Luis Y. Castañeda, M.A., Doctoral Candidate.
Lcastan1@binghamton.edu (607) 768-3775 Office Hours: M-W 6:05-7:05 pm at LSG 566/568.
SUNY BINGHAMTON
Dept. of Comparative Literature
Chicano Literature and Cinema
COLI 214B-04 Literature and Society - Fall 2014
Mondays and Wednesdays, 4:40-6:05 pm
Class Meetings at O.W. (Old Whitney Hall) 100B
Course Description
This course offers the student the opportunity to engage with the study of Mexican and
Chicano/a literary texts and film. The aim of our discussions in class will focus in
understanding how these literatures and film productions reproduce the Mexican and
Mexican American character in the Southern borderland region of the United States from
1960s to 1990s, as well as the making of the Chicano/a aesthetic ideology, and identity.
The inclusion of a few (translated) twentieth century Mexican pieces of literature has the
purpose to comprehend the inclusion of nationalist and indigenous themes in Chicano/a
literature. This course will also address the crossing points between identity uniqueness,
postcolonial studies, and gender studies.
Course Objectives
Through class discussions and essay writing, by the end of the semester students should
be able to grasp the major themes of Chicano literature and cinema, and identify the
different perspectives on Chicano/a culture that emanate from inside and outside of
Chicanismo's entourage. Since this is a "C" course, as a part of the Gen Ed requirement,
students will write a minimum of 20 pages of expository prose and will develop the skill
of revising their writing, with specific feedback from the instructor.
Revisions
You can revise your 3-page response papers on your own, but if you want to consult with
me about my suggestions on them, I will be glad to meet with you during my office
hours. However, it is required that your 6-page Midterm paper page paper be rewritten.
Revision grades will be averaged with the original grades to determine your final
average. (Note: Do not assume that a revision will bump up your grade automatically,
just because it is a revision.) Only papers that have been graded below C+ grade can be
revised. Revisions must reflect substantive, higher-order rethinking of your argument, not
merely a superficial correction, and revisions must be substantively different from
originally-submitted and graded papers in order to receive full credit. You will revise
each paper after is returned to you and submit it on Blackboard. Rewriting your Final
paper will not be required, although you can send a (completed) draft to me via e-mail
before classes end. Your Final paper should be a literary analysis paper that shows a
deeper understanding of the topics and themes of the course. It must be 8 pages long.
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Required Texts
With some exceptions, which will be posted on Blackboard (under Course Reserves), all
the reading assignments will be found for sale at the university bookstore:
Carlos Fuentes's The Good Conscience (The Noonday Press, 1973, 4th ed.); Américo
Paredes's "With His Pistol in His Hand": A Border Ballad and Its Hero (University of
Texas Press, 1958. 1971 Second Printing) 1-107; Octavio Paz's The Labyrinth of
Solitude. The other Mexico, Return to the labyrinth of solitude , Mexico and the United
States, The philanthropic ogre (Grove Press, 1985); Oscar Zeta Acosta's The
Autobiography of a Brown Buffalo.1972. (First Vintage Books, 1989, 1st Vintage Books
ed.); Richard Rodriguez's Hunger of Memory: The Education of Richard Rodriguez (The
Dial Press, 1982); Gloria Anzaldúa's Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza. 1987
(Aunt Lute Books, 1999, 2nd ed.).
Participation
Class participation accounts for 10% in this course. Read the assigned material and be
prepared for class discussion. Attending class regularly and on time are also part of your
grade, therefore, after two absences points will be deducted.
Grading (Grades will be posted on Blackboard)
2-3 page response paper (First).
10%
2-3 page response paper (second) 10%
5-6 page essay (Midterm).
20%
8 page Final Paper.
30%
6 Quizzes.
20%
Class Participation.
10%
Due Sept. 22
Due Oct. 15
Due Nov. 5
Due Dec. 15
Academic Honesty. For information on the University’s policies on cheating, visit:
http://bulletin.binghamton.edu/integrity.htm
http://sehd.binghamton.edu/students/currentstudents/academichonesty.htm
Calendar
Week 1
Sept. 3 – Introduction
Week 2
Sept. 8: The US-Mexico border.
Sept, 10: The Mexican Revolution (1910-1920) and its Effects on the Border.
(Sept 12 is the Course add/drop/delete deadline)
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Week 3
Sept. 15: "The Psycho-Historical And Socioeconomic Development Of The
Chicano Community In The United States" (1973) by Rodolfo Alvarez.
Sept. 17: The poem "I am Joaquín" (1967) by Rodolfo "Corky" Gonzales and
George Hartley's essay "I Am Joaquín': Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzales and the
Retroactive Construction of Chicanismo." On Blackboard, under Course Reserves.
Week 4
Sept. 22: Chapter 1,"The Homeland, Aztlán" of Gloria Anzaldúa's
Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza.1987 (Aunt Lute Books, 1999, 2nd
ed.). Pages 1-3 (Intro), and 23-35. Also, "El Plan Espiritual de Aztlán." Available
on Blackboard.
( First Short Response Paper due today)
Sept. 24: No class
Week 5
Sept. 29: El Norte, Dir. Gregory Nava, Perf. Zaide Silvia Gutierrez, and David
Villalpando, American Playhouse, 1983. In-class film exhibition.
Oct. 01: El Norte and the topic of Illegal Immigration.
Week 6
Oct. 6: Carlos Fuentes's The Good Conscience (The Noonday Press, 1973, 4th
ed.). University bookstore.
Oct. 8: Touch of Evil, Dir. Orson Welles, Perf. Charlton Heston, Janet Leigh,
and Orson Welles, Universal Pictures, 1958. In-class film exhibition.
Week 7
Oct. 13: Touch of Evil.
Oct. 15: Américo Paredes's "With His Pistol in His Hand": A Border Ballad and
Its Hero (University of Texas Press, 1958. 1971 Second Printing). Introduction to
page 107. University bookstore.
(Second Short Response Paper due today)
Week 8
Oct. 20: American Me, Dir. Edward James Olmos, Perf. Edward James Olmos,
Universal Pictures, 1992. In-class film exhibition.
Oct. 22: American Me.
Week 9
Oct. 27: Chapter I, "The Pachuco and Other Extremes" of Octavio Paz's The
Labyrinth of Solitude (Grove Press, 1985). Pages 9-28. On Blackboard.
Oct. 29: Stand and Deliver, Dir. Ramon Menendez, Perf. Edward James Olmos,
Lou Diamond Philips, Rosana de Soto, and Andy Garcia, American Playhouse,
1988. In-class film exhibition.
***(October 31, Course withdraw/change grade option deadline)
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Week 10
Nov. 3: Stand and Deliver.
Nov. 5: Chapter IV, "The Sons of La Malinche" of Paz's The Labyrinth. Pages
65-88. Topic: La chingada and The Mexican Character.
(Midterm paper due today)
Week 11
Nov. 10: Born in East L.A., Dir. Cheech Marin, Perf. Cheech Marin, Daniel Stern,
and Paul Rodriguez, Universal Pictures, 1987. In-class film exhibition.
Nov. 12: Born in East L.A.
Week 12
Nov. 17: Oscar Zeta Acosta's The Autobiography of a Brown Buffalo.1972. (First
Vintage Books, 1989, 1st Vintage Books ed.). University bookstore.
Nov. 19: The first Chicano film: Please, Don't Bury Me Alive! (1976), Dir. Efraín
Gutiérrez, Perf. Efraín Gutiérrez, and David (Rocky) Moss, Chicano and Media
Arts Series, Vol. 6, 2007. In-class film exhibition.
Week 13
Nov. 24: Chapter 7 "La conciencia de la mestiza/Towards a New Consciousness"
of Gloria Anzaldúa's Borderlands. Pages 9 (last paragraph)-10 (1st paragraph)
(Intro), and 99-113. On Blackboard. Topic: The mestiza: A Third Identity.
Nov, 26: No class.
Week 14
Dec. 1: Real Women Have Curves, Dir. Patricia Cardoso, Perf. America Ferrera,
Lupe Ontiveros, and Ingrid Oliu, HBO Films, 2002. In-class film exhibition.
Dec. 3: Real Women Have Curves.
Week 15
Dec. 8: Richard Rodriguez's Hunger of Memory: The Education of Richard
Rodriguez (The Dial Press, 1982). University bookstore.
Dec. 10: Conclusions.
(Final Paper due on Dec. 15)
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