Introduction to Latinx Studies

This course is an exploration of a broad range of issues relating to the lived experiences of Latinos in the United States. Students examine major events in the histories and cultures of Chicano, Puerto Rican, Central American, Cuban, Dominican, Afro-Latinx, Garifuna, and indigenous Latinx communities, with the primary goal of understanding the roles power and privilege play in constructing ethnic and racial identities. We consider how Latinx lives have been influenced by differences like gender, sexuality, class, language, and citizenship, as well as how Latinx communities have shaped larger discourses on intimacy, law, belonging, and social change. To do so, students study diaries, memoirs, court cases, short stories, novels, poetry, and music videos, paying careful attention to who has been included and excluded from latinidad, while also considering gender and language practices surrounding the use of Latino/Latina/Latinx and, more recently, Latine.