Latino/a/e History as U.S. History

3 - 4 credits · Undergraduate credit

This course centers the major groups commonly classified as "Latino/a/e" States as critical to understanding the United States' history from 1820 to the present. Particular attention will be given to the major populations (Mexican/Mexican American, Puerto Ricans, and Cuban/Cuban Americans), but the course will also include discussion of other groups that are gaining prominence, such as Central Americans. To organize the class, we start by questioning the creation and meaning of a racialized "pan-Latino" identity in the United States. Ideas about race, gender, sexuality, and nation have been important in the shaping of modern assumptions about Latina/o/e identity. We consider how different groups have historically understood these ideas and their relationships to other Americans and other Latino groups.