Marisol LeBrón

This course will examine historical and contemporary examples of Latina/o/x political, social, and cultural practices in the United States through an interdisciplinary lens. We will explore the transnational nature of Latinidad and how Latina/o/x culture and identity is shaped by power relations and socio-political dynamics both in the United States as well as in countries of origin. This course will begin with discussions of what constitutes Latino/a/x identity and what constitutes Latino/a/x studies, laying the foundation for the analytical work we will do for the remainder of the semester. We will turn to themes ranging from colonialism and conquest, to sexuality and gender, to transnationalism and immigration, to race, poverty, and spatial inequality, to language, music, and media representations. Within each section of the course, students will be asked to articulate their thoughts via both written work and class participation, creating a classroom environment wherein students collectively think through the politics, histories, and implications of Latina/o/x identity.

Course Description:

How does the criminal justice system make itself felt in the everyday lives of Latinxs? From border enforcement, to stop and frisk, to the phenomenon of mass incarceration, many Latinxs find themselves and their communities enmeshed within a dense web of surveillance, punishment, and detention. This interdisciplinary course will examine the historical, political, economic, and social factors that have, in many ways, criminalized Latinidad and/or rendered Latinidad illegal.

We will examine how race, class, education, gender, sexuality, and citizenship shape the American legal system and impact how Latinxs navigate that system. This course will pay special attention to the troubled and unequal relationshi between Latinxs and the criminal justice apparatus in the United States and how it has resulted in the formation of resistant political identities and activist practices.

Readings:

Timothy Black, When a Heart Turns Rock Solid: The Lives of Three Puerto Rican Brothers On and Off the Streets, New York: Vintage Books, 2009.

Kelly Lytle Hernandez, Migra!: A History of the U.S. Border Patrol, Berkeley: University of California Press, 2010.

Patrisia Macia-Rojas, From Deportation to Prison: The Politics of Immigration Enforcement in Post-Civil Rights America, New York: New York University Press 2016.

Eduardo Obregon Pagan, Murder at the Sleepy Lagoon: Zoot Suits, Race, and Riots in Wartime L.A., Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2003.

Victor M. Rios, Punished: Policing he Lives o Black and Latino Boys, New York: New York University Press, 2011.

All other readings for this course will be available online.

Assignments and Grading:

Class Participation: 15%

Presentations: 25%

Midterm Essay: 25%

Final Essays: 35%