Caribbean, Latin American, and Latino Studies Courses
103. Introduction to Ethnic Studies and Social Justice
This course attempts to familiarize students with the different roles different ethnic groups have played in the development of the American nation since settler colonialism began. Students will be exposed to readings and case studies that grapple with the way racialized societies affect inequities in wealth, quality of life and in general access to public goods. In particular we will focus on how such trends are increasing not only in the United States, but also globally. Students in this course will tackle the following questions through key readings, group exercises, journal entries and blogs: How are identities, experiences, and structures of race, ethnicity, and class intertwined with social justice in the American context? How has the meaning of racial justice transformed over the course of the 20th and early 21st century in the United States? We will explore the way the histories of Latinos, African-Americans, Asian-Americans and Native-Americans are deeply connected to the very foundation of the American nation.
104. Introduction to Caribbean and Latin American Studies.
This interdisciplinary core course is designed to introduce students to the richness and diversity of Latin American cultures, the region’s turbulent history of conquest and colonization, and the problems of its development. The course familiarizes students with the vitality of Latin American art and literature and relates Latin American culture with cultura latina in the United States. The course provides a framework for more advanced studies on Caribbean and Latin American themes. Also offered as HIST 115.
105. Introduction to Latino Studies and Latino Cultural Expressions
This introductory course on Latino Cultural expressions will help students understand the complexities involved in the dynamics of Latinos in the US history, economy, politics and cultural expression. Some questions that we will ask in this course are: While Latinas/os have been integral to U.S. history and culture, why have they frequently and consistently been depicted as either outsiders or foreign and how is Latina/o identity negotiated? How do we explain the presence of different Latino groups in the US and what are the cultural expressions that are taking place in the US due to these migration waves? What are some of the dynamics that are taking place between Latino/a cultural production in relationship both to larger U.S. culture and to other U.S. racial and ethnic groups? We will also question the development and /or existence of Latinidad - the relationship between and common culture among Latino/as in U.S. culture and how it manifests itself through cultural expressions such as literature, music, films and social media. Our readings focus on musical genres, writers and popular culture from various Latino/a groups. Our topics will include: migration, language, the body, gender roles, sexual orientation and identity politics in the works of authors and artists.
255. Latino Popular Culture.
We will examine media organizations and their participants in their roles in shaping popular culture. We will also reflect on the impact of Latino media production on identity formation as a mode of revealing and reproducing ideology and political struggle. This course includes key readings in cultural economy, political economy, cultural studies, history and sociology. Emphasis is on various cultural expressions of ethnic subcultures in the United States and their complex negotiations with the dominant culture and their co-resisters in a global/local struggle over meaning.
302. Latino Cultural Studies and Cultural Analysis
Students will be exposed to the understanding of forces behind the production and circulation of cultural artifacts (e.g. films, regional fiction, romance novels, advertising) and their meanings; the cultural construction of race, ethnicity, and gender; the visual and spatial dimensions of everyday experience; and the relationship of private and public spheres. The course is focused on the historical, social and cultural experience of Latino communities and will expose students to the understanding and deconstruction of cultural artifacts, such as art, music, or literature, and cultural identifications, such as popular, sexual, racial, or national identities.
352. Clinic: The Effects of Globalization on Human Rights
Students will be exposed to some of the ways in which drastic global economic and social re-structural policies are shaping the living conditions and have infringed on human rights in Latin America. This Clinic seeks to develop both theoretical and practical skills, through students’ involvement in concerted and focused activities including research and documentation of human rights violations, and in the support of advocacy initiatives before different NGOs and/or institutions.
3000-3999. Special Topics.
Special topics courses offer students the opportunity to study specific topics in CLAS when offered by departments. The content of each course or section of these 200-level special topics courses varies and will be announced each semester.
4000-4999. Special Topics.
Special topics seminars offer students the opportunity to study specific topics in CLAS when offered by departments. The content of each course or section of these 300- or 400-level special topics courses varies and will be announced each semester.
CLAS 479. Independent Study.
This course offers students the opportunity to conduct an in-depth investigation of a particular topic on an individual basis with a CLAS faculty sponsor.
CLAS 489,490. SYE Independent Study.
Independent research project for seniors only, with supervision from a CLAS faculty sponsor.