Neither Here nor There: Latinos in the U.S. 4219-SH0032
The course will explore the Latino struggle of belonging, or not belonging, to the mythic U.S. melting pot. The course engages with the
complexity of the Latin American & Caribbean Diaspora in the US as a problem of being both/and as well as neither/nor in terms of how
the US and the countries of origin view them, and how they negotiate this space in terms of race, ethnicity, country of origin, and cultural
variables including linguistic, gender, sexuality, religion, and class. The difficulty of finding an identity, a locus, and the various modes of
adaptation and adoption will be explored through cultural productions which attempt to articulate the state of (not) belonging. We will also
look at the complexities of (im)migration and the dissimilar processes by which different groups within the Diaspora have come to be part
of the US narrative. We will examine the difference between Latino/Hispanic/Chicano and variations within those groups. We will also have
an opportunity to converse with some authors and filmmakers.
Practical Info:
• The readings are selected short stories, poems, fragments available through the library, as well as via pdf in Google drive.
• All readings are in English (with some Spanish words) and the films are either in English, a mix of English/Spanish (Spanglish), or
Spanish with English subtitles.
• Regular attendance, particularly as this is an accelerated course, is required.
• Participation in the seminar through asking questions and engaging thoughtfully in a conversation is also expected.
• Given the accelerated context of the course, it is hoped that students will do some readings/film viewings during the regular semester in
advance. Dr. Reitsma is happy to meet with students via Zoom prior to the in-person start of the course.
• Course is taught in English.
Type of course
Mode
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
Knowledge:
Students will add to their knowledge of the significance of cultural studies and religious
studies relative to the variety of religious practices and socio-historic phenomenon of
LatinX in the US through literature and film.
Students will enhance their knowledge of selected facts and phenomena concerning the
culture of the United States relative to LatinX cultures and cultural productions and
histories navigating these relationships.
Students will enhance their knowledge of the social specificity of the United States and
how multiculturalism and multi-nationality of its inhabitants condition the dynamics of
social development and potential difficulties in such development. This will include, for
example, an exploration of legal policies regarding immigration, and the cultural
productions of LatinX in the US as they navigate race, class, gender, sexuality, religion.
Students will enhance their knowledge of cultural products of American culture and
their historical, social, and political contexts, as well as manifestations and processes
characteristic of contemporary cultural, social, and political life in the United States
through literature and film from the LatinX Diaspora perspective.
Students will enhance their knowledge of major trends and works of American
literature, essential foundations of American literary history that are an integral part of
studying North American culture, as well as theoretical and methodological basics of
literary studies, particularly literature and film related to LatinX peoples.
Skills:
Students will enhance their ability to interpret works of American literature in the
context of broadly understood American culture, related specifically to LatinX.
Students will enhance their ability to apply principles of effective communication
necessary in the context of exchange between two or more cultural systems through
participation, interviews, and writing assignments.
Students will enhance their capacity to acquire and select data from various American
sources, integrate obtained information, interpret it, draw conclusions, formulate
opinions, prepare, and deliver presentations and speeches in English on general/basic
issues in the field of American Studies concerning the United States, as well as prepare
written materials in English.
Assessment criteria
Attendance and active Participation (20%)
Weekly Critical Close Readings (and revisions) (60%) (3 total, 2 pages)
Final Project / Four Perspectives / Comparative Paper (20%) (4-8 pages)
Grading Scale: Grading scale:
A 95-100
A- 90-94
B+ 87-89
B 83-86
B- 80-82
C+ 77-79
C 73-76
C- 70-72
D 60-69
F below 60 or failure due to absence
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: