ICS 35 SYLLABUS
Chicana/o and Latina/o Literature – a legacy of resistance
Welcome to our class!
I want to extend a warm hello to all of you who signed up for this online
section of ICS35.
This quarter we'll be delving into the topic of Chicana/o and Latina/o
Literature, studying just how this powerful and beautiful form of expression
has evolved over the past 150 years.
We'll begin by looking at pieces that were written long before the American
Southwest was part of the U.S., and then turn to the historical moment
when Mexico ceded more than 50% of its territory to the U.S. after an
American invasion and an economically devastating war. We will then
follow the development of Chicana/o and Latina/o literature in the U.S. as
men and women who seek to retain their own culture, traditions, and voice
in an evolving global culture express it. Some of the specific issues we will
deal with include: criminalization, family support and stresses, machismo,
globalization, sexuality, and political and cultural resistance.
The coming weeks should be interesting and fun, and you will certainly
have many opportunities to read, discuss, and write your way through the
course.
Some of the course materials will be available online, but you need to get
the Required Print Course Materials ASAP! All of these are available at
the De Anza Bookstore –
The Latino Reader – Harold Augenbraum and Maragarite Fernandez
Olmos (by the way, this is NOT a reader. It is a book!)
Zoot Suit and other plays – Luis Valdez
Enrique’s Journey – Sonia Nazario
How Does this Class Work? What is CATALYST?
Each week your assignments and reading links will appear in the
CATALYST Classroom. Be sure you check this link Sunday or Monday so
that you are prepared and ready to complete your work on time. You can
always refer to the course calendar and this syllabus, they won’t change
unless I tell you ahead of time. So, you don’t need to wait to start doing
the reading.
ASSIGNMENTS
Essays:
You will be turning in three short essays to the CATALYST Assignment
drop box. Each essay will be aprox. 500 words (2-3 pages, double spaced)
and will need to include quoted material from either the film or the readings
in order to earn full points. Please be sure to refer to the Essay Writing
Guidelines for more information.
You'll have some choice of films, and all of those I've listed are widely
available. If you cannot locate any of them, please contact me early and
suggest an appropriate alternative. I’ll decide if it’s one you can use.
Essay #1 -- Literary analysis -- Value 20 points
This essay will be in response to a prompt relating to all of the readings we
have done up to this point. Themes for this portion of the class
include: colonization, criminalization, cultural and political resistance,
family support and stress, and machismo.
Essay #2 -- Film analysis -- Value 20 points
This essay will be in response to a film from this list, or another that you
choose, but it needs to be related to Latina/o life and the materials we are
studying in this course:
El Norte – 1983
La Bamba – 1987
Stand and Deliver – 1988
Like Water for Chocolate - 1992
Mi Familia - 1995
Selena – 1997
Frida – 2002
Quinceanera - 2006
Under the Same Moon - 2007
Sin Nombre - 2009
La Mission- 2010
Essay #3 Literary analysis – Value 20 points
This essay will be in response to a prompt relating to the book Enrique's
Journey. Themes include the effects and responses to globalization,
challenges to sexuality and gender roles in the Latina/o community, and
the power of myth.
Course evaluation - Value 10 pts.
this is a short forum post, not a standard essay
Discussion Forums: 30 total points available
We will be building our online community in the CATALYST forums, where
we will hold class discussion every week. You'll be given discussion topics
related to the readings and writing assignments, and you will be expected
to post your thoughts and read the comments of others.
You should plan on posting at least three comments every week. These
will be in response to the readings assigned for the week.
Each time you post, you can earn one point…. That is as long as your post
does the following 5 things. The post:
1) is thoughtful and answers the question asked
2) adds to our understanding of the material we are working with
3) responds to at least one other person involved in the forum
discussion
and Most importantly!
4) You use the format required. Here is what that means:
*You must quote the text we are reading,
*You must include the name of the author and page number where
you found the material you are quoting. You must do this using MLA
style.
Do NOT write this:
on page 72, Juan Coronado writes…..”xxxxxxxxxxx”. This is NOT
MLA style citation.
DO write this:
Juan Coronado tells us that “xxxxxxxxxxx” (72).
Every subsequent time you quote an author in the same post, you
must use their LAST NAME, not their first name. Like this:
Coronado also insists that “xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx” (72).
Or if you are quoting a character you might write it like this:
Francisco says “I’m not playing that game” (Juan Coronado, 72).
If it’s the second time you’re quoting from the same piece, again,
you’ll do it like this: Francisco also refers to “xxxxxxxx” (72).
AND!
5) You need to ask a question that furthers the discussion. You can
choose to answer any question in the discussion thread (just be sure
to name the person you are responding to). Then, ask a question
you want the class to respond to. This should not be a test question,
like: “What was the name of the protagonist?”. It should be a
question that encourages critical thinking, analysis, and ask your
classmates to think about the text in a unique way. See the
handout on the Catalyst homepage for examples of questions that
promote critical thinking.
There are no right or wrong answers to the discussion prompts.
Whether you have taken a distance learning class before or not, there are
some other things you should know about this class.
This class IS NOT self-paced. We hold class discussions that you are
expected to participate in, and you are graded for participation. The
assignments have due dates that are observed, so work cannot be turned
in when it's convenient for you. If you are an extremely busy person trying
to squeeze in a college class, this may not be the one for you.
Online classes use new and changing technologies and will always be
somewhat experimental and or unpredictable. As your instructor, I have
tried to set up a convenient, easy to navigate the infrastructure, but I do not
have control over all of the technology we use. For example, you may
experience problems with your email address or your Internet Service
Provider, and I have no control over those. The CATALYST server may be
down or may contain some glitches that need to be worked out, and I do
not manage it. What we will have to do is communicate with one another
and be willing to adapt or try new things. I will try my best to assist when I
can, so please let me know when you are having trouble using or
understanding any of the technological components of the course.
Contacting the Instructor
You should feel comfortable contacting me via email. I am often available
for chat via email after 6:00 PM during the week. I do have scheduled oncampus office hours and may also meet you by appointment if you feel
more comfortable discussing our class in person, so check my current
schedule. It is often beneficial to review a writing assignment before you
turn it in for a grade, so consider sending me drafts for comment. I am
really friendly and want to help you!
My Online Work Hours: I work mostly in the early evening because I also
teach all day. I also check my email in the mornings, throughout the day
when possible. I cannot guarantee I will respond to emails over the
weekend, but you can be assured that I will respond to you within 24 hours
during the week.
Plagiarism Policy
Because I respect the opinions and ideas of others, I am strongly against
cheating and stealing and will uphold a strict plagiarism policy.
PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT VERY CAREFULLY:
Students who submit the work of others in whole or in part will receive a
zero and may fail the course if the plagiarism continues. It is the student's
responsibility to cite sources and avoid sloppy research. Do not use
phrases and sentences that you did not create unless you place them in
quotation marks and attribute them to their author. Not one sentence, not
one paragraph, nothing! Think carefully. Resist the temptation to pillage
the web for content to fill your papers because plagiarism is easy to spot,
especially for instructors who routinely teach writing! I unfortunately
encounter it every quarter. Don't be next!
If you feel you need to do some research but are not sure how to quote an
author or document your sources, ASK FOR HELP. There are also several
useful resources on the web.
Grading
These are the graded requirements:
*
Participation in Discussion Forums - 30 pts
*
Two Literary Analysis Essays - 20 points each (40 pts total)
*
One Film Analysis Essays - 20 points
*
The Course Evaluation Forum Essay - 10 points
100-90 = A 89-80= B
79-70=C
69-0 = F
There will be a few opportunities for extra credit that require attendance at
on-campus events, and writing a brief reflection. I will post them as we go
along, and hope you can attend, so I can meet you in person.
Course Calendar -- ICS 35
Unless otherwise indicated, all readings are in the Latino Reader
Week 1
Introduction to class/classmates, and history of Chicano/a Literature
READ:
Who are Chicana/os? (available on the Catalyst site)
“Introduction: An American Literary Tradition” Harold Augenbraum (xi-xx)
“The Account” Cabeza de Vaca (4-16)
PRACTICE:
Responding to Discussion Forum prompts
POST:
Your photo and a short bio so we can begin to get to know each other. Let me know if
you have issues navigating Catalyst.
Week 2
Mexicans and Mexican Americans 1880’s-1960’s
READ:
“The Squatter and the Don” by Maria Amparo Ruiz de Burton (80-97)
“The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez” Unknown Author (133-136)
“Pocho” Jose Antonio Villareal (236-247)
POST:
Responses to three Forum Discussion prompts
Week 3
The Early Chicana/o Movement, Resistance Literature of the 1930’s- 1960’s
WATCH:
The following videos online:
1) Deportation of Mexican Americans during the 1930’s:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZ5pvg5-4Nk
2)Forgotten Voices: The Story of the Bracero Program:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AL5d9CWV0Xg
3) The Lemon Grove Incident
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92DiTCecPlk
READ:
“I am Joaquin” Rudolfo Corky Gonzalez (265-278)
“The Revolt of the Cockroach People” Oscar Zeta Acosta (307-316)
POST:
Responses to three Forum Discussion prompts
Week 4
The Chicana/o Renaissance
READ:
Luis Valdez – Bandido and Zoot Suit (1978) –
Both of these plays are in the book by Luis Valdez. There is a short version of Zoot Suit
in the Latino Reader, but you are responsible for reading both plays in their entirety.
WATCH:
The Battle of Chavez Ravine:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBcxB70tgGc
POST:
Responses to three Forum Discussion prompts
WRITE:
Literary Analysis Essay #1
Week 5
La Chicana
READ:
“Poem For a Young White Man… “ and “Visions of Mexico…” Lorna Dee Cervantes –
(387-390)
“The Moths” Helena Maria Viramontes (432-437)
“Borderlands/La Frontera” Gloria Anzaldua (444-456)
POST:
Responses to three Forum Discussion prompts
Week 6
The effects of globalization
READ:
Sonia Nazario – Enrique’s Journey, Chapters 1-3
POST:
Responses to three Forum Discussion prompts
Week 7
READ:
Sonia Nazario – Enrique’s Journey, Chapters 4-6
POST:
Responses to three Forum Discussion prompts
WRITE:
Film Analysis – Essay #2
Week 8
READ:
Sonia Nazario – Enrique’s Journey, Chapters 7-end
POST:
Responses to three Forum Discussion prompts
EXTRA CREDIT:
Arizona Legislation in the News
Week 9
La Chicana Part II
READ:
“Woman Hollering Creek” - Sandra Cisneros (457-467)
POST:
Responses to three Forum Discussion prompts
WRITE:
Essay #3 – Response to Enrique’s Journey
Week 10
Quinto Sol – Under the Fifth Sun
READ:
Your choice of pieces from the Latino Reader
POST:
Responses to the Forum Discussion prompt
Week 11
Wrapping it all up
WRITE:
Course Evaluation Forum -- Essay #4