MASC L Introduction to Mexican American Studies CMAS: Center for Mexican American Studies College of Liberal Arts

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1 MASC L Introduction to Mexican American Studies CMAS: Center for Mexican American Studies College of Liberal Arts Professor: Stephanie Alvarez, PhD Graduate Assistant: Valerie Cerda Office: CMAS, EDUC B Phone: (only leave messages with a live person, not a machine) Office Hours: Online Only via Chat or By Appointment (because it is an online class) Class Meetings: Online Course Description: This course provides an overview of the historical and contemporary experiences of Mexican American communities in the United States. It will also serve as an introduction to the central topics and debates in the field of Mexican American Studies. With an emphasis on the humanities, we will explore how Mexican American writers, musicians, visual artists, and critics create cultural texts that through their own hybridity, negotiate the tensions of being simultaneously within and on the margins of both Anglo and Mexican national boundaries. We will begin by situating the historical context of the Mexican American and then move on to address questions concerning labels, nationalism, border issues, labor, migration, and memory. We will also focus on the construction and transformation of ethnic and national identities among Mexican Americans. Throughout the semester we will be considering the ways in which race, ethnicity, geography, language, gender, and sexuality underline the material we will be analyzing. The course content will be drawn from various texts/media including, novels, autobiographies, short stories, poetry, histories, murals, paintings, films, and music. Required Texts: (These will be provided online because of short semester) Anzaldúa, Gloria. Borderlands/La frontera: The New Mestiza. San Francisco: Aunt Lute Press, Paredes, Américo. With His Pistol In His Hand. Austin: U Texas P, Grading Scale A: B: C: D: F: 59-50

2 Course Requirements: 30% Online Discussions 5% Quiz 45% Reading Responses 20% Final Essay Online Discussions: (30%) For each module you must participate in an online discussion. These online discussions are to help engage you with the readings, create more of a real classroom environment and prepare you to formulate your reading responses by engaging in critical discussions regarding the texts. These discussions most often will specifically address social issues of of the readings and the actions portrayed/suggested/analyzed/theorized by the authors. You will be asked to take an active and critical role as an analyst and possible performer. On the first day of each module (either Monday or Thursday), each person will post an entry related to the texts. On the second day of the module (Tuesday or Friday) each person will respond/comment on at least 2 posts by their classmates. Your posts should be approximately words (3-4 sentences). Reading Responses (45%) At the end of each module (Wed & Sat) you will turn in a reading response by the end of the day (midnight). Your reading/film response should be between 1 and 2 double spaced pages using a Times New Roman 12pt font and 1 inch margins. 1 page is the minimum, but it is extremely rare that a student gets an A with a 1 page paper. The reading responses form 45% of your grade. Please write or save all reading responses in Microsoft WORD or Pdf with the title First Name Last Name Module 1. (i.e. Stephanie Alvarez Module 1). Do not write more than two pages. DO NOT SIMPLY SUMMARIZE THE READINGS AND/OR FILMS. I have already read and viewed them. Instead of summarizing you need to respond to what you have read and address all of the readings for that week, relate them to each other and the theme for that week, and seek to provide a critical view of the issues raised. These are the criteria that will determine the grade you receive on your reading responses. A strong response reading should engage the argument and importance of each reading, talk about the readings in relation to one another and to the themes of the class, and when possible take a critical perspective on the issues and texts involved. Be sure that you back up any opinions/assertions you make with a clear examples or direct quotes from the text(s). If you want the A, quote from the texts (no need to include page #s) If you are stuck and don t know where to begin consider answering in depth 1-2 of the following to get you started; What do these texts have in common & in what ways do they differ? How do the texts reflect cultural attitudes about gender and/or about race? Have things changed since the writing of the text?

3 How did you feel about what you read? Why do you think the text provoked this response in you? Did you find your own values and assumptions reflected in the text? Grading of the Reading & Film Responses will be based on a grading scale of 1-4. The following is a grading rubric that describes what each grade represents. 4/4 = 100%, 3/4=75%, 2/4=50%, 1/4=25% 4 Student shows a clear understanding of the readings by utilizing quotes and/or providing examples from the readings and/or films. Student has responded to all of the texts/films for that week. Student connects the readings/films to one another and the themes of the class. Student demonstrates understanding of the main argument of the texts/films. 3 Student connects the readings/films to one another and the themes of the class. Understands key concepts and is generally clear and precise. 2 Sometimes vague, imprecise, and unreasoned. Shows some understanding of the readings. Only summarizes readings. 1 Little evidence of completing/ understanding the readings. Final Essay: (20%) Final Personal Narrative: The due date for the final essay will be posted on blackboard. For this final personal narrative, I wish for you to write a four-five page double spaced personal essay, using 12 pt Times New Roman font and 1 inch margins. In this essay I want you to reflect on your life and discuss how it is you relate or do not relate to the readings discussed in class. There really is no right or wrong answer here. However, what you must do is quote various texts to make your points. In other words, don t just say I connect with this text because it is similar to my own life experience. You can say that, but you must follow-up with a direct quote from the text. At the same time, perhaps you cannot draw any parallels with your life and the texts studied in class. In this case you should explain how that is and give specific examples from your life that demonstrate a clear opposite from what you have read. Either way, the format is the same.

4 For example... One of the readings that most stood out to me was How to Tame a Wild Tongue by Gloria Anzaldúa. When she writes Chicanas that grew up speaking Chicano Spanish have internalized the belief that we speak poor Spanish (80), I remember at times being embarrassed to speak Spanish thinking that I would be ridiculed. I remember one time when I was speaking in Spanish and my professor jumped in to correct my Spanish. He said no es parquear, es estacionar. After that, I was always self-conscious of my Spanish. You then would go on to talk about/expand upon this issue in your life giving specific examples and refer back to the text and other texts. You should try to write about several experiences and texts not just one. However, if you feel so inclined to write specifically about one experience please do so. Students with Disabilities: If you have a documented disability (physical, psychological, learning, or other disability which affects your academic performance) and would like to receive academic accommodations, please inform your instructor and contact Student Accessibility Services to schedule an appointment to initiate services. It is recommended that you schedule an appointment with Student Accessibility Services before classes start. However, accommodations can be provided at any time. Brownsville Campus: Student Accessibility Services is located in Cortez Hall Room 129 and can be contacted by phone at (956) (Voice) or via at ability@utrgv.edu. Edinburg Campus: Student Accessibility Services is located in 108 University Center and can be contacted by phone at (956) (Voice), (956) (Fax), or via at ability@utrgv.edu. Mandatory Online Course Evaluation: Students are required to complete an ONLINE evaluation of this course, accessed through your UTRGV account ( you will be contacted through with further instructions. Students who complete their evaluations will have priority access to their grades. Online evaluations will be available: Nov 18 Dec 8 for full fall semester courses Sexual Harassment, Discrimination, and Violence: In accordance with UT System regulations, your instructor is a responsible employee for reporting purposes under Title IX regulations and so must report any instance, occurring during a student s time in college, of sexual assault, stalking, dating violence, domestic violence, or sexual harassment about which she/he becomes aware during this course through writing, discussion, or personal disclosure. More information can be found at including confidential resources available on campus. The faculty and staff of UTRGV actively strive to provide a learning, working, and living environment that promotes personal integrity, civility, and mutual respect in an environment free from sexual misconduct and discrimination.

5 Course Drops: According to UTRGV policy, students may drop any class without penalty earning a grade of DR until the official drop date. Following that date, students must be assigned a letter grade and can no longer drop the class. Students considering dropping the class should be aware of the 3-peat rule and the 6-drop rule so they can recognize how dropped classes may affect their academic success. The 6-drop rule refers to Texas law that dictates that undergraduate students may not drop more than six courses during their undergraduate career. Courses dropped at other Texas public higher education institutions will count toward the six-course drop limit. The 3-peat rule refers to additional fees charged to students who take the same class for the third time. Course Learning Objectives: Define, Compare and Contrast Conquest vs Colonization Understand the ramifications and residual effects of colonization for Chicanxs today Identify ways in which Chicanxs have resisted colonization and attempts of decolonization Identify ways in which social identities are (re)constructed and negotiated and how the roles race, ethnicity, geography, nationalism, language, gender, and sexuality influence these identities. Have a basic understanding of the historical presence and experiences of Chicanxs in the U.S. Understand various labels and their origins to identify Chicanxs Learning Objectives for the Core Requirement: MASC 2301 satisfies a core curriculum requirement. The outcomes which this course meets are set by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) for the core area of Language, Philosophy & Culture. The THECB outcomes met are: Critical Thinking Skills, Communication Skills, Social Responsibility, and Personal Responsibility. Language, Philosophy & Culture (i) Courses in this category focus on how ideas, values, beliefs, and other aspects of culture express and affect human experience. (ii) Courses involve the exploration of ideas that foster aesthetic and intellectual creation in order to understand the human condition across cultures. (iii) The following four core objectives must be addressed in each course approved to fulfill this category requirement: Critical Thinking Skills, Communication Skills, Personal Responsibility, and Social Responsibility. Critical Thinking Students will demonstrate comprehension of a variety of written texts and other information sources by analyzing and evaluating the logic, validity, and relevance of the information in them to solve challenging problems, to arrive at well-reasoned conclusions, and to develop and explore new questions. Communication Skills Students will demonstrate the ability to adapt their communications to a particular context, audience, and purpose using language, genre conventions, and sources appropriate to a specific discipline and/or communication task.

6 Social Responsibility Students will recognize and describe cultural diversity, the role of civic engagement in society, and the link between ethics and behavior. Personal Responsibility Students will demonstrate an awareness of the range of human values and beliefs that they draw upon to connect choices, actions, and consequences to ethical decision-making. Pedagogical Tools, Methods, and Assessments Core Objective Discussions: Communication Skills & Social Responsibility Quizzes: Communication Skills: Critical Thinking, Personal Responsibility Digital Testimonio: Communication Skills, Critical Thinking, Personal Responsibility Exams: Communication Skills, Critical Thinking, Personal Responsibility Mexican American Studies Student Learning Outcomes: Students will articulate an understanding of the cultural, artistic, and intellectual knowledge of Mexican American communities through skills in the areas of writing, literature, reading, oral communication, and media literacy. Students will analyze and interpret a variety of texts central to the debates and issues concerning Mexican American identity, specifically as identity is related to language, race, gender, sexualities, ethnicity, and class. Students will demonstrate a broad and foundational knowledge of the Mexican American experience within the larger context of the Americas and demonstrate knowledge of the Mexican American experience within a transdisciplinary context. Students will demonstrate an appreciation and understanding for the scope and breadth of Mexican American history. Students will apply appropriate research methodologies to demonstrate how Mexican American experiences connect to the opportunities and challenges faced by Mexican Americans in contemporary society. Students will apply experiential learning to demonstrate a responsibility to the Mexican American community that enacts positive social change as part of their capstone experience. Mexican American Studies offers a Major, Minor, Master s Degree and Graduate Certificate. For Additional Information, please visit our website at