have employed to eliminate second-class citizenship; look at how ideas of justice
and equality are articulated in relation to particular economic, political, and cultural contexts;
and grapple with determining how successful social movements have been at reversing
negative social forces. Finally, the course will aid in the development of university level
methods of interdisciplinary inquiry, fact-based interpretation, analytical writing, critical
thinking skills, identifying and forming arguments, problem-solving abilities, organizing
evidence, public speaking poise, successful test-taking techniques, teamwork, and improving
the ability of students to communicate.
Requirements
The requirements are designed on the assumption that students will take full responsibility for
their own fate in the course. Your participation in this class constitutes a contract between us so
all students should try to participate in debates and discussions. Except in the cases of
emergencies, no incompletes will be granted. It is essential for students to fulfill all the
requirements of the course otherwise an official grade may not be issued or a passing grade
may be unachievable. All written assignments except in-class exams and quizzes should be
computer-generated, double-spaced and numbered with standard one-inch margins. The
malfunction of any aspect of computer systems cannot be accepted as a legitimate reason for
incompletion of any course requirements. The ground that has to be covered content-wise is
demanding, expansive, and exciting—and takes a significant commitment of time, talent and
tenacity. Thus, this course will require a reasonable reading load so students should expect to
spend at least one hour of reading and reviewing for every hour of classroom instruction. I hope
that you are prepared to be challenged and to challenge the readings! The course will consider
both primary sources (texts written by someone directly connected with the events and issues in
question) and secondary sources (texts produced from an analysis of primary documents) to
help us develop and engage our critical and analytical faculties.
Many readings are available in downloadable form in PDF format by clicking “resources” upon
logging in with your university “NetID” into the Sakai Course Management System website at:
sakai.rutgers.edu while additional readings are online accessible or will be circulated via
handouts
Learning Goals
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Students will learn about historic patterns of second-class citizenship as well as
efforts both legally and legislatively to overcome such patterns.
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Students will learn about the emergence of Puerto Rican political and social
agency of the 1960s and 1970s.
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Students will learn about the Chicano Movement, and the roles of its leaders (i.e.
César Chávez, Reies López Tijerina, Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzáles, José Angel
Gutiérrez, etc.) and its cultural production (i.e. murals, poetry, scholarship,
theater, film, etc.).
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Students will learn about social movements since 2000, especially with respect to
labor inequities and broader legislation targeted at immigration policy and
ethnic studies reform.
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Students will develop a deeper understanding of the ways in which social
movements differ between generation, subgroup, and region.
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Students will develop greater critical thinking skills, identifying and forming
arguments abilities, public speaking poise, and teamwork tools.
Inclusion and Accommodation
Just as important is the effort by Rutgers University to provide equal educational access for
students with disabilities (i.e. physical, sensory, cognitive, systemic, learning, and psychiatric)
in accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with
Disabilities Act of 1990. If you have special needs that require adaptations or accommodations,
please make arrangements with the Services for Students with Disabilities at Rutgers
University. This may include special testing arrangements, note-taking, sign language
interpreting, reading services, large print materials, and other appropriate support services.
Grading
The quality of your work is the major evaluative factor. Final grades will be determined by
student compliance with all the course requirements and overall performance in the course.
Grades derive from the following components that are explained further below:
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Assessment Value
Preparation, Participation, and Attendance, including presentations/improvisation 25%
Five Quizzes 25%
Four short papers 25%
Research Assignment 25%
Improvement will be taken into consideration with borderline cases
Regrettably I cannot discuss details of grades via email pursuant to university policy
Final grades will be posted at the end of the semester on the university’s registrar’s system
Preparation, Participation, and Attendance:
Given the student-driven and collaborative nature of LHCS classrooms and the general
necessity of in-class presence for effective learning, the Department of Latino and Hispanic
Caribbean Studies maintains a formal attendance policy, which is generally applied equally by
all professors. Therefore, registered students should avoid missing classes, and those that do are
responsible for material covered in the lectures, readings and films, and for any announcements
made in class. Individual student class participation is highly important. Learning in the
classroom is not a passive activity. It depends on thoughtful student questions as well as a
willingness to engage in discussion. Thus, you are expected to listen, share insights, highlight
specific passages in your readings for classroom analysis, raise provocative questions, respond
to the ideas of your class colleagues and, in general, maintain the integrity and flow of the
conversation. In return, I will provide you with feedback on your progress and present material
to you in a coherent and organized manner. In short, students will be expected to offer their
own views on the readings and possibly to revise them upon confrontation with alternative
views. I appreciate that students have distinct styles of participation and different levels of
comfort with public speaking. As such, your participation grade will reflect not necessarily how
many times you speak in class, but how you share in developing a lively and respectful
conversation. Participation does not simply mean showing up for class.
I will assume that you will be in class every week, and that you will come prepared. Being
prepared means the following:
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that you do not come late to class
that you are alert and paying attention throughout the entire period
that you take notes during lectures, multimedia presentations, and discussion
that you have done the reading(s) we are to discuss and bring them to class
that you are prepared to participate in class discussion with an eye toward
adding meaningful and knowledgeable comments
that you are prepared to field questions from the instructor either while
presented to the collective class or called upon individually
Attendance will be taken at the beginning of every class, so it is your responsibility to be
punctual in order to sign the roll sheet. Students that do not accrue more than one class absence
(for whatever reason) will be in a position to earn the full grade percentage value of
“preparation, participation, and attendance” as long as classroom contributions reflect a
reasonable degree of enthusiasm and interest. Conversely, more than ten percent class absences
without official university approval, resulting in unexcused absences, will appreciably affect
student’s final grade. If a student misses more than 30% of this class, he or she cannot receive a
passing grade. In other words, if you miss class 5 or more times for the semester, you will likely
fail regardless if high-achieving grades exist on your course dossier. Any arrivals or early
departures of 25 minutes or more will be counted as an absence. Every three tardy arrivals
and/or early departures under 25 minutes will count as one unexcused absence. The professor
reserves the right to determine whether you were in class long enough on any given day to
warrant being counted as present. In the event of serious illness or a life crisis, please contact me
to discuss the situation. Students participating in University-sponsored intercollegiate athletics,
called to active military or jury duty, or obligated by college recognized religious holidays will
be excused from class without penalty and allowed to make-up missed work. Written
confirmation of such commitments must be brought to my attention prior to the anticipated
class absence. If you must be absent, it is your responsibility to contact a fellow student in order
to find out what was done in the class you missed and what is due for the next class. Otherwise,
feel free to come to office hours in order to get a brief review. If it is discovered that you have
been recorded as present when, in fact, you were not in class, you and any other person
involved in that deceit will receive a final “preparation, participation, and attendance” grade of
F and a letter will be sent to the Dean of Students. Students who register are considered enrolled
in the course regardless of attendance. Lack of attendance does not constitute a basis for
withdrawal from courses.
Group Presentations and Improvisation:
Each student will be assigned to a group during the early stages of the semester. Each group
will be responsible for preparing, moderating, and leading given discussions on pre-determined
dates. In this classroom leadership role, groups should seek to define and question the reading’s
main arguments, possibly select “quotable” passages, while explaining their significance. You
should come to your group willing to listen openly and to consider a range of different points of
view. Participation takes many forms (i.e., verbal, listening, preparation, reflection).
Presentations are not summaries of the readings. Rather, they are meant to provide a brief
analysis of the historical context from which the material arose, discuss the aims and issues you
see in the reading, and finally present the questions you feel will provoke and promote
discussion. A written outline of your main points is strongly encouraged. Your insights will
help outline our conversations, while serving to further our collective understanding about
topics and issues discussed in class. So let us learn from and with one another.
Quizzes:
There will be five quizzes throughout the course of the semester. The quizzes may or may not
focus on the entire week’s readings. Each quiz will consist of four questions. Two questions will
be broad-based dealing with the central themes in the readings. The remaining two questions
will center on details that only students who do a close reading of the assigned texts will be able
to effectively answer. The quizzes are designed to measure students’ weekly effort throughout
the semester. Generally, no make-up coursework will be allowed; however, arrangements may
be made if an extenuating situation arises. Naturally, the determination for a make-up
assignment is left to the professor’s discretion. Answers will be evaluated on specific
knowledge of the topic; development of conceptualization; thoroughness of responses; quality
and relevance of details, examples used to support a given thesis; organization; and written
presentation.
Short Papers:
Writing assignments are designed so that students think not only about the issue, but also about
the social assumptions that shape our thinking about the issue. Mindful of this, students must
write four short papers (i.e. two-three pages each double-spaced). The exact topic of the paper is
up to the individual student; the only requirement is that students show some reflection on the
most recent course subject matter and some comprehension of the assigned readings. Due on
specified dates; these short papers are vehicles through which students can express their
viewpoints. They will also help provide the basis for class discussion. Please do not simply
summarize or paraphrase a reading, but rather demonstrate how you interacted with the
material. Please note that piecing together fragments of notes taken from the reading does not
constitute paper writing. Your papers will require analysis of relationships, not mere recitation
of facts or stories.
Before you submit assignments, I recommend that you print it out, let it sit for a few days, and
then read it carefully and make whatever corrections are necessary. You may find that passages
that make sense on a computer screen immediately after you have written them look quite
different on paper a few days later.
Research Assignment and Presentation:
Each student will have to undertake a research project on a topic related to the main themes of
the course. The topic of the project will be chosen in consultation with the instructor. The project
is expected to be of a high analytical quality. It should have the potential for being deposited in
the Department of Latino and Hispanic Caribbean Studies’ student library. By the mid-point of
the semester you will be aware of different potential areas for your research. Once you identify
the topic or area you are interested in, as well as the works, scholars, and methodology that
seem to be the most adequate for your research, please make an appointment to see me. I will
be delighted to provide suggestions and options that can help you focus the topic of your paper.
A handout will be provided that ultimately outlines the guidelines with an overall game plan to
perform admirably.
By no later than March 29 you are kindly asked to submit a one paragraph statement of why
you have chosen a given subject. This précis should reflect a manageable research question, and
from it, workable thesis statement. Two weeks later, you will hand in a preliminary
bibliography consisting of selected works that speak directly to your research project. All
written work must be cited using a standard referencing system (parenthetic references or
foot/end notes) with the bibliography at the end. Each student will present their findings to the
class in a 10-15 minute oral presentation at the end of the semester. The oral presentation may
not be simply a haphazard recitation of your project: but rather an opportunity for you to share
and discuss with the class the results of your research and reflection on the topic. Be sure to
practice your oral presentation before you come to class so that you are familiar with your
research and can present it within the allotted time. The object of the presentation dynamic is to
give you practice in graduate-level activities, while learning more about our interconnected
histories. I will provide a more thorough description of this assignment in class.
Besides exploring a slice of Latino life, the project will give you an opportunity to produce a
historical timeline that you can build on and possibly present at local or national undergraduate
conferences. The assignment is also an exercise in creating a research project marked by
intellectual engagement and critical reflection.
Integrity of coursework
My sincere apologies to students who do not need this statement but RU leadership maintains
that faculty explicitly advise students what they ought to know about Department and
University guidelines on plagiarism and the submission of written work. You are kindly
reminded that academic misconduct including but not limited to fabrication, falsification,
multiple submissions, plagiarism, or complicity in academic dishonesty will not be tolerated,
and your enrollment is an agreement to abide by the rules of appropriate citation and scholarly
behavior. Rutgers University has created a set of standards of academic honesty and
procedures governing violations of these principles.
To avoid plagiarism, you must give credit whenever you use:
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another person’s idea, opinion, or theory
any facts, statistics, graphs, drawings—any pieces of information—that are not
common knowledge
quotations of another person’s actual spoken or written words
paraphrases of another person’s spoken or written words
You need to cite your source, even if:
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you put all direct quotes in quotation marks
you changed the words used by the author into synonyms
you completely paraphrased the ideas to which you referred
your sentence is mostly made up of your own thoughts, but contains a reference
to the author’s ideas
you mention the author’s name in the sentence
For a more in-depth description of official Rutgers University policy on academic integrity,
please visit: http://teachx.rutgers.edu/integrity/policy.html. The Rutgers University Writing
Program, moreover, maintains a website that defines and discusses plagiarism at:
http://wp.rutgers.edu/courses/201/plagiarism_policy/. For LHCS polices, including a
departmental academic integrity statement, please go to
http://latcar.rutgers.edu/academichonesty.html. Finally, for a complete Department of History
statement on plagiarism, please review: http://history.rutgers.edu/undergrad/plagiarism.htm.
Again, plagiarism is only one type of academic dishonesty. In the pursuit of attaining a
desirable grade many other scholastic acts, such as various forms of cheating, breach the
university’s code of ethics. Cheating is the willful giving or receiving of information in an
unauthorized manner during an examination; illicitly obtaining examination questions in
advance; using someone else’s work for assignments as if it were one’s own; providing a paper
or project to another student; purchasing papers online; inappropriate citation of sources (i.e.
citing a journal article when the information came from wikipedia); providing an inappropriate
level of assistance; or any other dishonest means of attempting to fulfill the requirements of a
course. Unless otherwise indicated, all assignments must be completed independently, and
anyone contributing to the academic dishonesty of another will be subject to university
disciplinary action.
Office Hours
You are invited and encouraged to meet with me at any time that is mutually convenient. My
office hours and location are given above. If this time is not conducive for you, we can set up
some other time. Please do not adopt the view that conferences are only for addressing
problems or that reaching out is an imposition. I will be pleased to chat with you about your
ongoing progress in the course, and will be happy to help you at any time along your academic
journey. If you are having a challenge educational or otherwise that is preventing you from
attending class or handing in assignments on time, please communicate with me. If I know
about a problem in advance, I will try to work with you. Unfortunately in most cases, I will not
be able to retroactively address the problem after it has materialized. In this spirit, communicate
with me promptly so I may help. The time to discuss problems is when they are happening, not
after the fact or toward the end of the semester. I will do everything possible to help you
succeed in this course, but ultimately you are in control of your success. Please remember that
some issues we will discuss in class may relate to your personal experience. If you feel
uncomfortable making personal connections in class, but feel it important to contribute that
connection somehow, please feel free to come to my office to talk with me one-on-one. I am here
to engage, challenge, and equip you to meet your goals as students and also to hopefully enrich
your university experience. I will be as accessible as possible and am committed to making this
class comfortable, enjoyable, and effective.
I check my email at least once a day, so this is another forum we can communicate. Naturally, I
will respond to each message I receive in a timely fashion. Please sign your name with your
message, and indicate which class you are in.
It is your responsibility to check your email before class for important updates.
You can expect me to work very hard with you and for you. I will hand back coursework
promptly, while providing constructive and encouraging feedback on both written and nonwritten assignments.
Grading Scale and Criteria (consistent with the university academic code)
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A
(4.0)
[93-100]
= Work of exceptionally high quality
B+
(3.3)
[89-92]
B
(3.0)
[81-88]
=
Work of good quality
C+
(2.3)
[77-80]
C
(2.0)
[76-70]
= Work of a pedestrian nature that meets the requirements of the
assignment by demonstrating a working understanding of a given question
D
(1.0)
[65-69]
=
Work of poor quality that does not meet the minimal
requirements of the assignment
F
(0.0)
[64-0]
= Work of unacceptable caliber that illustrates little or no
understanding of the assignment
Schedule of Readings
Week 1
History of U.S.– Latin American Relations: Racialization and Resistance
José Luis Morín, “The Origins of Latinos/as in the United States: An Encounter with the
History of U.S.-Latin American Relations,” in Latino/a Rights and Justice in the United
States: perspectives and Approaches (North Carolina: Carolina Academic Press, 2005): 1741.
Martha Menchaca, “The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and the Racialization of the
Mexican Population,” in Recovering History, Constructing Race: The Indian, Black, and White
Roots of Mexican Americans (Austin: University of Texas Press, 2001), 215-276.
Anani Dzidzienyo and Suzanne Oboler, “The Process of Racialization in the U.S.
Context,” in Neither Enemies Nor Friends: Latinos, Blacks, Afro-Latinos (New York: Palgrave
Macmillan, 2005), 12-15.
Andres Reséndez, “National Identity and the Shifting U.S.- Mexico Border 1821-1848,”
Journal of American History 86, 2 (September 1999): 668:688.
Ilia Rodríguez, “News Reporting and Colonial Discourse: The Representation of Puerto
Ricans in U.S. Press Coverage of the Spanish-American War,” Howard Journal of
Communications 9 (1998): 283-301.
Modern History Sourcebook: Albert Beveridge Campaign Speech, “The March of the
Flag,” 16 September 1898.
Week 2
When Worlds Collide: Difference, Power, and Discrimination
Juan F. Perea, “Los Olvidados: On the Making of Invisible People,” in Critical White
Studies: Looking Behind the Mirror eds. Richard Delgado and Jean Stefancic, 258-262
(Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1997.
Reginald Horsman, “Anglo-Saxons and Mexicans,” in Latino/a Condition: A Critical
Reader, eds. Richard Delgado and Jean Stefancic, 149-151 (New York: New York
University Press, 1998).
Reginald Horsman, “Race and Manifest Destiny: The Origins of American Racial AngloSaxonism,” in Critical White Studies: Looking Behind the Mirror (Philadelphia: Temple
University Press, 1997), 139-144.
Carey McWilliams, “America’s Disadvantaged Minorities: Mexican-Americans,” Journal
of Negro Education 20, 3 (Summer 1952): 301-309.
Hector I. Vasquez, “Puerto Rican Americans,” Journal of Negro Education 38, 3 (Summer
1969): 247-256.
José Luis Morín, “Discrimination and Latinos/as in the United States” and “Latinos/as
and the U.S. Justice System: Both Present and Absent in the System,” in Latino/a Rights
and Justice in the United States: Perspectives and Approaches (North Carolina: Carolina
Academic Press, 2005): 43-89.
Eduardo Mendieta, “Racial Justice, Latinos, and the Supreme Court: The Role of Law
and Affect in Social Change,” in Race or Ethnicity: On Black and Latino Identity ed. Jorge
J.E. Gracia (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2007), 206-224.
Quiz #1
Week 3
Coping with the Color Line: Segregation, Second-Class Citizenship, and the Hardening of
Inequality
Martha Menchaca, “Racial Segregation and Liberal Policies Then and Now,” in
Recovering History, Constructing Race: The Indian, Black, and White Roots of Mexican
Americans (Austin: University of Texas Press, 2001), 277-296.
Nicolás Kanellos, Herencia: The Anthology of Hispanic Literature of the United States
(Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002), 152-170.
Ruben F. Arturo Rosales, Pobre Raza: Violence, Justice, and Mobilization among México Lindo
Immigrants, 1900-1936 (Austin: University of Texas Press, 1999), 75-98.
Eduardo Obregó Pagán, “Los Angeles Geopolitics and the Zoot Riot, 1943,” Social Science
History 24 1(Spring 2000): 223-256.
Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez, “Framing Racism: Newspaper Coverage of the Three Rivers
Incident,” in Mexican Americans & World War II (Austin: University of Texas Press, 2005),
201-220.
Darius V. Echeverria, “Beyond the Black—White Binary Construction of Race: Mexican
Americans, Identity Formation, and the Pursuit of Public Citizenship,” Journal of
American Ethnic History, 28, 1 (2008): 104-111.
Quiz #2
Week 4
A Part, Yet Apart: Latinos, Educational Challenges, and Strides toward Equality
Juan F. Perea., "Buscando América: Why Integration and Equal Protection Fail to Protect
Latinos," Harvard Law Review, 117 (March 2004): 1420–1469.
Nicholás Vaca, “Who’s the Leader of the Civil Rights Band: Latinos’ Role in Brown v.
Board of Education,” in The Presumed Alliance: the Unspoken Conflict between Latinos and
Blacks and What It Means for America (New York: Rayo), 62-84.
Richard R. Valencia, “The Mexican American Struggle for Equal Educational
Opportunity in Mendez v. Westminster: Helping to Pave the Way for Brown v. Board of
Education,” Teachers College Record 107, no. 3 (March 2005): 389-423.
Guadalupe San Miguel, Jr., “Providing For the Schooling of Mexican Children,” in
Brown, Not White: School Integration and the Chicano Movement in Houston (TX: Texas A &
M UP, 2001): 19-34.
A. Reynaldo Contreras and Leonard A. Valverde, “The Impact of Brown on the
Education of Latinos,” Journal of Negro Education 63, 3 (Summer 1994): 470-481.
Sandra Robbie, “Mendez vs. Westminster: For All the Children/Para Todos Los Ninos,”
documentary film, 2005.
Short Paper # 1
Week 5
Invisibility and the Latino Social Problem and its Representation and Reinforcement in
Movies and Media Culture
Chon Noriega, “Citizen Chicano: The Trials and Titillations of Ethnicity in American
Cinema,” Social Research 58, no. 2 (Summer 1991): 413-438.
Chon A. Noriega, Shot in America: Television, the State, and the Rise of Chicano Cinema
(Minneapolis: U of Minnesota Press, 2000): 28-50.
John L. Marambio and Chad Tew, “Clash in Paradise: A Fantasy Theme Analysis of A
Day Without a Mexican,” Journal of American Culture 29, 4 (December 2006): 475-492.
Jorge Ramos, “A Day without a Mexican,” in The Other Face of America (New York:
Rayo), 23-26, 179-182.
Charles Ramírez Berg, Latino Images in Film: Stereotypes, Subversion, & Resistance (Austin:
U of Texas Press, 2002), 38-86.
Week 6
Latinos in Hispanicwood: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Susan Racho, Nancy de Los Santos, and Alberto Dominguez, “The Bronze Screen: 100
Years of the Latino Image in Hollywood Cinema,” documentary film, 2002.
Week 7
Empowerment through Resistance: Surviving the Great Depression and Reform in the Post
War World II Era
Ruben Zaragosa Vargas, “We Are the Salt of the Earth: Conditions Among Mexican
Workers in the Early Great Depression Years,” in Labor Rights Are Civil Rights: Mexican
American Workers in Twentieth-Century America (Princeton: Princeton University Press,
2005), 16-62.
Abraham Hoffman, Unwanted Mexican Americans in the Great Depression: Repatriation
Pressures, 1929-1939 (Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 1974), 24-38.
Ruben Zaragosa Vargas, “The Lie of America’s Greatest Generation: Mexican Americans
Fight Against Prejudice, Intolerance, and Hatred During World War II,” in Labor Rights
Are Civil Rights: Mexican American Workers in Twentieth-Century America (Princeton:
Princeton University Press, 2005), 203-251.
Camille Guerin-Gonzales, “Mexicans Go Home: Mexican Removal Programs During the
Great Depression,” in Mexican Workers and American Dreams: Immigration, Repatriation,
and California Farm Labor, 1900-1939 (New Brunswick: NJ: Rutgers University Press,
1994), 77-94.
Armando Navarro, “The Epoch of Social Action Politics (1946-1965),” in Mexicano
Political Experience in Occupied Aztlán: Struggles and Change (New York: AltaMira Press,
2005), 231-301.
Michelle Hall Kells, Hector P. García: Everyday Rhetoric and Mexican American Civil Rights
(Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 2006), 72-102 and 159-212.
Ignacio M. García, Hector P. García: In Relentless Pursuit of Justice (Houston: Arte Público
Press, 2002), 172-207.
Jeff Felts, “Justice for My People: The Dr. Hector P. García Story,” documentary film,
2002.
Week 8
Into the Mainstream: Political Candidates, Party Participation, and Contesting Ballot
Initiatives
Louis Desipio, “The Pressures of Perpetual Promise: Latinos and Politics, 1960-2003,” in
The Columbia History of Latinos in the United States Since 1960 ed. David G. Gutiérrez, 421465 (New York: Columbia University Press, 2004).
Kim Geron, Latino Political Power (Boulder: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2005), 19-34, 137160, and 205-214.
Stacey L. Connaughton and Sharon E. Jarvis, “Apolitical Politics: GOP Efforts to Foster
Identification from Latinos, 1984-2000,” Communication Studies 55, Issue 3 (Fall 2004):
464-480.
Ignacio M. García, Viva Kennedy: Mexican Americans in Search of Camelot (College Station:
Texas A & M University Press, 2000), 13-59.
Craig A. Kaplowitz, “A Distinct Minority: LULAC, Mexican American Identity, and
Presidential Policymaking, 1965-1972,” Journal of Policy History 15, no. 2 (2003): 192-222.
Hector Galán, “Power, Politics, & Latinos,” documentary film, 1992.
Short Paper #2
Week 9
The Politics of Culture: Whiteness as an option in the Pursuit of Social Justice
Carlos K. Blanton, “George I. Sánchez, Ideology, and Whiteness in the Making of the
Mexican American Civil Rights Movement, 1930-1960,” Journal of Southern History LXXII,
no. 3 (August 2006): 569-604.
Thomas A. Guglielmo, “Fighting For Caucasian Rights: Mexicans, Mexican Americans,
and the Transnational Struggle for Civil Rights in World War II Texas,” Journal of
American History 92, no. 4 (March 2006): 1212-1237.
Carleen Basler, “White Dreams and Red Votes: Mexican Americans and the lure of
Inclusion in the Republican Party,” Ethnic and Racial Studies 31, 1 (January 2008): 123-166.
Ian Haney López, “Race and Erasure: The Salience of Race to Latinos/as,” in Latino/a
Condition: A Critical Reader, eds. Richard Delgado and Jean Stefancic, 180-195 (NY: NY
University Press, 1998).
Ruben Zaragosa Vargas, “The Lie of America’s Greatest Generation: Mexican Americans
Fight against Prejudice, Intolerance, and Hatred during World War II,” in Labor Rights
Are Civil Rights: Mexican American Workers in Twentieth-Century America (Princeton:
Princeton U Press, 2005), 203-251.
Short Paper #3
Week 10
The Rise of the Chicano Movement: From Charity to Confrontation
Manuel G. Gonzales, “The Chicano Movement, 1965-1975,” in Mexicanos: A History of
Mexicans in the United States (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2000), 191-222.
Armando Navarro, “Epoch of Militant Protest Politics, (1966-1974),” in Mexicano Political
Experience in Occupied Aztlán: Struggles and Change (New York: AltaMira Press, 2005),
303-400.
First Chicano National Conference, “El Plan Espirtual de Aztlán,” Aztlán: Essays on the
Chicano Homeland, eds. Rudolfo A. Anaya and Francisco Lomelí (New Mexico: U of New
Mexico Press, 1998), 1-5.
Lea Ybarra, Vietnam Veteranos: Chicanos Recall the War (Austin: University of Texas Press,
2004): 3-11 and 209-222.
Alma M. García, Chicana Feminist Thought: The Basic Historical Writings (New York:
Routledge, 1997), 83-86, 100-106, and 136-138.
Luis D. León, “Cesar Chavez in American Religious Politics: Mapping the New Global
Spiritual Line,” American Quarterly 59 (2007): 857-881.
Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzales, “I Am Joaquín,” in Herencia: The Anthology of Hispanic
Literature of the US (Oxford: Oxford UP, 2002), 195-199.
Tom I.omero II, “Wearing the Red, White, and Blue Trunks of Aztlán: Rodolfo Corky
Gonzales and the Convergence of American and Chicano Nationalism,” in Mexican
Americans and Sports: A Reader on Athletics and Barrio Life eds. Jorge Iber and Samuel
O.egalado (College Station: Texas A & M University Press, 2007), 89-120.
Julian Nava, Julian Nava: My Mexican-American Journey (Houston: Arte Público Press,
2002), 82-96.
Eric V. Meeks, “The Chicano Movement and Cultural Citizenship,” in Border Citizens:
The Making of Indians, Mexicans, and Anglos in Arizona (Austin: University of Texas Press,
2007), 180-210.
Ray Telles, “The Fight in the Fields,” documentary film, 1997.
Short Paper #4 & Research Assignment Topic
Week 11
The Sixties: A Fertile Field for Latino Social Movements—The Puerto Rican Civil Rights
Movement
Carmen Teresa Whalen, “Bridging Homeland and Barrio Politics: The Young Lords in
Philadelphia,” in The Puerto Rican Movement eds. Andrés Torres and José E. Velasquez
(PA: Temple UP, 1998), 107-123.
Basilio Serrano, “Rifle, Cañón, y Escopeta: A Chronicle of the Puerto Rican Student
Union,” in The Puerto Rican Movement eds. Andrés Torres and José E. Velasquez (PA:
Temple UP, 1998), 124-143.
Ilan Kal Wagenheim and Olga Jiménez de Wagenheim, The Puerto Ricans: A Documentary
History (NJ: Markus Wiener, 2002), 303-306.
“Young Lords Party: 13 Point Program and Platform,” Palante: The Young Lords Party,
eds. Young Lords Party and Michael Abramson (New York: McGraw and Hill, 1970),
150.
Miguel “Mickey” Melendez, We Took the Streets: Fighting for Latino Rights with the Young
Lords (NY: St. Martin’s Press, 2003), 189-198.
Angel A. Amy Moreno de Toro, “An Oral History of the Puerto Rican Socialist Party in
Boston, 1972-1978,” in The Puerto Rican Movement eds. Andrés Torres and José E.
Velasquez (PA: TU P 1998), 246-260.
Iris Morales, “Palante, Siempre Palante: The Young Lords,” in The Puerto Rican
Movement: Voices from the Diaspora, eds. Andrés Torres and José E. Velasquez
(Philadelphia: Temple U Press, 1998), 210-227.
Quiz #3
Week 12
Latinos and African Americans: Friends or Foes in the Fight for Fairness
Richard Delgado, “Locating Latinos in the Field of Civil Rights: Assessing the Neoliberal
Case for Radical Exclusion,” Texas Law Review 83, no. 2 (December 2004): 489-524.
George Mariscal, Brown-Eyed Children of the Sun: Lessons from the Chicano Movement, 19651975 (NM: U New Mexico P, 2005), 171-209.
Robert Bauman, “The Black Power and Chicano Movements in the Poverty Wars in Los
Angeles,” J of Urban History 33, 2, (2007): 277-295.
Victor M. Rodriguez, “Boricuas, African Americans, and Chicanos in the Far West:
Notes on the Puerto Rican Pro-Independence Movement in California, 1960s-1980s,”
New Political Science 20, 4 (1998): 421-439.
Jeffrey O. G. Ogbar, “Puerto Rican En Mi Corazón: The Young Lords, Black Power, and
Puerto Rican Nationalism in the U.S., 1966-1972,” Centro Journal XVIII, 001 (2006): 148169.
Anani Dzidzienyo and Suzanne Oboler, Neither Enemies Nor Friends: Latinos, Blacks, AfroLatinos (NY: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005), 228-263.
Nicholás Vaca, The Presumed Alliance: (NY: Rayo), 48-61 & 108-126.
Quiz #4
Week 13
Voices for the Voiceless: Labor Rights and Recent Issues as Agents of Social Activism
Jorge Klor De Alva, Earl Shorris, and Cornel West, “Our Next Race Question: The
Uneasiness between Blacks and Latinos,” in Critical White Studies: Looking behind the
Mirror eds. Richard Delgado and Jean Stefancic (Philadelphia: Temple University Press,
1997), 482-492.
Roberto Hinda Seif, “Wise Up Undocumented Latino Youth, Mexican-American
Legislators, and the Struggle for Higher Education Access,” Latino Studies 2 (2004): 210230.
Juan Carlos Gonález and Edwardo L. Portillos, “The Undereducation and
Overcriminalization of U.S. Latinas/os: A Post Los Angeles Riots LatCrit Analysis,”
Educational Studies 42, 3 (2007): 247-266.
René Galindo, “Are Anti-Immigrant Statements Racist or Nativist: What Difference Does
it Make,” Latino Studies 4 (2006): 419-447.
Bernadette Marie Calafell, “Mocking Mexicans for Profit,” Latino Studies 4 (2006): 162165.
Margaret Zamudio, “Segmentation, Conflict, Community, and Coalitions: Lessons from
the New Labor Movement,” in Transnational Latina/o Communities: Politics, Processes, and
Cultures eds. Carlos G. Vélez-Ibáñez and Anna Sampaio (Oxford: Rowman & Littlefield
Publishers, Inc.), 205-224.
John Trumpbour and Elaine Bernard, “Unions and Latinos: Mutual Transformation,” in
Latinos: Remaking America eds. Marcelo M. Suárez-Orozco and Mariela M. Páez
(Berkeley: U of CA Press, 2002), 126-145.
Maria A. Gutierrez de Soldatenko, “Justice for Janitors Los Angeles: Mobilizing
Latina(o) Cultural Repertoire,” in Latino Los Angeles: Transformations, Communities, and
Activism eds. Enrique C. Ochoa and Gilda L. Ochoa (Tucson: University of Arizona
Press, 2005), 225-245.
Edna Bonacich, “Latino Immigrant Workers in Los Angeles Apparel Industry,” in Latino
Social Movements eds. Rodolfo D. Torres and George Katsiaficas (New York: Routledge,
1999), 141-163.
Quiz #5
Week 14
From “Latins” to Latinos: An Imagined Community Changes the Face of America and the
Last Laugh
Tomás Almaguer, “At the Crossroads of Race: Latino/a Studies and Race Making in the
United States,” in Critical Latin American and Latino Studies eds. Juan Poblete
(Minneapolis: U of Minnesota Press, 2003): 206-222.
Kevin R. Johnson, “The Continuing Latino Quest for Full Membership and Equal
Citizenship: Legal Progress, Social Setbacks, and Political Promise,” in The Columbia
History of Latinos in the United States Since 1960 ed. David G. Gutiérrez (NY: Columbia
UP, 2004), 391-420.
David E. Hayes-Bautista, “Latinos Define America: 2000-2020,” in La Nueva California:
Latinos in the Golden State (CA: U of CA Press), 148-176.
Jorge Mariscal, “Latinos in the Land of Arnold,” Latino Studies 2 (2004): 115-118.
Refugio I.ochín and Alex Santana, “In the Aftermath of September 11, 2001, and the
Homeland Security Act of 2002: Implications for Midwest Latinos,” in La Causa: Civil
Rights, Social Justice and the Struggle for Equality in the Midwest (Houston: Arte Público
Press, 2004), 123-138.
Carlos Mora, “Immigrant Workers’ Justice in the Anglosphere” and “The Latino/a
Mobilization of 2006,” in Latinos in the West (New York: Rowman & Littlefield
Publishers, Inc., 2007), xv-xxviii and 209-226.