John Morán González

The Trans-American Latina/o/x 19^th Century    

Latinx textuality during the long nineteenth century emerged from conflicted intersection of major European settler colonial projects in the Americas, namely those of the United Kingdom and the Kingdom of Spain. This course will trace the development of Latinx literature as first expressed as a trans-American dream of sister republics as they threw off colonial rule. But as the United States initiated its own imperialist Manifest Destiny to dominate the Americas, Latinx writers turned to critiquing U.S. domination even while cultivating trans-American cultural ties from San Francisco to Buenos Aires. By the end of the century, Latinx literature would conceptualize the racialized experience of Latinx people (variously Afro-descendant, Euro-descendant, and indigenous-descendant) within the United States as neither political exile nor solely socioeconomic displacement, but as a transnationally located, bilingual migrant phenomenon expressed in Spanish and English through multiple literary genres.

E 342M  l  Life and Literature of the U.S.-Mexico Borderlands

Instructor:  González, J

Unique #: 34920

Semester:  Fall 2020

Cross-lists:  MAS 345D

Prerequisite:  Nine semester hours of coursework in English or rhetoric and writing.

Description:  This course will trace the origins and development of the U.S.-Mexico borderlands in literary and filmic representations from the U.S.-Mexican War (1846-1848) through the twenty-first century.  The making of the borderlands as a site of national identity and cultural formation on both sides of the border will be examined in terms of race, gender, class, language, and sexuality, particularly as these are mobilized as ideologies of domination and practices of resistance.  Situating expressive cultural practices within their historical social contexts will be a major feature of this course.

Possible readings:  Gloria Anzaldúa, Borderlands/La frontera; Oscar Cásares, Where We Come From; Carlos Fuentes, The Crystal Frontier; Carmen Bollusa, Texas: The Great Theft; Américo Paredes, George Washington Gómez; Emmy Pérez, With the River on Our Face; Arturo Islas, Migrant Souls; Benjamin Alire Sáenz, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe; Jovita González and Eve Raleigh, Caballero; Cormac McCarthy, Blood Meridian; Larry McMurtry, Streets of Laredo; Phillip Myers, The Son; Javier Huerta, American Copia: An Immigrant Epic; Javier Zamora, Unaccompanied; Norma Elia Cantú, Canícula; Tómas Rivera, …y no se lo tragó la tierra; Rolando Hinojosa Smith, Estampas del Valle; James Carlos Blake, Borderlands: Short Fictions; Fernando Flores, Tears of the Truffle Pig; Aristeo Brito, El diablo en Texas.

Possible films:  Sleep Dealer; The Infiltrators; El Norte; Born in East L.A; No Country for Old Men; A Touch of Evil; Border Incident.

Requirements & Grading:  The course grade will consist of: attendance and participation (10%); in-class free writing exercises and quizzes (10%); two peer review reports (10%; 5% each); and two substantial analytical essays (70%).  The first of these essays must be significantly revised; the first draft of this 5-6-page essay will count for 20% of the final grade, while the revised draft will count for 20%.  The second essay of 8-10 pages will count for 30%.  Failure to complete all required coursework will result in a failing course grade.

This course will consider the complex history of the idea of upward social mobility in the United States. As a founding principle of the Republic that one could advance socially and economically through one’s hard work, the idea that the United States is the “land of opportunity” has given rise to the far-reaching ideology of American Exceptionalism, which extends deep into the realms of politics and culture. By focusing upon U.S. ideals of socioeconomic advancement and the reality of class divides in literature and film, we will critically examine American Exceptionalism throughout U.S. history. We will read and screen novels, short stories and narrative film that feature the lived experience of class mobility, particularly in the post-1965 period. These works often highlight the gap between the ideal and the often-harsh reality in order to interrogate the racial, linguistic, and cultural terms of “making it.” Situating these texts within contemporary debates will be a major feature of this course. 

Required Texts/Readings:

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - Americanah

Abraham Cahan - Yekl, A tale of the New York Ghetto

Jim Cullen -  The American Dream

Pietro di Donato -  Christ in Concrete

David Gerber - American Immigration: A Very Short History

Jhumpa Lahiri  - The Namesake

Achey Obejas, ed.- Immigrant Voices: 21^stCentury Stories

Erica Sánchez  - I am not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter

Course Requirements:The course grade will consist of: attendance and participation (20%). Writing assignments and associated oral presentations total 80%: four (2-5 page) essays (60% total; 10%:15%:15%: 20% respectively); a peer review (5%); an oral presentation (15%). Failure to complete all required coursework will result in a failing course grade.

 Instructor Biography: John Morán González is the J. Frank Dobie Regents Professor of American and English Literature and Director of the Center for Mexican American Studies at the University of Texas at Austin.

Latinx Narrative and its Futures

This course will examine the trans-American imaginary of contemporary Latinx narratives as generated by the flows of people and capital from the Global South to the Global North and back again. The formal, thematic, and theoretical dimensions of Latinx expressive culture as it responds to the failures of twentieth century cultural nationalisms, the implementation of neoliberal economic regimes, and the impact of postmodernist aesthetics. Speculative Latinx novels will therefore be a major focus of the course. Focusing on the instersectionality of race, gender, class, and sexuality, the goals of this course are 1) to provide a historical overview of Latina/o literature through modernist, postmodernist, and post-racial phases during the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries 2) to introduce the critical secondary literature of the field and 3) to hone professionalization skills in oral presentations, including conference papers, and other relevant activities, including archival exploration and other forms of independent research.

Instructor:  González, J

Unique #:  34710-34755

Semester:  Spring 2018

Cross-lists:  n/a

Restrictions:  n/a

Computer instruction:  No

Prerequisites:  One of the following: E 303C (or 603A), RHE 306, 306Q, or T C 303C (or 603A).

Description: Literature, Culture, and Identity --

This course will trace the origins and development of literature in the United States from the nation’s founding through the late twentieth century.  Given the radical social changes during this period in gender, racial, and class terms, how did American literature emerge as both symptom and critique of these conditions?  What were the formal and topical features of this new national literature, and how did it influence the larger cultural context of what it means to be an “American”?  Situating these texts within their historical context will be a major feature of this course.

Texts:  All texts are available at the Campus Coop.  They are also on one-day reserve at the Perry-Castañeda Library.

Ed, George McMichael: Concise Anthology of American Literature, 7^th ed.

Requirements & Grading:  The course grade will consist of: mandatory section and lecture attendance and participation, including weekly quizzes and exercises as given by individual section instructors (25%); three examinations (25% each).  Failure to complete all required coursework will result in a failing course grade.

The Signature Course (UGS 302 and 303) introduces first-year students to the university’s academic community through the exploration of new interests. The Signature Course is your opportunity to engage in college-level thinking and learning.

Instructor:  González, J

Unique #:  35385

Semester:  Spring 2017

Cross-lists:  n/a

Restrictions:  n/a

Computer Instruction:  No

Prerequisites:  Nine semester hours of coursework in English or rhetoric and writing.

Description:  This course will trace the origins and development of American literature from the end of the Civil War through the twenty-first century.  Given the radical social changes during this period in gender, racial, and class terms, how did American literature respond to the changing conditions for what it meant to be an American?  How did Realism, Modernism, and Postmodernism reflect and critique their historical moments, and how did these literary aesthetics influence American popular culture?  Situating these texts within their historical social context will be a major feature of this course.

Texts:  All texts are available at the Campus Coop.  They are also on one-day reserve at the Perry-Castañeda Library.

Ed, George McMichael, Concise Anthology of American Literature, 7^th ed.

Requirements & Grading:  The course grade will consist of: attendance/participation (20%); four exams (20% each—80% total). Failure to complete all required coursework will result in a failing course grade.  Plus/minus grading will be used for the final course grade.  To ensure fairness, all numbers are absolute, and will not be rounded up or down at any stage.  Thus a B- will be inclusive of all scores of 80.000 through 83.999.  Please see the University’s website: www.utexas.edu/provost/planning/plus-minus/.

The Signature Course (UGS 302 and 303) introduces first-year students to the university’s academic community through the exploration of new interests. The Signature Course is your opportunity to engage in college-level thinking and learning.

E s338  l  American Literature: From 1865 to the Present

Instructor:  González, J

Unique #:  82100

Semester:  Summer 2016, second session

Cross-lists:  n/a

Restrictions:  n/a

Computer Instruction:  No

Prerequisites:  Nine semester hours of coursework in English or rhetoric and writing.

Description:  This course will trace the origins and development of American literature from the end of the Civil War through the twenty-first century.  Given the radical social changes during this period in gender, racial, and class terms, how did American literature respond to the changing conditions for what it meant to be an American?  How did Realism, Modernism, and Postmodernism reflect and critique their historical moments, and how did these literary aesthetics influence American popular culture?  Situating these texts within their historical social context will be a major feature of this course.  Schedule is subject to revision.

Texts:  All texts are available at the Campus Coop.  They are also on one-day reserve at the Perry-Castañeda Library.

Ed, George McMichael, Concise Anthology of American Literature, 7th ed.

Requirements & Grading:  The course grade will consist of: attendance/participation, including in-class free writing exercises (20%); four exams (20% each—80% total).  Failure to complete all required coursework will result in a failing course grade.  Plus/minus grading will be used for the final course grade.  To ensure fairness, all numbers are absolute, and will not be rounded up or down at any stage.  Thus a B- will be inclusive of all scores of 80.000 through 83.999.  Please see the University’s website: www.utexas.edu/provost/planning/plus-minus/.

The Signature Course (UGS 302 and 303) introduces first-year students to the university’s academic community through the exploration of new interests. The Signature Course is your opportunity to engage in college-level thinking and learning.

FLAGS:   CD  |  Wr  |  II

E 379R  l  Latina/o Novels, American Dreams

Instructor:  González, J

Unique #:  34700

Semester:  Fall 2015

Cross-lists:  MAS 374

Flags:  Cultural diversity; Independent inquiry; Writing

Restrictions:  n/a

Computer Instruction:  No

Prerequisites: Nine semester hours of coursework in English or rhetoric and writing.

Description: This course will consider the complex relationship between the promise of the American Dream and the reality of American life as experience by various Latina/o communities. We will examine novels by Cuban American, Dominican American, Mexican American, and Puerto Rican writers who use the gap between ideals and reality to critically interrogate the terms of Latina/o inclusion into the United States. Situating these texts within their social context will be a major feature of this course.

Possible Texts: All texts will be available at the Campus Coop. They are also on one-day reserve at the Perry-Castañeda Library.

Cristina Garcia, Dreaming in Cuban; Julia Alvarez, How the Garcia Girls lost Their Accents; Esmeralda Santiago, America’s Dream; Ernesto Quiñonez, Bodega Dreams; Nina Marie Martinez, ¡Caramba!; Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez, The Dirty Girls Social Club; Oscar Casares, Amigoland.

Requirements & Grading: The course grade will consist of 1) in-class performance and 2) written research assignment. In-class performance will consist of attendance (10%) and participation (10%) and a 1-2 page exploratory paper for two novels presented in class (5% each; 10% total). The written research assignment consist of: A) thesis proposal (10%); B) annotated bibliography (10%); C) detailed outline (10%); D) first draft peer review (10%); E) oral presentation (10%); F) final revision (20%). Failure to complete all required coursework will result in a failing course grade. Plus/minus grading will be used for the final course grade.

Description subject to change.

This course will consider the emergence of Latina/o literature during the 1990s as a transnational diasporic literature formed within the context of globalization. Despite the multiple and disparate origins of this literature, its formation in the crucible of US hegemony over Latin America during the twentieth century will ground discussions of its development, its import, and its future. How does Latino/a narrative map out the terrain of social relations in the United States by rewriting canonical “American” texts? How might it function as a critical history of Latino/a communities in the absence of other institutional forms of knowledge? Topics will include: the articulations of cultural forms through racial, gender, and class ideologies; the publishing industry’s role in creating the category of “Latina/o literature;” Latino/a narrative as a critique of NAFTA; migration and exile within the Latino/a imaginary; the urban Latino/a experience; cultural hybridity in the borderlands; feminist examinations of power and sexuality; tropicalization; aesthetic form and the experience of postmodernity.

E s316M  l  American Literature

Instructor:  González, J

Unique #:  82730

Semester:  Summer 2015, second session

Cross-lists:  n/a

Flags:  Cultural Diversity in the U.S.

Computer Instruction:  No

Prerequisites: One of the following: E 603A, RHE 306, 306Q, or T C 603A.

Description: Literature, Culture, and Identity --

This course will trace the origins and development of literature in the United States from the nation’s founding through the late twentieth century. Given the radical social changes during this period in gender, racial, and class terms, how did American literature emerge as both symptom and critique of these conditions? What were the formal and topical features of this new national literature, and how did it influence the larger cultural context of what it means to be an “American”? Situating these texts within their historical context will be a major feature of this course.

Texts: All texts are available at the Campus Coop. They are also on one-day reserve at the Perry-Castañeda Library.

Ed, George McMichael: Concise Anthology of American Literature, 7th ed.

Requirements & Grading: The course grade will consist of: mandatory section and lecture attendance and participation (20%) and examinations (80%). Failure to complete all required coursework will result in a failing course grade.

E 338  l  American Literature: From 1865 to the Present

Instructor:  González, J

Unique #:  34705

Semester:  Spring 2015

Cross-lists:  n/a

Restrictions:  n/a

Computer Instruction:  No

Flags:  n/a

Prerequisites: Nine semester hours of coursework in English or rhetoric and writing.

Description: This course will trace the origins and development of American literature from the end of the Civil War through the twenty-first century. Given the radical social changes during this period in gender, racial, and class terms, how did American literature respond to the changing conditions for what it meant to be an American? How did Realism, Modernism, and Postmodernism reflect and critique their historical moments, and how did these literary aesthetics influence American popular culture? Situating these texts within their historical social context will be a major feature of this course.

Texts: All texts are available at the Campus Coop. They are also on one-day reserve at the Perry-Castañeda Library.

Ed, George McMichael, Concise Anthology of American Literature, 7th ed.

Requirements & Grading: The course grade will consist of: attendance/participation (20%); four exams (20% each—80% total). Failure to complete all required coursework will result in a failing course grade. Plus/minus grading will be used for the final course grade. To ensure fairness, all numbers are absolute, and will not be rounded up or down at any stage. Thus a B- will be inclusive of all scores of 80.000 through 83.999. Please see the University’s website: www.utexas.edu/provost/planning/plus-minus/.

E 376M  l  The American Dream in Comparative Contexts

Instructor:  González, J

Unique #:  34925

Semester:  Spring 2015

Cross-lists:  n/a

Restrictions:  n/a

Computer Instruction:  No

Flags:  Cultural Diversity; Writing

Prerequisites: Nine semester hours of coursework in English or rhetoric and writing.

Description: This course will consider the complex relationship between the promise of the American Dream and the reality of American life as experienced by various ethnic American communities. We will examine novels by African American, Asian American, Native American, Latina/o, and other ethnic American writers who use the gap between ideals and reality to critically interrogate the terms of inclusion into the United States. Situating these texts within their social context and comparing their formal dimensions will be a major feature of this course.

Texts (tentative): Achey Obejas, ed., Immigrant Voices: 21st Century Stories; Héctor Tobar, Translation Nation: American Identity in the Spanish-Speaking United States; Thomas Dublin, ed., Becoming American, Becoming Ethnic; Jim Cullen, The American Dream; Roger Daniels, Coming to America: A History of Immigration and Ethnicity in American Life.

Requirements & Grading: This is a Writing Flag course with major emphasis upon the development of good essay writing skills. The course grade will consist of: attendance and participation, including in-class free writing exercises and quizzes (10%); two 2-page exploratory papers due every third novel, which will be presented in class (5% each; 10% total); two peer review reports (5% each; 10% total); and two substantial analytical essays. The first of these essays must be significantly revised; the first version of this 5-6-page essay will count for 20% of the final grade, while the revised version will count for 20%. The second essay of 6-7 pages will count for 30%. Failure to complete all required coursework will result in a failing course grade. Plus/minus grading will be used for the final course grade. To ensure fairness, all numbers are absolute, and will not be rounded up or down at any stage. Thus a B- will be inclusive of all scores of 80.000 through 83.999.

Instructor:  González, J

Unique #:  35550-35595

Semester:  Fall 2014

Cross-lists:  n/a

Flags:  Cultural Diversity

Prerequisites: One of the following: E 603A, RHE 306, 306Q, or T C 603A.

Description: Literature, Culture, and Identity --

This course will trace the origins and development of literature in the United States from the nation’s founding through the late twentieth century. Given the radical social changes during this period in gender, racial, and class terms, how did American literature emerge as both symptom and critique of these conditions? What were the formal and topical features of this new national literature, and how did it influence the larger cultural context of what it means to be an “American”? Situating these texts within their historical context will be a major feature of this course.

Texts: All texts are available at the Campus Coop. They are also on one-day reserve at the Perry-Castañeda Library.

Ed, George McMichael: Concise Anthology of American Literature, 7th ed.

Requirements & Grading: The course grade will consist of: mandatory section and lecture attendance and participation, including weekly quizzes and exercises as given by individual section instructors (25%); three examinations (25% each). Failure to complete all required coursework will result in a failing course grade.

The Signature Course (UGS 302 and 303) introduces first-year students to the university’s academic community through the exploration of new interests. The Signature Course is your opportunity to engage in college-level thinking and learning.

Instructor:  González, J

Unique #:  83145

Semester:  Summer 2014, first session

Cross-lists:  n/a

Flags:  n/a

Computer Instruction:  No

Prerequisites: E 603A, RHE 306, 306Q, or T C 603A; and a passing score on the reading section of the Texas Higher Education Assessment (THEA) test.

Description: Literature, Culture, and Identity --

This course will trace the origins and development of literature in the United States from the nation’s founding through the late twentieth century. Given the radical social changes during this period in gender, racial, and class terms, how did American literature emerge as both symptom and critique of these conditions? What were the formal and topical features of this new national literature, and how did it influence the larger cultural context of what it means to be an “American”? Situating these texts within their historical context will be a major feature of this course.

Texts: All texts are available at the Campus Coop. They are also on one-day reserve at the Perry-Castañeda Library.

Ed, George McMichael: Concise Anthology of American Literature, 7th ed.

Requirements & Grading: The course grade will consist of: mandatory section and lecture attendance and participation (20%) and five examinations (80%). Failure to complete all required coursework will result in a failing course grade.

Instructor:  González, J

Unique #:  35955

Semester:  Spring 2014

Cross-lists:  n/a

Prerequisites: Nine semester hours of coursework in English or rhetoric and writing.

Description: This course will trace the origins and development of American literature from the end of the Civil War through the twenty-first century. Given the radical social changes during this period in gender, racial, and class terms, how did American literature respond to the changing conditions for what it meant to be an American? How did Realism, Modernism, and Postmodernism reflect and critique their historical moments, and how did these literary aesthetics influence American popular culture? Situating these texts within their historical social context will be a major feature of this course.

Texts: All texts are available at the Campus Coop. They are also on one-day reserve at the Perry-Castañeda Library.

Ed, George McMichael, Concise Anthology of American Literature, 7th ed.

Requirements & Grading: The course grade will consist of: attendance/participation, including in-class free writing exercises (20%); four exams (20% each—80% total). Failure to complete all required coursework will result in a failing course grade. Plus/minus grading will be used for the final course grade. To ensure fairness, all numbers are absolute, and will not be rounded up or down at any stage. Thus a B- will be inclusive of all scores of 80.000 through 83.999. Please see the University’s website: www.utexas.edu/provost/planning/plus-minus/.

Instructor:  González, J

Unique #:  36175

Semester:  Spring 2014

Cross-lists:  n/a

Prerequisites: Nine semester hours of coursework in English or rhetoric and writing.

Description: This course will trace the origins and development of realism as a literary movement and aesthetic strategy in the United States from the 1860s through the turn-of-the-century. Given the radical social changes during this period in gender, racial, and class terms, how did Realism emerge as both symptom and critique of these conditions? What were the features of this new literary aesthetic, and how did it influence the formation of realism in popular culture? Situating these texts within their social context will be a major feature of this course.

Texts: Ed, Cadace Ward, Great Short Stories by American Women; Kate Chopin, The Awakening; Stephen Crane, The Open Boat and Other Stories; Paul Laurence Dunbar, The Sport of the Gods; Henry James, Daisy Miller; Sarah Orne Jewett, The Country of the Pointed Firs; Jacob Riis, How the Other Half Lives; Jack London, The Call of the Wild.

Requirements & Grading: This is a Writing Flag course with major emphasis upon the development of good essay writing skills. Emphasis will be placed upon developing effective writing skills. The course grade will consist of: participation/attendance, including a freewriting exercise in every class (20%); two peer review reports of 1 page each (5% for each; 10% total); two essays of 6-8 pages each, the first of which MUST be substantially revised (70%).

NB: Requirements and texts subject to revision.

Instructor:  González, J            Areas:  V / G

Unique #:  35950            Flags:  Cultural Diversity; Writing

Semester:  Fall 2013            Restrictions:  English Honors, Plan I Honors

Cross-lists:  LAH 350            Computer Instruction:  No

Prerequisites: Nine semester hours of coursework in English or rhetoric and writing.

Description: This course will consider the complex relationship between the promise of the American Dream and the reality of American life as experienced by various ethnic American communities. We will examine novels by African American, Asian American, Native American, Latina/o, and other ethnic American writers who use the gap between ideals and reality to critically interrogate the terms of inclusion into the United States. Situating these texts within their social context and comparing their formal dimensions will be a major feature of this course.

Texts (tentative): Gish Jen, Typical American; Pietro di Donato, Christ in Concrete; Sherman Alexie, Reservation Blues; Charles Johnson, Middle Passage; Julia Alvarez, How the García Girls Lost Their Accents; Esmeralda Santiago, America's Dream; Thi Diem Thúy Lê, The Gangster We are all Looking For; Abraham Cahan, Yekl.

Requirements & Grading: This is a Writing Flag course with major emphasis upon the development of good essay writing skills. The course grade will consist of: attendance and participation, including in-class free writing exercises and quizzes (10%); two 2-page exploratory papers due every third novel, which will be presented in class (5% each; 10% total); two peer review reports (5% each; 10% total); and two substantial analytical essays. The first of these essays must be significantly revised; the first version of this 5-6-page essay will count for 20% of the final grade, while the revised version will count for 20%. The second essay of 6-7 pages will count for 30%. Failure to complete all required coursework will result in a failing course grade. Plus/minus grading will be used for the final course grade. To ensure fairness, all numbers are absolute, and will not be rounded up or down at any stage. Thus a B- will be inclusive of all scores of 80.000 through 83.999.

This course will consider the emergence of Latina/o literature during the 1990s as a transnational diasporic literature formed within the context of globalization. Despite the multiple and disparate origins of this literature, its formation in the crucible of US hegemony over Latin America during the twentieth century will ground discussions of its development, its import, and its future. How does Latino/a narrative map out the terrain of social relations in the United States by rewriting canonical “American” texts? How might it function as a critical history of Latino/a communities in the absence of other institutional forms of knowledge? Topics will include: the articulations of cultural forms through racial, gender, and class ideologies; the publishing industry’s role in creating the category of “Latina/o literature;” Latino/a narrative as a critique of NAFTA; migration and exile within the Latino/a imaginary; the urban Latino/a experience; cultural hybridity in the borderlands; feminist examinations of power and sexuality; tropicalization; aesthetic form and the experience of postmodernity.

Instructor:  González, J            Areas:  II / F

Unique #:  35425            Flags:  n/a

Semester:  Spring 2013            Restrictions:  n/a

Cross-lists:  n/a            Computer Instruction:  No

Prerequisites: Nine semester hours of coursework in English or rhetoric and writing.

Description: This course will trace the origins and development of American literature from the end of the Civil War through the twenty-first century. Given the radical social changes during this period in gender, racial, and class terms, how did American literature respond to the changing conditions for what it meant to be an American? How did Realism, Modernism, and Postmodernism reflect and critique their historical moments, and how did these literary aesthetics influence American popular culture? Situating these texts within their historical social context will be a major feature of this course. Schedule is subject to revision.

Texts: All texts are available at the Campus Coop. They are also on one-day reserve at the Perry-Castañeda Library.

Ed, George McMichael, Concise Anthology of American Literature, 7th ed.

Requirements & Grading: The course grade will consist of: attendance/participation, including in-class free writing exercises (20%); four exams (20% each—80% total). Failure to complete all required coursework will result in a failing course grade. Plus/minus grading will be used for the final course grade. To ensure fairness, all numbers are absolute, and will not be rounded up or down at any stage. Thus a B- will be inclusive of all scores of 80.000 through 83.999. Please see the University’s website: www.utexas.edu/provost/planning/plus-minus/.

Instructor:  González, J            Areas:  VI / I

Unique #:  35725            Flags:  Cultural diversity, Independent inquiry, Writing

Semester:  Spring 2013            Restrictions:  n/a

Cross-lists:  MAS 374            Computer Instruction:  No

Prerequisites: Six semester hours of upper-division coursework in English.

Description: This course will consider the complex relationship between the promise of the American Dream and the reality of American life as experience by various Latina/o communities. We will examine novels by Cuban American, Dominican American, Mexican American, and Puerto Rican writers who use the gap between ideals and reality to critically interrogate the terms of Latina/o inclusion into the United States. Situating these texts within their social context will be a major feature of this course.

Possible Texts: All texts will be available at the Campus Coop. They are also on one-day reserve at the Perry-Castañeda Library.

Cristina Garcia, Dreaming in Cuban; Julia Alvarez, How the Garcia Girls lost Their Accents; Esmerelda Santiago, America’s Dream; Ernesto Quiñonez, Bodega Dreams; Nina Marie Martinez, ¡Caramba!; Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez, The Dirty Girls Social Club; Oscar Casares, Amigoland.

Requirements & Grading: The course grade will consist of: attendance and participation, including in-class free writing exercises and quizzes (10%); two 2-page exploratory papers due every third novel, which will be presented in class (5% each; 10% total); two peer review reports (5% each; 10% total); and two substantial analytical essays. The first of these essays must be significantly revised; the first version of this 5-6 page essay will count for 20% of the final grade, while the revised version will count for 20%. The second essay of 6-7 pages will count for 30%. Failure to complete all required coursework will result in a failing course grade.

Description subject to change.

Instructor:  González, J            Areas:  I / H

Unique #:  35480            Flags:  Writing

Semester:  Fall 2012            Restrictions:  n/a

Cross-lists:  n/a            Computer Instruction:  n/a

Only one of the following may be counted: E 349S (Topic: James and Wharton), 376L (James/Wharton: Novel of Manners), 379S (embedded topic: James and Wharton: American Novel of Manners).

Prerequisites: Six semester hours of upper-division coursework in English.

Description: Focusing upon the short stories and novellas of Henry James and Edith Wharton, this course will trace the origins and development of realism as a literary movement and aesthetic strategy in the United States from the late 1870s through the first quarter of the twentieth century. James and Wharton are typically cast as elite authors who wrote about economic and social elites, but how does their work align with and critique the new industrial-driven, immigrant-powered United States after the Civil War? Given the radical social changes during this period in gender, racial, and class terms, how did the realist aesthetic as employed by James and Wharton emerge as both symptom and questioning of these conditions? Situating these texts within their social context will be a major feature of this course.

N.B. James and Wharton are demanding writers who often require more time to read then more recent authors. The works of James and Wharton demand (and reward) close attention, so be prepared to take the time to engage these texts on their own terms.

Texts (Subject to revision): Henry James: Daisy Miller, Washington Square, The Turn of the Screw; various short stories; Edith Wharton: The Touchstone, Ethan Frome, Summer, various short stories.

Requirements & Grading: Course grade will consist of: in-class free writing exercises and quizzes (20%); two peer review reports (10%; 5% each); and two substantial analytical essays. The first of these essays must be significantly revised; the first draft of this 5-6-page essay will count for 20% of the final grade, while the revised draft will count for 20%. The second essay of 8-10 pages will count for 30%. Failure to complete all required coursework will result in a failing course grade.

This is a Writing Flag course with major emphasis upon the development of good essay writing skills. Writing Flag courses are designed to give students experience with writing in an academic discipline. In this class, you can expect to write regularly during the semester, complete substantial writing projects, and receive feedback from your instructor to help you improve your writing. You will also have the opportunity to revise one or more assignments, and to read and discuss your peers' work. You should therefore expect a substantial portion of your grade to come from your written work.

Borderlands Narrative: The First Century

Course description: As recent reconsiderations of American Empire have emphasized, the contours of US culture have been made at its borders and in relationship with its Others. This course will focus upon the emergence of Mexican American narrative between 1885 and 1959 in relation to the unequal processes of transculturation set into motion by the US conquest and annexation of Mexico's northern half in 1848. Over this century, the dispossession and deterritorialization of nineteenth-century mexicano communities via the operations of racialized US nationalism give way to the equally racialized and gendered marginalization and exploitation of Mexican migrants, a trajectory analyzed and critiqued in the Spanish and English languages narratives examined here. Questions of national belonging, transnational discourses of community, institutional change, and postcolonial adaptations will be central to our discussions. Recent scholarly developments in feminist, marxian, psychoanalytic, queer, and postcolonial theories will be considered in dialectical relationship with the primary texts.

Instructor:  González, J            Areas:  n/a

Unique #:  83825            Flags:  n/a

Semester:  Summer 2012, second session            Restrictions:  n/a

Cross-lists:  n/a            Computer Instruction:  No

Prerequisites: Completion of at least thirty semester hours of coursework, including E 603A, RHE 306, 306Q, or T C 603A, and a passing score on the reading section of the Texas Higher Education Assessment (THEA) test.

Description: Literature, Culture, and Identity --

This course will trace the origins and development of literature in the United States from the nation’s founding through the late twentieth century. Given the radical social changes during this period in gender, racial, and class terms, how did American literature emerge as both symptom and critique of these conditions? What were the features of this new national literature, and how did it influence popular culture? Situating these texts within their social context will be a major feature of this course.

Texts: All texts are available at the Campus Coop. They are also on one-day reserve at the Perry-Castañeda Library.

Ed, George McMichael: Concise Anthology of American Literature, 7th ed.

Requirements & Grading: The course grade will consist of: mandatory section and lecture attendance and participation (20%) and five examinations (80%). Failure to complete all required coursework will result in a failing course grade.

Prerequisites: Nine semester hours of coursework in English or rhetoric and writing.

Course Description: This course will trace the origins and development of Realism as a literary movement and aesthetic strategy in the United States from the 1880s through the turn-of-the-century. Given the radical social changes during this period in gender, racial, and class terms, how did Realism emerge as both symptom and critique of these conditions? What were the features of this new literary aesthetic, and what accounts for the variety of “realisms”? Situating these texts within their social context will be a major feature of this course.

Texts: Ed, Cadace Ward, Great Short Stories by American Women; Kate Chopin, The Awakening; Stephen Crane, The Open Boat and Other Stories; Paul Laurence Dunbar, The Sport of the Gods; Henry James, Daisy Miller; Sarah Orne Jewett, The Country of the Pointed Firs; Jacob Riis, How the Other Half Lives; Jack London, The Call of the Wild.

Grading: The course grade will consist of: participation/attendance (25%); three exams (25% each-75% total).

Prerequisites: Nine semester hours of coursework in English or rhetoric and writing.

Description: This course will consider the emergence of Latina/o literature during the 1990s as a diasporic literature formed within the context of globalization. Despite the multiple and disparate origins of this literature, its formation in the crucible of US hegemony over Latin America during the twentieth century will ground discussions of its development, its import, and its future. How does Latino/a narrative map out the terrain of social relations in the United States by rewriting canonical “American” texts? How might it function as a critical history of Latino/a communities in the absence of other institutional forms of knowledge? Topics will include: the articulations of cultural forms through racial, gender, and class ideologies; the publishing industry’s role in creating the category of “Latina/o literature;” Latino/a narrative as a critique of NAFTA; migration and exile within the Latino/a imaginary; the urban Latino/a experience; cultural hybridity in the borderlands; feminist examinations of power and sexuality; tropicalization; aesthetic form and the experience of postmodernity.

Texts: All texts are available at the Campus Coop. They are also on one-day reserve at the Perry-Castañeda Library. Oscar Hijuelos, The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love; Julia Alvarez, How the Garcia Girls lost Their Accents; Junot Diaz, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao; Esmerelda Santiago, America’s Dream;Ernesto Quiñonez, Bodega Dreams; Salvador Plasciencia, The People of Paper; Nina Marie Martinez, ¡Caramba!; Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez, The Dirty Girls Social Club.

Requirements & Grading: The course grade will consist of successful completion of the following: participation/attendance (20%); a one-page position paper about each novel (20%); one peer review of the research paper (10%); a 10-12 -page research paper (40%); an oral presentation of the research paper to the class (10%). All work must be submitted in proper MLA format.

Description subject to change.

Contemporary Latina/Latino Narratives

This course will consider the emergence of Latina/o literature during the past two decades as a diasporic literature formed within the context of globalization. Despite the multiple and disparate origins of this literature, its formation in the crucible of U.S. hegemony over Latin America during the twentieth century will ground discussions of its development, its import, and its future. How does Latino/a narrative map out the terrain of social relations in the United States by rewriting canonical “American” texts? How might it function as a critical history of Latino/a communities in the absence of other institutional forms of knowledge? Topics will include: the articulations of cultural forms through racial, gender, and class ideologies; the publishing industry’s role in creating the category of “Latina/o literature;” Latino/a narrative as a critique of NAFTA; migration and exile within the Latino/a imaginary; the urban Latino/a experience; cultural hybridity in the borderlands; feminist examinations of power and sexuality; tropicalization and transculturation; aesthetic form and the experience of postmodernity.

Tentative Reading List in addition to the course reader:

Oscar Hijuelos, The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love

Julia Alvarez, How the Garcia Girls lost Their Accents

Junot Diaz, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

Esmerelda Santiago, America’s Dream

Ernesto Quiñonez, Bodega Dreams

Salvador Placenscia, The People of Paper

Nina Marie Martinez, ¡Caramba!

Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez, The Dirty Girls Social Club

Course Description: This course will trace the origins and development of Realism as a literary movement and aesthetic strategy in the United States from the 1880s through the turn-of-the-century. Given the radical social changes during this period in gender, racial, and class terms, how did Realism emerge as both symptom and critique of these conditions? What were the features of this new literary aesthetic, and what accounts for the variety of “realisms”? Situating these texts within their social context will be a major feature of this course.

Texts: Ed, Cadace Ward, Great Short Stories by American Women; Kate Chopin, The Awakening; Stephen Crane, The Open Boat and Other Stories; Paul Laurence Dunbar, The Sport of the Gods; Henry James, Daisy Miller; Sarah Orne Jewett, The Country of the Pointed Firs; Jacob Riis, How the Other Half Lives; Jack London, The Call of the Wild.

Grading: This is a Writing Flag course with major emphasis upon the development of good essay writing skills. Emphasis will be placed upon developing effective writing skills. The course grade will consist of: participation/attendance, including a freewriting exercise in every class (20%); two peer review reports of 1 page each (5% for each; 10% total); two essays of 6-8 pages each, the first of which MUST be substantially revised (70%).

NB: Requirements and texts subject to revision.

Prerequisites: Nine semester hours of coursework in English or rhetoric and writing. 

Course Description: This course will trace the origins and development of Realism as a literary movement and aesthetic strategy in the United States from the 1880s through the turn-of-the-century. Given the radical social changes during this period in gender, racial, and class terms, how did Realism emerge as both symptom and critique of these conditions? What were the features of this new literary aesthetic, and what accounts for the variety of “realisms”? Situating these texts within their social context will be a major feature of this course.

Texts:

• Ed, Cadace Ward, Great Short Stories by American Women
• Kate Chopin, The Awakening
• Stephen Crane, The Open Boat and Other Stories
• Paul Laurence Dunbar, The Sport of the Gods; Henry James, Daisy Miller
• Sarah Orne Jewett, The Country of the Pointed Firs
• Jacob Riis, How the Other Half Lives
• Jack London, The Call of the Wild

Grading: The course grade will consist of: attendance and participation (20%), including in-class free writing exercises; four exams (20% each—80% total). Failure to complete all required coursework will result in a failing course grade. Plus/minus grading will be used for the final course grade.

Prerequisites: Nine semester hours of coursework in English or rhetoric and writing.  

For more information, please download the full syllabus.

Unique #s: 34315, 34320, 34325, 34330, 34335, 34340, 34345, 34350

Course description:

This course will trace the origins and development of literature in the United States from the nation’s founding through the late twentieth century. Given the radical social changes during this period in gender, racial, and class terms, how did American literature emerge as both symptom and critique of these conditions? What were the features of this new national literature, and how did it influence popular culture? Situating these texts within their social context will be a major feature of this course.

Reading List:

All texts are available at the Campus Coop. They are also on one-day reserve at the Perry-Castañeda Library.

• Ed, George McMichael, Concise Anthology of American Literature, 7^th ed.
• Kate Chopin, The Awakening
• Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

Evaluation Criteria:

The course grade will consist of: section attendance and participation, including weekly quizzes as given by individual section instructors (25%); three examinations (25% each). Failure to complete all required coursework will result in a failing course grade.

Plus/minus grading will be used for the final course grade. Final grades will be determined on the basis of the following rubric. To ensure fairness, all numbers are absolute, and will not be rounded up or down at any stage. Thus a B- will be inclusive of all scores of 80.000 through 83.999. The University does not recognize the grade of A+.

Here is a link to the University’s plus/minus page, with FAQ: http://www.utexas.edu/provost/planning/plus-minus/

Classroom Expectations:

In addition to regular section attendance, students are expected to come prepared to actively participate. We will observe civil classroom behavior at all times. Silence mobile phones during class time and refrain from other activities that might detract from the learning environment, including surfing the Internet. Students are expected to bring their texts and note-taking materials to every lecture and section.

Attendance Policy:

Punctual attendance in lecture and section is mandatory. More than one (1) absence from section will result in a reduction of a full letter grade in the final course grade (e.g., B to C). More than three (3) absences will result in a failing grade for the course.

Examination Policy:

Students must bring their own pens and blue books to all exams. Neither will be provided by the professor or section instructors, and examinations on other paper will not be accepted. Except in the case of true emergencies or University cancellation of classes, no early or make-up exams will be allowed.

Grade Review Policy:

Regrading of exams will be considered only via written petition submitted to your section instructor no earlier than one week after an exam’s return and no more than two weeks afterwards. Accurate and consistent grading is very important for proper student evaluation and fair conduct of the course; regrades will always be considered carefully. For these reasons no regrades will be accepted without a written description of the grading error, and regrades will be handled by the section instructor. While the lead professor will closely supervise the overall grading process, DO NOT turn to the lead professor, as section instructors have final authority in grade matters.

Academic Honesty Statement:

Academic dishonesty will be handled according to University policy, including assessment of the stiffest penalty permitted to the instructor (e.g., a failing grade in the course). Additional sanctions may be imposed by the University. Cheating in any form, including plagiarism and self- plagiarism, will not be tolerated. If you are unclear about what constitutes plagiarism, ask the instructor.

University Disability Statement:

Students with disabilities who require special accommodations need to get a letter that documents the disability from the Services for Students with Disabilities area of the Office of the Dean of Students (471-6259 or 471-4641 (TTY) for users who are deaf or hard of hearing). This letter should be presented to the instructor in each course at the beginning of the semester and accommodations needed should be discussed at that time. Five (5) business days before an exam the student should remind the instructor of any testing accommodations that will be needed. See the following website for more information: http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/ssd/providing.php

For more information, please download the full syllabus.

E372M American Realism

Course description:

This course will trace the origins and development of realism as a literary movement and aesthetic strategy in the United States from the 1860s through the turn-of-the-century. Given the radical social changes during this period in gender, racial, and class terms, how did Realism emerge as both symptom and critique of these conditions? What were the features of this new literary aesthetic, and how did it influence the formation of realism in popular culture? Situating these texts within their social context will be a major feature of this course.

Reading List:

All texts are available at the Campus Coop. They are also on one-day reserve at the Perry-Castañeda Library.

Evaluation Criteria:

This is a Substantial Writing Component/ Writing Flag course with major emphasis upon the development of good essay writing skills. The course grade will consist of: in-class free writing exercises and quizzes (10%); two peer review reports (10%); and two substantial analytical essays. The first of these essays must be significantly revised; the first draft of this 5 or 6 page essay will count for 10% of the final grade, while the revised draft will count for 30%. The second essay of 6-8 pages will count for 40%. Failure to complete all required coursework will result in a failing course grade.

Plus/minus grading will be used for the final course grade. Final grades will be determined on the basis of the following rubric. To ensure fairness, all numbers are absolute, and will not be rounded up or down at any stage. Thus a B- will be inclusive of all scores of 80.000 through 83.999. The University does not recognize the grade of A+.

A = 94-100 / A- = 90-93/ B+ = 87-89/ B = 84-86/ B- = 80-83/ C+ = 77-79/ C = 74-76/
C- = 70-73/ D+ = 67-69/ D = 64-66/ D- = 60-63/ F = 0-60

Here is a link to the University’s plus/minus page, with FAQ: www.utexas.edu/provost/planning/plus-minus/

For more information, please download the full syllabus.

TBD

Please check back for updates.

Description:  Gloria Anzaldúa famously called the border between México and the United States a “1,950 mile-long open wound,” “una herida abierta,” where “a third country—a border culture” has arisen on either side of the Rio Grande/Río Bravo and beyond.  In this course, we will traverse the borders of language(s), geography, history, and identity negotiated by Mexican-American artists from Texas in a variety of literary genres, visual art, and film.  Our methods will be intersectional—attending to class, gender, sexuality, religion, etc., in addition to race—as we explore these (re)definitions of what it means to be, in Cherríe Moraga’s words, American “con acento.”

The primary aim of this course is to help students develop and improve the critical reading, writing, and thinking skills needed for success in upper-division courses in English and other disciplines.  They will also gain practice in using the Oxford English Dictionary and other online research tools and print resources that support studies in the humanities.  Students will learn basic information literacy skills and models for approaching literature with various historical, generic, and cultural contexts in mind.

This course contains a writing flag.  The writing assignments in this course are arranged procedurally with a focus on invention, development through instructor and peer feedback, and revision; they will comprise a major part of the final grade.

Tentative Texts:  Anzaldúa, Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza (nonfiction, memoir, theory); Alonzo, Jotos del Barrio (play); Silva, Flesh to Bone (short stories).

Requirements & Grading:  There will be a series of 3 formal writing assignments, the first of which must be revised and resubmitted (70% of the final grade in total).  Excluding the final project (critical or creative), the second assignment may also be revised and resubmitted by arrangement with the Instructor.  Students will also have the opportunity to practice writing in a variety of other genres, including reading journals (or the occasional quiz), creative writing exercises, and in-class presentations (30% of the final grade).

Description:  Gloria Anzaldúa famously called the border between México and the United States a “1,950 mile-long open wound,” “una herida abierta,” where “a third country—a border culture” has arisen on either side of the Rio Grande/Río Bravo and beyond.  In this course, we will traverse the borders of language(s), geography, history, and identity negotiated by Mexican-American artists from Texas in a variety of literary genres, visual art, and film.  Our methods will be intersectional—attending to class, gender, sexuality, religion, etc., in addition to race—as we explore these (re)definitions of what it means to be, in Cherríe Moraga’s words, American “con acento.”

The primary aim of this course is to help students develop and improve the critical reading, writing, and thinking skills needed for success in upper-division courses in English and other disciplines.  They will also gain practice in using the Oxford English Dictionary and other online research tools and print resources that support studies in the humanities.  Students will learn basic information literacy skills and models for approaching literature with various historical, generic, and cultural contexts in mind.

This course contains a writing flag.  The writing assignments in this course are arranged procedurally with a focus on invention, development through instructor and peer feedback, and revision; they will comprise a major part of the final grade.

Tentative Texts:  Anzaldúa, Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza (nonfiction, memoir, theory); Alonzo, Jotos del Barrio (play); Silva, Flesh to Bone (short stories).

Requirements & Grading:  There will be a series of 3 formal writing assignments, the first of which must be revised and resubmitted (70% of the final grade in total).  Excluding the final project (critical or creative), the second assignment may also be revised and resubmitted by arrangement with the Instructor.  Students will also have the opportunity to practice writing in a variety of other genres, including reading journals (or the occasional quiz), creative writing exercises, and in-class presentations (30% of the final grade).

Description:  Gloria Anzaldúa famously called the border between México and the United States a “1,950 mile-long open wound,” “una herida abierta,” where “a third country—a border culture” has arisen on either side of the Rio Grande/Río Bravo and beyond.  In this course, we will traverse the borders of language(s), geography, history, and identity negotiated by Mexican-American artists from Texas in a variety of literary genres, visual art, and film.  Our methods will be intersectional—attending to class, gender, sexuality, religion, etc., in addition to race—as we explore these (re)definitions of what it means to be, in Cherríe Moraga’s words, American “con acento.”

The primary aim of this course is to help students develop and improve the critical reading, writing, and thinking skills needed for success in upper-division courses in English and other disciplines.  They will also gain practice in using the Oxford English Dictionary and other online research tools and print resources that support studies in the humanities.  Students will learn basic information literacy skills and models for approaching literature with various historical, generic, and cultural contexts in mind.

This course contains a writing flag.  The writing assignments in this course are arranged procedurally with a focus on invention, development through instructor and peer feedback, and revision; they will comprise a major part of the final grade.

Tentative Texts:  Anzaldúa, Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza (nonfiction, memoir, theory); Alonzo, Jotos del Barrio (play); Silva, Flesh to Bone (short stories).

Requirements & Grading:  There will be a series of 3 formal writing assignments, the first of which must be revised and resubmitted (70% of the final grade in total).  Excluding the final project (critical or creative), the second assignment may also be revised and resubmitted by arrangement with the Instructor.  Students will also have the opportunity to practice writing in a variety of other genres, including reading journals (or the occasional quiz), creative writing exercises, and in-class presentations (30% of the final grade).

Description:  Gloria Anzaldúa famously called the border between México and the United States a “1,950 mile-long open wound,” “una herida abierta,” where “a third country—a border culture” has arisen on either side of the Rio Grande/Río Bravo and beyond.  In this course, we will traverse the borders of language(s), geography, history, and identity negotiated by Mexican-American artists from Texas in a variety of literary genres, visual art, and film.  Our methods will be intersectional—attending to class, gender, sexuality, religion, etc., in addition to race—as we explore these (re)definitions of what it means to be, in Cherríe Moraga’s words, American “con acento.”

The primary aim of this course is to help students develop and improve the critical reading, writing, and thinking skills needed for success in upper-division courses in English and other disciplines.  They will also gain practice in using the Oxford English Dictionary and other online research tools and print resources that support studies in the humanities.  Students will learn basic information literacy skills and models for approaching literature with various historical, generic, and cultural contexts in mind.

This course contains a writing flag.  The writing assignments in this course are arranged procedurally with a focus on invention, development through instructor and peer feedback, and revision; they will comprise a major part of the final grade.

Tentative Texts:  Anzaldúa, Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza (nonfiction, memoir, theory); Alonzo, Jotos del Barrio (play); Silva, Flesh to Bone (short stories).

Requirements & Grading:  There will be a series of 3 formal writing assignments, the first of which must be revised and resubmitted (70% of the final grade in total).  Excluding the final project (critical or creative), the second assignment may also be revised and resubmitted by arrangement with the Instructor.  Students will also have the opportunity to practice writing in a variety of other genres, including reading journals (or the occasional quiz), creative writing exercises, and in-class presentations (30% of the final grade).

Description:  Gloria Anzaldúa famously called the border between México and the United States a “1,950 mile-long open wound,” “una herida abierta,” where “a third country—a border culture” has arisen on either side of the Rio Grande/Río Bravo and beyond.  In this course, we will traverse the borders of language(s), geography, history, and identity negotiated by Mexican-American artists from Texas in a variety of literary genres, visual art, and film.  Our methods will be intersectional—attending to class, gender, sexuality, religion, etc., in addition to race—as we explore these (re)definitions of what it means to be, in Cherríe Moraga’s words, American “con acento.”

The primary aim of this course is to help students develop and improve the critical reading, writing, and thinking skills needed for success in upper-division courses in English and other disciplines.  They will also gain practice in using the Oxford English Dictionary and other online research tools and print resources that support studies in the humanities.  Students will learn basic information literacy skills and models for approaching literature with various historical, generic, and cultural contexts in mind.

This course contains a writing flag.  The writing assignments in this course are arranged procedurally with a focus on invention, development through instructor and peer feedback, and revision; they will comprise a major part of the final grade.

Tentative Texts:  Anzaldúa, Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza (nonfiction, memoir, theory); Alonzo, Jotos del Barrio (play); Silva, Flesh to Bone (short stories).

Requirements & Grading:  There will be a series of 3 formal writing assignments, the first of which must be revised and resubmitted (70% of the final grade in total).  Excluding the final project (critical or creative), the second assignment may also be revised and resubmitted by arrangement with the Instructor.  Students will also have the opportunity to practice writing in a variety of other genres, including reading journals (or the occasional quiz), creative writing exercises, and in-class presentations (30% of the final grade).

Description:  Gloria Anzaldúa famously called the border between México and the United States a “1,950 mile-long open wound,” “una herida abierta,” where “a third country—a border culture” has arisen on either side of the Rio Grande/Río Bravo and beyond.  In this course, we will traverse the borders of language(s), geography, history, and identity negotiated by Mexican-American artists from Texas in a variety of literary genres, visual art, and film.  Our methods will be intersectional—attending to class, gender, sexuality, religion, etc., in addition to race—as we explore these (re)definitions of what it means to be, in Cherríe Moraga’s words, American “con acento.”

The primary aim of this course is to help students develop and improve the critical reading, writing, and thinking skills needed for success in upper-division courses in English and other disciplines.  They will also gain practice in using the Oxford English Dictionary and other online research tools and print resources that support studies in the humanities.  Students will learn basic information literacy skills and models for approaching literature with various historical, generic, and cultural contexts in mind.

This course contains a writing flag.  The writing assignments in this course are arranged procedurally with a focus on invention, development through instructor and peer feedback, and revision; they will comprise a major part of the final grade.

Tentative Texts:  Anzaldúa, Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza (nonfiction, memoir, theory); Alonzo, Jotos del Barrio (play); Silva, Flesh to Bone (short stories).

Requirements & Grading:  There will be a series of 3 formal writing assignments, the first of which must be revised and resubmitted (70% of the final grade in total).  Excluding the final project (critical or creative), the second assignment may also be revised and resubmitted by arrangement with the Instructor.  Students will also have the opportunity to practice writing in a variety of other genres, including reading journals (or the occasional quiz), creative writing exercises, and in-class presentations (30% of the final grade).