This is a survey course on the historical, economic, and socio-political dimensions of the Latino (Mexican American, Puerto Rican, and Cuban) experience in the United States. As the second largest ethnic minority group in this country, the experiences and challenges facing Latinos are valuable in providing us a more complete understanding of American society, its history, and institutions. Using primarily a socio-political approach, we will explore the rich diversity of Latino community life, including the following topics: social history, migration and urbanization, ethnic culture, labor and employment, neighborhood formation and residential segregation, economic inequality and poverty, gender and the family, political organization and mobilization, and several public policy issues confronting the Latino community. Given the broad nature of this course some topics, mainly those related to literature culture, identity, the arts, and religion, have been necessarily left out since they can be better explored in more advanced courses. However, students are encouraged to pursue these topics on their own and to share their insights in class discussions. It should be noted that this course encompasses material both from the nineteenth, twentieth, and twenty-first centuries, but places particular emphasis on the latter and contemporary issues. Finally, this class provides students with the opportunity to enhance their communication skills through class participation and extensive writing, including the writing of a research paper. I hope it will be interesting, instructive, and worth the challenge!

1. Class Attendance and Participation: Class attendance and participation are essential to learning. However, participation should be of good quality and should enhance our understanding of the class readings and/or lectures. Attendance and participation will be taken into serious consideration when determining final grades. Since I intend to run the course more as a discussion seminar with limited lecturing, I will expect all students to come to class well prepared to discuss the readings and to offer their insights! If for any reason you have difficulty speaking out in class, please make an appointment to see me in my office.

Good quality participation means the following: Showing up is half the battle. The second component is asking questions you are genuinely curious about, being able to present your ideas, statements and arguments in a meaningful manner that will contribute to the overall knowledge of the course subject. Participation points are not based on the number of words you utter per class, but rather a willingness to engage in the discussion.

2. Two Take-Home Exams (6-7 pages each): There will be two take-home examinations dealing with the material covered in class lectures and readings for parts 1 and 2 and parts 3 and 4. EACH EXAM will consist of both essays and term identification questions that will require you to be critical and analytical, and not simply to repeat the content of the readings, lectures and discussions. Each exam must be typed, not hand written, and printed out. I will not accept exams by email or on disks.

***EXAM ONE is on January 31, 2002. EXAM ONE IS DUE ON FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2002 BY 4PM. (Please place your exams in the box outside my office door by 4pm. No late exams will be accepted. The Political Science Department is located on the 4^th floor of Willis Hall.)

***EXAM TWO is on March 7, 2002. EXAM TWO IS DUE ON FRIDAY,

MARCH 8, 2002 BY 4PM. (Please place your exams in the box outside my office door by 4pm. No late exams will be accepted.)

*****NO LATE EXAMS WILL BE ACCEPTED!!!!!!!******

3. A Research Paper (no less then 15 Pages): You are required to write a research paper on some aspect of the Latino experience, either from among the topics covered in the course or another approved by the instructor. The paper should be analytical, rather than simply descriptive. Each student must come to see me during office hours by the fourth week of class and submit a brief proposal and preliminary bibliography of their paper. Your paper should be prepared according to standard academic guidelines. The final paper must be typed, doubled spaced, spell-checked, and with appropriate margins of 1 to 1.25 inches on all sides. Use headings as appropriate to delineate sections of your paper (e.g., "Introduction," "Texas State Funding", "Discussion and Conclusion", etc.--whatever the relevant sections are). References to books, articles, and newspapers should be in accordance with the MLA, APA, or Chicago Style of Manual writing. DUE DATE March 5, 2002. ABSOLUTELY NO LATE PAPERS WILL BE ACCEPTED!!!!!

Proposal

Your proposal should include:

*issues or theoretical debates that you think will be important

*your major bibliographic sources

The proposal should be about 3 to 4 pages in length and is due January 17, 2002.

IV. The Final Grade will consist of the following:

First Take-Home Exam…………………….25%

Second Take-Home Exam………………….25%

Research Paper ……………………………..40%

Class Participation ………………………….10%

Make-up exams will be given ONLY in cases of DOCUMENTED medical or other personal emergency.

Academic Misconduct: Given the fact that academe relies upon the ethical conduct of scholars, students are held to the same standards in their own work. Any act of academic dishonesty or misconduct will be referred to the Office of the Associate Dean. For further information, see Carleton College's Academic Honesty in the Writing of Essays and Other Papers and the section on "academic honesty" in Academic Regulations and Procedures, 2000-01. Both are available in Laird 140.

Special Needs: Students requiring access to learning tools/special schedules approved by Student Support Services should contact me at the beginning of the course.

Required Readings:

A number of reserved readings are available in the Gould Library. The following textbooks are available at the bookstore for purchase:

*Louis DeSipio. Counting on the Latino Vote: Latinos as a New, Electorate. Charlottesville, VA: University Press of Virginia, 1996.

*Jorge J. E. Garcia & Pablo De Greiff, ed. Hispanics/Latinos in the United States. New York: Routledge, 2000.

* Rodolfo Rosales. The Illusion of Inclusion. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2000.

*Ronald Schmidt. Language Police and Identity Politics in the United States. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press, 2000.

*Roberto Suro. Strangers Among Us: How Latino Immigration is Transforming America. New York: Vintage Books. 1998.

NOTE: Readings must be completed for the dates assigned below.

January 3rd-Introduction and discussion of course objectives and requirements

Open Discussion: What do we mean by "Latino" in Latino politics?

January 8th-Building Latino ethnic Identity: the meanings and limits of "pan-ethnicity"

Readings:

< **Padilla, Felix. "On the Nature of Latino Ethnicity." Social Science Quarterly 65 (1984): 651-664.

< Suro, chapter 1 (pp. 3-26)

January 10^th-Meet in the Library (Library instruction)

January 15th-New forces encouraging panethnic politics: immigration and its Consequences for Latino Politics

Readings:

< Suro, chapters 2 and 3 (pp. 27-59)

< Schmidt, introduction and chapter 1 (pp.1-37)

Short Film/Documentary: Power, Politics, and Latinos (1992) 56min.

Summary: Presents the historical background of Latino efforts toward political awareness, participation, and empowerment in the political arena.

January 17-The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and the foundation of Mexican America Citizenship

Readings:

< **Griswold del Castillo, Richard. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo: A Legacy of Conflict, 1989, chapters 3 and 5 (pp.30-42 & 62-86)

< **Excerpts from the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in Weber, David J., ed. Foreigners in their Native Land, 1973, (pp. 162-168)

(OPTIONAL) Film: Ballad of Gregorio Cortez (1984) 105min. Summary: On June 12, 1901, Gregorio Cortez, a young Mexican family man, shoots and kills a sheriff in self-defense. For the next 11 days, he eludes an inflamed posse of 600 Texas Rangers in a 450 mile chase across Texas. His manhunt captures the nation’s interest and his eventual trial is tainted by extreme emotions of the country.

*******************Proposals due at the beginning of class******************

January 22-Destruction and political rebirth of Mexicano culture in the Southwest, 1848-1930

Readings:

< **Montejano, David. Anglos and Mexicans in the Making of Texas, 1836-1986, chapters 4, 7, and 8 (pp. 75-99 & 162-196)

< ** Gonzalez, Juan. "Mexicans: Pioneers of a Different Type" In Harvest of Empire, chapter 5 (pp. 96-107

< Rosales, chapters 3, 4, and 5 (pp. 41-103) (This reading selection deals with Mexican American social diversification, immigration, and footholds in community and electoral politics 1930-1975.)

January 24-Puerto Ricans and the colonial foundations of U.S. citizenship

Readings:

< **Trias-Mong, Jose. Puerto Rico: The Trials of the Oldest Colony in the World, 1997, chapters 2-6 (pp. 21-76).

< ** Gonzalez, Juan. "Puerto Ricans: Citizens Yet Foreigners", In Harvest of Empire, chapter 4 (pp. 81-95)

< Suro, chapters 10 and 12 (pp. 138-158 and 179-203) (This reading selection provides a case study of Puerto Ricans and the New York environment, 1917-1975.)

January 29-Cuban American: From exiles to immigrants to citizen activists

Readings:

< Suro, chapter 11 (pp. 159-178)

< **Gonzalez, Juan. "Cubans: Special Refugees", In Harvest of Empire, chapter 6 (pp. 108-116)

< **Portes, Alejandro, and Alex Stepik. City on the Edge: The Transformation of Miami, 1993, chapters 5 and 6 (pp. 89-107 & 123-149)

Short Film/Documentary: Miami: Havana (1992) 52 min. Director: Estella Bravo.
Summary: Discusses how the relationship between the United States and Cuba has affected Cuban families separated by political conflict.

January 31-Latino partisanship, ideology, and policy preferences

Readings:

< DeSipio, chapters 1 and 2 (pp. 1-57)

< Exam One

***********EXAM ONE IS DUE FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2002 BY 4pm.*******

February 5--Barriers to Latino electoral participation

Readings:

< DeSipio, chapters 3 and 4 (pp. 58-118)

February 7-Overcoming barriers 1: organizations and leadership

Readings:

< Rosales, chapter 6 and 7 (pp. 104-158)

< Suro, chapter 14 (pp. 235-242)

February 12-Overcoming barriers 2: issues

Readings:

< Suro, chapters 15, 16, and 17 (pp. 243-301)

February 14-Overcoming barriers 3: grassroots organizing

Guest Speaker

Readings:

< TBA

February 19-Election case studies: national elections

Readings:

< DeSipio, Louis; Rodolfo O. de la Garza; and Mark Setzler. "Awash in the Mainstream: Latinos and the 1996 Elections" (pp. 3-45). In Rodolfo O. de la Garza and Louis DeSipio, eds. Awash in the Mainstream: Latino Politics in the 1996 Elections

(The following readings are case studies of elections in Illinois.)
< **Valadez, John. "Latino Politics in Chicago: Pilsen in the 1990 General Election" (pp. 115-136). In Rodolfo O. de la Garza; Martha Menchaca; And Louis DeSipio eds., Barrio Ballots: Latino Politics in the 1990 Elections.

< **DeSipio, Louis. "Election? What Election? Illinois Latinos and the 1996 Election" (pp. 193-210). In Rodolfo O. de la Garza and Louis DeSipio, eds. Awash in the Mainstream: Latino Politics in the 1996 Elections.

Short Film/Documentary: Raza Unida (1993) 30 min. Summary: Documents the national convention of La Raza Unida Party in 1972.

February 21-Transforming electoral victories into policy

Readings:

< Rosales, chapters 8 and 9 (pp. 159-191)

< **Torres, Maria de Los Angeles. "The Commission on Latino Affairs: A Case Study of Community Empowerment", 1991, (pp. 165-186). In Pierre Clavel and Wim Wiewel, eds. Harold Washington and the Neighborhoods: Progressive City Government in Chicago, 1983-1987.

February 26-Education

Readings:

< TBA

< **Trueba, Enrique. Latinos Unidos, 1999, chapters 3 (pp.65-93)

(OPTIONAL) Short Film/Documentary: Stand and Deliver (1988) 103 min. Director: Ramon Menendez. Summary: True story of a high school math teacher who inspires his inner-city students.

February 28-Language policy

Readings:

< Schmidt, chapters 2 and 3 (pp. 37-98)

March 5-Immigration: Who Immigrates and Why?

Readings:

< DeSipio, chapters 5, 6, and 7 (pp. 119-186) (These chapters deal with naturalization)

< Suro, chapters 4, 6, 8, 9, and 18 (pp. 59-76, 89-106, 119-137, and 302-323)

< **DeSipio, Louis and Rodolfo O. de la Garza. Making Americans/Remaking America: Immigration and Immigrant Policy, chapter 4 (pp. 93-124)

Readings:

< **de la Garza, Rodolfo O., and Louis DeSipio. "Interests not Passions: Mexican American Attitudes toward Mexico, Immigration from Mexico, And Issues Shaping U.S.-Mexico Relations." International Migration Review, 32. (Summer 1998): 401-422.

Documentary: Performing the Border (1999) Narrated by John Quinones

************RESEARCH PAPER DUE AT THE BEGINNING OF CLASS*********

March 7-The future of Latino politics

Readings:

< Schmidt, chapter 8 (pp. 221-250)

< **de la Garza, Rodolfo O. "El Cuento de los Numeros and Other Latino Political Myths." In Anibal Yanez-Chavez, ed. Su Voto es Su Voz: Latino Politics in California, 1996 (pp. 11-32)

< Schmidt, chapters 6 and 7 (pp. 163-220)

< Exam Two

**********EXAM TWO IS DUE ON FRIDAY, MARCH 8,2002 BY 4PM*********

March 11-Classes End

CONGRATULATIONS ON SUCCESSFULLY FINISHING THE TERM!!

Introduction to Latino(a) Politics: Reserved Readings (Gould Library)

1. Padilla, Felix. "On the Nature of Latino Ethnicity." Social Science Quarterly 65 (1984): 651-664.
2. Griswold del Castillo, Richard. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo: A Legacy of Conflict, 1989, chapters 3 and 5 (pp.30-42 & 62-86)
3. Excerpts from the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in Weber, David J., ed. Foreigners in Their Native Land, 1973, (pp. 162-168)
4. Montejano, David. Anglos and Mexicans in the Making of Texas, 1836-1986, 1999, chapters 4, 7, and 8 (pp. 75-99 & 162-196)
5. Gonzalez, Juan. "Mexicans: Pioneers of a Different Type" In Harvest of Empire, chapter 5 (pp. 96-107)
6. Trias-Mong, Jose. Puerto Rico: The Trials of the Oldest Colony in the World, 1997, chapters 2-6 (pp. 21-76).
7. Gonzalez, Juan. "Puerto Ricans: Citizens Yet Foreigners", In Harvest of Empire, chapter 4 (pp. 81-95)
8. Portes, Alejandro, and Alex Stepik. City on the Edge: The Transformation of Miami, 1993, chapters 5 and 6 (pp. 89-107 & 123-149)
9. Gonzalez, Juan. "Cubans: Special Refugees", In Harvest of Empire, chapter 6 (pp.108-116)
10. Valadez, John. "Latino Politics in Chicago: Pilsen in the 1990 General Election" (pp. 115-136). In Rodolfo O. de la Garza; Martha Menchaca; and Louis DeSipio eds., Barrio Ballots: Latino Politics in the 1990 Elections.
11. DeSipio, Louis. "Election? What Election? Illinois Latinos and the 1996 Election" (pp. 193-210). In Rodolfo O. de la Garza and Louis DeSipio, eds. Awash in the Mainstream: Latino Politics in the 1996 Elections.
12. Torres, Maria de los Angeles. "The Commission on Latino Affairs: A Case Study of Community Empowerment", 1991, (pp. 165-186). In Pierre Clavel and Wim Wiewel, eds. Harold Washington and the Neighborhoods: Progressive City Government in Chicago, 1983-1987.
13. Trueba, Enrique. Latinos Unidos, 1999, chapter 3 (pp.65-93)
14. DeSipio, Louis and Rodolfo O. de la Garza. Making Americans/Remaking America: Immigration and Immigrant Policy, chapter 4 (pp. 93-124)
15. de la Garza, Rodolfo O., and Louis DeSipio. "Interests not Passions: Mexican American Attitudes toward Mexico, Immigration from Mexico, and Issues Shaping U.S.-Mexico Relations." International Migration Review, 32. (Summer 1998): 401-422
16. de la Garza, Rodolfo O. "El Cuento de los Numeros and Other Latino Political Myths." In Anibal Yanez-Chavez, ed. Su Voto es Su Voz: Latino Politics in California, 1996 (pp. 11-32)