Syllabus: AFAM HUMA 1305: Survey of Mexican American Culture Spring 2022COURSE GOALS:
To fully understand the Mexican American experience (which is not monolithic) we must understand the foundational culture, the conflicts and the Weltanschauung that will interact with and create the syncretic experience which is the focus of this class. Students should leave the class understanding the multicultural and multiracial nature of Mexican American culture, the historical context from which this arose as well as be able to critically analyze the complexity of a variety of important occurrences in the community from their etically located perspectives. Students will also be able to compare the Black American experience, interaction as well as conflicts with Mexican Americans in the promotion of peace studies through deep knowledge and understanding of these roots.
We will achieve these ends through readings of essays (peer reviewed and non), autobiographies, testimonios, novels and documentaries. We will also watch films (including filmed theatre) and listen to music throughout the class.
This course is designated as part of the AFAM Initiative. AFAM designated classes explore the subject area through the lens of the African Diaspora or significantly include Afrodescendant themes relating to the course topic. In this class, we will explore the Mexican American historical and contemporary presence through an understanding of the Mexican Weltanschauung on race and non-White identity. We will touch upon topics such as racial identity, racial group name changes and formation, social movements, and Afrodescendant and Indigenous Mexican Americans in particular and their presence within the larger, multiracial and multicultural ethnicity of Mexican American.
