U.S.-Mexico Border Relations

COURSE DESCRIPTION: In this class, we will explore the U.S.-Mexico Border or Borderlands/Frontera as a place or zone of transnational political, social, economic, and cultural interaction, conflict, and interdependence. As we will see, the border is an area of complexity and contradiction. On the one hand, it is an international boundary demarcating and differentiating the U.S. and Mexico; on the other hand it is (and has always been) a porous boundary through which peoples, goods, and ideas flow freely and, sometimes, discreetly.

The course will begin by examining briefly the regions early history, that is, the period prior to the U.S.-Mexico War (1846-1848) and the creation of the present-day border. We will look at the Native American, Spanish, and Mexican peoples as well as themes of manifest destiny and cultural mixing (mestizaje) and conflict. We will then focus our attention on the post-1848 era through to the millennium, or the post-NAFTA era.

Issues we will explore include conflict and constestation, economic "booms and busts," industrialization and the rise of maquiladoras, urbanization, migration, and population growth, womens issues, education, the environment, drug trafficking, the militarization of the border, border culture and peoples, and NAFTA. Keep in mind that this class will examine not only how local, national, and international developments, policies, and politics have shaped the region but also how border peoples (Mexicans, Mexican Americans, Chicanas/os, and others) have, in turn, shaped the area.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

• To analyze the scope and depth of cultural mixing and conflict in the borderlands and border region

• To understand the political, social, economic, and cultural developments having the greatest impact on the region as well as on border, Mexican, and U.S. peoples

• To identify the contradictions and complexity of border politics, economy, and culture

• To comprehend the impact of local, national, and international developments at the border as well as how border issues impact Washington D.C. and Mexico City.

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 the instructor intends to run her 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.

II. There will be one five to seven page "short paper" and a class presentation as well as a final research paper due the last day of class.

• Short paper due: May 2^nd or June 4^th, 2002
• Research proposal: April 30, 2002
• Research Paper: Due June 5, 2002

• Short Paper ……. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25%
• Class Presentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25%
• Research Paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40%
• Class Participation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10%

You have the option of turning in a short paper (five to seven pages in length) either on May 2^nd or June 4^th. If you choose to turn in a short paper on or by May 2^nd, then you can only give your class presentation after May 2^nd. If you choose to turn in a short paper on or by June 4^th, then you must due a class presentation on or by May 2^nd. This is to ensure that you have one grade before mid-term break. The short papers must be analytical and/or argumentative based on any of the assigned readings, class themes, questions, issues, or concepts raised in class. The paper must be typed, front sized 12, doubled spaced, spell-checked, and with appropriate margins of 1 to 1.25 inches on all sides.

One to two students will be selected for each class to lead discussions based on that day’s assigned readings. Your grade will be based on the summation of each book, the critical points or central arguments that you find of particular interest. You may also explore concept(s) or theoretical frameworks that you find particularly interesting in the readings. It will be your job to lead the class in a "quality" discussion. Thus, your grade is based on the willingness of your classmates to work together. If they choose to help you by keeping the class discussion continuous either by bringing up another topic, exploring questions, issues (pertaining to that day’s readings), then you will do well. This is a team effort. There will also be a class list serve to help generate class questions, concerns, and issues for each class. I will also be available to meet with the student discussant(s) before class.

RESEARCH PAPER

Research Paper (no less then 15 pages and no more than 25 pages): You are required to write a research paper on some aspect related to the U.S.-Mexico Border, either from among the topics covered in the course or another approved by the Professor. The paper should be analytical, rather than simply descriptive. It must contain a section that is dedicated to and titled "future implications". I have placed a Border Studies Bibliography list on reserves at Gould Library to assist you in your research. It is important to note that you are not limited to the bibliography list.

Remember: Please be aware of the fact that some books are not located/available in Gould Library and that you may have to acquire them through inter-library loan. Thus, you need to plan ahead. No excuses will be accepted.

The Border Studies Bibliography also lists directories and Internet resources pertaining to the U.S.-Mexico Border.

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, font sized 12, 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 June 5, 2002, By 3pm. ABSOLUTELY NO LATE PAPERS WILL BE ACCEPTED!!!!!

Your proposal should include:

*a brief statement of your research topic, including your major hypothesis or research questions

*kinds of information you need in order to address those research questions or test your hypothesis

*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 April 30, 2002

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, 2001-02. 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.

NOTE: Readings must be completed for the dates assigned below. Those readings with an "**" are on reserves at the Gould Library.

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

• Paul Ganster, ed. The U.S.-Mexico Border Environment: A Road Map to a Sustainable 2020. San Diego: San Diego State University Press, 2000.

• Lawrence Herzog, ed. Shared Space: Rethinking the U.S.-Mexico Border Environment. University of California, San Diego, La Jolla: Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies, 2000.

• David Lorey. The U.S. Mexican Border in the Twentieth Century. Wilmington, DE: Scholarly Resources Inc., 1999.

• Oscar Martinez. Troublesome Border. Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 1995.

• Oscar Martinez, ed. The U.S. Mexico Borderlands: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives. Wilmington, DE: S1996.

• Rachael Kamel. The Maquiladora Reader: Cross Border Organizing Since NAFTA. American Friends Service Committee, 1999.

• Peter Andreas. Border Games: Policing the U.S.-Mexico Divide. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2000.

April 2, First Day of Class: Introduction to Course, Themes, and Concepts

*Sign Up Sheet for Class Discussants*

April 4^th: Theories of Borders, Boundaries, Nation-States,

Readings: ** Staudt and Spener, The U.S.-Mexico Border, Chapters 1 & 2

<Andreas, Border Games, Chapters 1 & 2

<**Rodriguez, Nestor, "The Social Construction of the U.S.-Mexico Border," Chapter 12 (pp. 223-243)

<**Held, McGrew, Goldblatt, and Perraton, "The Territorial State and Global Politics" Global Transformations, Chapter 1 (pp. 32-86)

April 9th: The Spanish-Native American-Mexican Borderlands, the U.S.-Mexico War & Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo (1848)

Film: The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez

April 11^th : Border Strife: Filibusters, Ethnic Violence, and Indians, Mexicans, and Anglo- Americans The Mexican Revolution, 1910 and BorderConflict

Readings: Lorey, The U.S.-Mexico Border, Introduction and Chapter 1 (pp. 1-33)

<Martinez, Troublesome Border, Chapters 1, 3, & 4, 5

<Martinez, ed. U.S. Mexican Borderlands, Chapter 1 (pp. 1-43)

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

April 16^th: Border Strife: Filibusters, Ethnic Violence, and Indians, Mexicans, and Anglo-Americans, The Mexican Revolution, 1910 and Border Conflict

Readings: Martinez, Troublesome Border, Chapter 2

<Martinez, The U.S.-Mexico Borderlands, Chapters 2 (pp. 45-84) Chapter 3 (pp. 85-106), Chapter 4 (pp. 107-147)

<**Velez-Ibanez, "The Politics of Survival and Revival," Border Visions, Chapter 3 (pp. 91-136)

Dunn, "Introduction," The Militarization of the U.S.-Mexico Border, (pp. 1-30)

****************Proposal Due April 30^th at Beginning of Class*******************

April 18^th: Border Politics

Readings: **Price, Thomas, Standoff at the Border: a Failure of Microdiplomacy

<**GAO Report, U.S.-Mexico Border: Issues and Challenges Confronting the United States and Mexico (July 1999)

<**Rodriguez, Decentralization in Mexico, Chapters 1, 2, & 6 (pp. 1-37& 115-139)

<**Rodriguez and Ward, Opposition Government in Mexico, Chapter 9 (pp. 135-151)

< http://www.us-mex.org/borderlines/bkissues.html

*Shirk, David, "Mexico’ New Border Commission," Borderlines 77, Vol. 9, no. 4 (April 2001): 1-8.

*Kourous, "Population Growth on the Border," Borderlines 58, Vol. 7, No. 7 (August 1999) (Entire on-line issue)

April 23^rd: Economic Development: Boom and Busts on the Border

Readings: Lorey, The U.S.-Mexico Border, Chapters 2, 3, 4, 5, & 6

<Martinez, The U.S.-Mexican Border, Chapters 5 (pp. 149-174) & 6 (pp. 175-222)

<**Yucel, "The Border Economy," Introduction, The Border Economy (p.1)

<**Gilmer, Gurch, and Wang, "Texas Border Cities," The Border Economy (pp.2-5)

April 25^th: Border Economy and Informal Economy

Readings: **Staudt, Free Trade: Informal Economies, Chapters 2 & 4

<Martinez, The U.S.-Mexico Borderlands, Chapter 6

<Andreas, Border Games, Chapter 3

< Staudt, "Seeds for Self-Sufficiency? Policy Contradictions at the U.S.-Mexico Border," Gender and Immigration, Chapter 2 (pp. 21-37)

<**Pisani and Yoskowitz, "’Por Necesidad’-Transnational Labor Movements, Informality and Wage Determination: An Exploratory Study of Maids on the U.S.-Mexican Border, Journal of Borderland Studies

April 30^th: Maquiladoras, Workers, and NAFTA

Documentary: Performing the Border (1999) Narrated by John Quinones (42 mins)

Readings: Kamel, The Global Assembly Line, (entirety)

<Herzog, Shared Spaces, Chapters 12 and 13 (pp. 295-336)

<**Rosa Linda Fregoso. "Voices Without Echo: The Global Gendered Apartheid" Emergencies 10:1 (2000), 137-155.

CASE STUDY:
<*Gruben and Kiser, "NAFTA and Maquiladoras," The Border Economy (pp. 22-24)

<**Vargas, "Maquiladoras," The Border Economy (pp.25-29)

May 2^nd: Grassroots Organizing: Linking Global Struggles Locally

Readings:

<**Eckstein, Susan, "Power and Popular Protest in Latin America," Power and Popular Protest, (Berkeley/Los Angeles: University of California Press, 2001), Chapter 1 (pp. 1-60)

<**Navarro, "Las Mujeres Invisibles/ The Invisible Women," Women’s Activism and Globalization: Linking Local Struggles and Transnational Politics (2002)

<**Zabin, Carol, "Nongovernmental Organizations in Mexico’s Northern Border," Journal of Borderlands Studies Vol. XII, No. 1 &2, (Spring/Fall 1997): 41-67.

<**Huesca, Robert, "Communication for Social Change Among Mexican Factory Workers on the Mexico-United States Border," Redeveloping Communication For Social Change, Chapter 6 (pp. 73-86)

<http://www.us-mex.org/borderlines/bkissues.html

*Kent Paterson, " Mexican Elections: NGOs Band Together To Back Grassroots Reform Agenda," Borderlines 9 (May 2000)

**********First Short Paper Due at Beginning of Class***************

May 7^th: Contemporary Border Issues: Poverty & Health

Readings: Martinez, Troublesome Border, Chapter 5 & 6

< Lorey, The U.S. Mexican Border, Chapter 7

<**Crabtree and Ford, "Communicating About Emerging Infectious Diseases in the Borderlands," Chapter 4; Ford, Barnes, Crabree, and Fairbanks, "Boundary Spaners," Chapter 9; Schlesinger, "Project Vida," Chapter 10; Byrd, "Notes on Community Health on the Border From Theory and Practice," Chapter 12, in U.S.-Mexico Border Health

CASE STUDY:
<**Taylor, "The Border," The Border Economy (pp. 6-8)

<**Sharp, " Growth Without Prosperity," Bordering the Future (pp. 13-32)

<**Sharp, "Health: Chronic Conditions," Bordering the Future (pp. 105-122)

May 9^th: Environment and Water

Documentary: Borderline Cases (1997) (65 mins.)

Readings: Herzog, Shared Spaces, Chapters 1-4, (pp. 3-100)

May 14^th: Environment: Continued

Guest Speaker: Professor Teresa Vazquez , University of Texas-Arlington

Readings: Ganster, The U.S.-Mexican Border Environment: A Road MapTo Sustainable 2020, (Entirety)

May 16^th: Drug Trafficking

Film: Traffic (2000) 140 mins.

Readings:**Recio, "Drugs and Alcohol: U.S. Prohibition and the Origins of the Drug Trade in Mexico, 1910-1930," Journal of Latin American Studies, (pp. 21-42)

<Andreas, Border Games, Chapter 4 (pp. 51-84)

May 21^st: Drug Trafficking

Readings: **GAO Report, Drug Control: Update on U.S.-Mexican Counternarcotics Activities, (March 4, 1999)

<http://www.us-mex.org/borderlines/bkissues.html

*Ann Seymour, "Why Certification Doesn’t Work" Borderlines 28 (February 2000): (Entire on-line issue)

*George Kourous, "U.S. Drug Policy Toward Mexico & Border Militarization," Borderlines 66 Vol. 8, No. 4, (April 2000) (Entire issue)

May 23^rd: Immigration

Film: Bread and Roses

Readings: **GAO Report, Illegal Aliens: INS’ Processes for Denying Aliens Entry Into the United States, (November 13, 2001)

<**GAO Report, INS’ Southwest Border Strategy: Resource and Impact Issues Remain After Seven Years, (August 2001)

<http://www.us-mex.org/borderlines/bkissues.html

*George Kourous, ed. "Arizona Immigration Situation," Borderlines 7 (July 2000)

*_______, "Mexico, U.S. Announce Binational Accord on Migrant Safety"; Talli Nauman, "Migration Dialogue Airs Viewpoints"; George Kourous, "Getting Real About the Migration Challenge," and Robin Hoover, "Policies Must Change," –All in Borderlines 29 (June 2001)

*George Kourous and Anne Seymour, "Forging a New U.S.-Mexico Migration Relationship: Recommendations from Outside the Beltway," Borderlines 81 Vol 9, No. 8 (September 2001)

<(Handout) Jonathan Treat, "Political Support for Immigration Pact May Have Evaporated, but in Mexico, Migration Pressures are on the Rise," (Feb 1, 2002)

CASE STUDY:
<**Orrenius, "Illegal Immigration and Enforcement Along the Southwest Border," Border Economy (pp. 30-34)

May 28^th: Immigration and Human Rights

Report/Documentary: Murders of Maquiladora Women (2002) John Quinones, 20mins.

Readings: Andreas, Border Games, Chapter 5 (pp. 85-112)

<**Kyle, and Koslowski, "Introduction," (pp. 1-25), Kyle and Dale, "Smuggling The State Back In," Chapter 1 (pp. 29-57), Spener, "Smuggling Migrants Through South Texas," Chapter 5 (pp. 129-165), Andreas, "The Transformation of Migrant Smuggling Across the U.S.-Mexico Border," Chapter 4 (pp, 107-124), in Global Human Smuggling (2001)

< http://www.us-mex.org/borderlines/bkissues.html

*Kent Paterson, "Spectre of Juarez Crime Patterns Haunts Cases of Missing Chihuahua City Women," Borderlines 20 (June 2001)

*________, "Reign of Terror Against Juarez Women Continues," Borderlines 8 (March 2001)

*_______, "New Killings of Border Women Condemned," Borderlines 20 (November 2001)

<(Handout) _______"Killings of Women in Ciudad Juarez Continue, Revealing Depth of Human Rights and Justice System Problems in Mexico," (28 February 2002)

May 30^th: Colonias and Public Policy

Readings: **Peter Ward, Colonias and Public Policy, Introduction, Chapters 1, 2, 3, & 6

<**Lara, "Health Outreach Programs in the Colonias of the U.S.-Mexico Border, U.S.-Mexico Border Health, Chapter 13, (pp. 208-214)

<**Staudt, Holguin, Alarcon, "Mexico Reflects on the United States: Colonias, Politics, and Public Services in Fragmented Federalism," The U.S.-Mexico Border, Chapter 6 (pp. 121-139)

CASE STUDY:
**Cisneros, "Texas Colonias: Housing and Infrastructure Issues," Border Economy (pp. 19-21)

June: 4^th: Future of U.S.-Mexico Border Relations

Readings: Andreas, Border Games, Chapters 6 and 7

<** Koslowski, "Economic Globalization, Human Smuggling, and Global Governance," Chapter 13 (pp. 337-358) in Global Human Smuggling (2001)

<Herzog, Shared Spaces, Chapter 14 (pp. 337-360)

<**Spener & Staudt, The U.S.-Mexico Border, Chapter 10 (pp. 215-232)

***************Short Paper Due at the Beginning of Class*******************

June 5^th: Classes End

***************Research Papers Due By 3pm (Place your research papers my mailbox outside my office. My office is located in Willis Hall, room 415.) Absolutely No Late Papers Will Be Accepted**************************************

Have a great summer!