Course Outline for Ethnic Studies 12
Chicanx and Latinx Expressive Cultures and Resistance

Effective: Fall 2024
SLO Rev:
Catalog Description:

ES 12 - Chicanx and Latinx Expressive Cultures and Resistance

3.00 Units

This course provides an interdisciplinary approach to the study of Chicana/o/x and Latina/o/x expressive cultures, whose composition spans differences along the lines of citizenship, race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, sexuality, language, and more. Readings and course material will cover Chicana/o/x and Latina/o/x representation, identities, and the role of race, gender, nationality, sexuality, and class in creative expression in everyday life and social movements. Key topics include resistance, self-determination, liberation, decolonization, sovereignty, transnationalism, imperialism, colonialism, and racial and social justice. We will explore these main topics through Chicana/o/x and Latina/o/x cultural expressions.
2203.00 - Ethnic Studies
Optional
Type Units Inside of Class Hours Outside of Class Hours Total Student Learning Hours
Lecture 3.00 54.00 108.00 162.00
Total 3.00 54.00 108.00 162.00
Measurable Objectives:
Upon completion of this course, the student should be able to:
  1. Analyze and articulate concepts such as race and racism, racialization, ethnicity, equity, ethno-centrism, eurocentrism, white supremacy, self-determination, liberation, decolonization, sovereignty, imperialism, settler colonialism, and anti-racism as analyzed in Chicano Studies, Latino Studies, and Ethnic Studies;
  2. explain and assess how struggle, resistance, racial and social justice, solidarity, and liberation, as experienced, enacted, and studied by Latina and Latino Americans are relevant to current and structural issues such as communal, national, international, and transnational politics as, for example, in immigration, reparations, settler-colonialism, multiculturalism, language policies;
  3. apply theory and knowledge produced by Chicana/o/x and Latina/o/x communities to describe the critical events, histories, cultures, intellectual traditions, contributions, lived experiences and social struggles of those groups with a particular emphasis on agency and group affirmation;
  4. examine the significance of Chicana/o/x and Latina/o/x art and expressive culture as integral to the academic fields of Latina/o/x Studies and Ethnic Studies, including how Latina/o/x Studies fits within the discipline of Ethnic Studies;
  5. evaluate the experiences and contributions of Afro-Latina/o/x communities in the U.S. through the arts and cultural expressions such as hip-hop, poetry, visual art, music, language, film, and media;
  6. identify issues within the Chicana/o/x and Latina/o/x community as linked to the arts and cultural expressions in the social movements of the late 1960s and 1970s to the present;
  7. define and apply key theoretical frameworks fundamental to the fields of Chicana/o/x, Latina/o/x, and Ethnic Studies and art;
  8. identify and analyze multiple works of art and media with Latina/o/x culture in its political, economic, and historical context.
Course Content:

Outline of Topics

Intro to Chicana/o/x, Latina/o/x Studies, and Cultural Studies

  1. Chicana/o/x Theories of Representation and Culture

  2. Stuart Hall and Bell Hooks on Culture

  3. The Chicana/o Cultural Studies Forum

  4. Keywords in Latina/o/x Cultural Studies

  5. Common terms in Art and cultural studies

 

Defining Chicana/o/x & Chicana/o/x Art

  1. The formation of political and cultural identity in the 1960s and 1970s

  2. Civil Rights & Decolonization Movements 

  3. Community activism & the politics of Chicano art

  4. Chicano art vs. American mainstream art

  5. Relationship between Chicano art and Latin American art

 

Defining Latina/o/x & Latina/o/x Art

  1. Hispanic vs. Latino

  2. Latinx - Beyond the Binary - Gender Inclusive

  3. Latina/o/x as a pan-ethnic and culturally diverse identity 

  4. Latina/o/x art as a project of reclamation and innovation

  5. Transnational identity and culture

  6. Diversity, difference, and solidarity

 

Mexican Culture and its Influence on Chicano Identity

  1. "La Raza Cosmica" by Vasconselos

  2. Los Tres Grandes: Diego Rivera, David Alfaro Siqueiros, and Jose Clemente Orozco

  3. Mexican and Revolutionary Iconography (Zapata, Villa, Che Guevarra)

  4. Printmaking and wood printing 

  5. Cultural Traditions (Altars, Day of the Dead)

  6. Frida Kahlo and guerilleras 

  7. Religious and iconographic figures: Virgen de Guadalupe, Tonantzin, and La Malinche

 

Pre-Columbian Art and Culture in Chicana/o/x Iconography

  1. Cultural Reclamation and Indigenous Iconography

  2. Tenochtitlan, the Mexica, and the Conquest

  3. Aztec culture, language, and traditions

  4. The concept of Aztlan as a homeland

 

Chicano Art, Identity, and the Movimiento

  1. Decolonization and Liberation Movements

  2. Civil Rights and People Power Movement 

  3. UFW and Cesar Chavez

  4. Building Community through the arts: the cultural arm of the Movimiento

  5. Muralism

    1. Chicano Park

    2. Judith F. Baca (the Great Wall of Los Angeles

    3. Estrada Court projects

  6. Art as a cultural expression of identity formation and culture

  1. Poetry

  2. Prints

  3. Paintings 

  4. Graffiti, barrio calligraphy, and plaqueasos

  5. Performance and theater (Teatro Campesino, Zoot Suit, Guillermo Gomez-Pena, ASCO collective)

 

Puerto Rican, Nuyoricans, Diasporican, and the Young Lords 

  1. The Puerto Rican movement and the Young Lords

  2. Spanish Harlem, Lower Eastside (Losaida), and the Bronx 

  3. Creating identity & empowerment - Nuyorican and Diasporican Literature and Culture

    1. Nuyorican Art Movement

    2. Nuyorican Poets Cafe (Miguel Algarín, Miguel Piñero, Bimbo Rivas, Pedro Pietri, and Lucky Cienfuegos)

    3. Prominent poets, novalists, and artists: Giannina Braschi, Willie Perdomo, Edwin Torres, Nancy Mercado, Sandra María Esteve, Lemon Andersen, Emanuel Xavier, Mariposa (María Teresa Fernández) and Caridad de la Luz (La Bruja)

    4. Autobiographical narratives 

      1. Hybrid identities: linguistic and cultural bridges between the island and the diaspora

  4. Nuyorican Music

    1. Latin Bugaloo/Bugalú - Joe Bataan, Joe Cuba, Bobby Valentín, the Latin Souls, the Lat-Teens, Johnny Colón, and the Latinaires

    2. Tito Puente, Ray Barretto, and Spanglish lyrics 

  5. Cultural Institutions & Organizations

  1. the Puerto Rican Traveling Theater, El Taller Boricua, Agüeybaná Bookstore, Mixta Gallery, Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural Center, El Museo del Barrio

 

Central American-American Identity, Arts, and Culture

  1. The Destabilized Northern Triangle: U.S. Intervention in El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala in the 20th Century

  2. Historical Memory: Military interventions, civil wars, and migration

    1. Poetry and literature: Maya Chinchilla, EpiCentroAmerica, Marlon Morales, Jasmin Cañas, etc

    2. Mixed Media and Paintings: John Rivas, Victor Interiano (Dichos de un Vicho), Josue Rojas, Alicia Maria Siu, Victor Cartagena, Irvin Morozan, Beatriz Cortez, Kiara Machado, etc.

  3. Cultural Reclamation 

    1. Recuperating and valuing Mesoamerican iconography and traditions in the arts

    2. Pipil, Maya, and indigenous cultures and traditions 

  4. Geopolitical Critique

    1. European colonization, U.S. imperialism, neoliberalism, and state violence

 

Popular Culture and the Media

  1. Explores questions of identity, gender, sexuality, citizenship, and race through representation.

  2. Chicano cinema and representation

    1. Gregory Nava “Mi Familia”

    2. Luis Valdez (“Zoot Suit,” “La Bamba

    3. Edward James Olmos (“Stand and Deliver” and American Me)

  3. The Latinization of the Mainstream 

    1. Shakira, Daddy Yankee, Ricky Martin, Christina Aguilera, Selena, Gloria Estefan, Bad Bunny

  4. Contemporary Films & Series

    1. Coco, On My Block, Gentefied, Mr. Iglesias, Vida, Jane the Virgin, Ugly Betty, 

 

Public Spaces & Places: Cultural Practices and Enacted Landscapes 

  1. Latino Urbanism and the enacted environment

  2. Public altars and ephemeral creativity

  3. Lowriding culture

  4. Mexican American Graffiti and Chicano Murals

  5. Street art

  6. Pseudographic Cinema 

  7. Public Art as monuments and memory

 

Race, Class, and Nationality in Latina/o/x Art and Visual Culture

  1. Defining national privilege - Latina/o/x as diasporic/ transnational art; not included in American or Latin American art.

  2. The “neither here nor there” condition

  3. Whitewashing of Latinidad 

  4. Afro-Latina/o/x art and artists (Amara La Negra, Elia Alba, etc.)

  5. Andean Identity & Cosmologies in Latinx Art (Ronny Quevedo)

    1. Pacha, Llaqta, and Wasichay: Indigenous Space, and Modern Architecture 

  6. Indigenity and Afro-Latinidad in contemporary Latina/o/x art

 

Decolonial Aesthetics/Aesthesis

  1. Chicana/o/x and Latina/o/x art: seeking an alternative aesthetic 

  2. Rasquache: a working-class and underdog aesthetic and sensibility 

  3. Valorizing Indigenous and African Culture and Heritage

  4. Mestizaje/Difrasismo: cultural blending and hybridity

  5. Transborder consciousness and Nepantla

Methods of Instruction:
  1. Group Activities
  2. Lectures
  3. Textbook reading assignments
  4. Class and group discussions
  5. Presentation of audio-visual materials
  6. Oral and Written Analysis
  7. Online Assignments
  8. Written assignments
  9. Lecture/Discussion
Assignments and Methods of Evaluating Student Progress:
  1. Latina/o/x Museum Curating Project (Creative Research Project and Essay): In this assignment, students will deepen their understanding of Latina/o/x art and expressive cultures by searching for specific Latina/o/x artists and their artworks to propose for an exhibition. Students will explore and choose at least five works of art and expressive cultures (paintings, murals, sculptures, prints, advertisements, films, performance pieces, poetry, photography, etc.) created by Latina/o/x artists to include in an art exhibition. As curators, students will have the creative freedom to choose a theme that interests them. It can be themes we discuss in class or an original theme we have not covered (with the Instructor's approval). Possible themes can include public emplacements or public installations, urban art, LGBTQ Art, Social Movement Art, creative works that focus on historical memory, art that is representative of hybrid cultural formations like mestizaje, or themes that touch on issues concerning migration, displacement, belonging, etc. The collection can thematically be based on anything students want so long as it includes examples of Latina/o/x art and expressive cultures. They will select artists and artworks they learned about in or outside class. I will provide a list of artists to consider. Students can make their curation project about five pieces from one artist or a work of art from five different artists, so long as the collection demonstrates a central theme of the exhibition and how the artwork(s) are connected to that theme. Along with selecting the artwork and including it in the art exhibition, students will submit a 5-page essay. This essay should: 1) Clearly explain the central theme of the art exhibit: What is it? How is it connected to class? Why is this theme important to you and others? 2) Clearly explain the artwork's context, content, and message and how they relate to the theme. 3) Include images and website links of artwork or performances of the Latina/o/x artists chosen. It will include the name of the artist(s), the title of the artwork, and relevant information about the art (e.g., its dimensions, the year it was produced, etc.). 4) Describe the connections between the different art pieces to the exhibit's overall theme. This tells the viewers/audiences why you chose the artist(s) and the individual pieces and tells us more about the content. 5) Make connections between the theme of the art exhibit and the content of the artworks themselves to course materials, citing at least two articles/readings we have covered in class. The paper will be at least five pages, double-spaced, in Times New Roman font. Cite the academic work in the essay (in-text citations) and include a bibliography. You can use MLA or Chicago style to cite your work.
  2. Documentary and Film Reflections: Students will watch documentaries and films related to the themes and content of the course. They will write a reflection about their main takeaways from the documentaries and films and answer a prompt on how it relates to the course's readings, lectures, topics, and themes. Reflection papers will be 1-2 pages long, written in 12-point font, Times New Roman, and double-spaced.
  3. Reading Logs: To provide some accountability for reading as we move through the material, I will ask students to turn in reading logs in specific weeks. This assignment is meant to teach students how to actively engage in close readings of academic texts and to help them identify key concepts, theories, and ideas. It is a guide for their reading comprehension. I will demonstrate an example of how to do a close reading in lectures.
  1. Papers
  2. Oral Presentation
  3. Class Participation
  4. Final Examination or Project
  5. Written assignments
  6. Research Projects
Upon the completion of this course, the student should be able to:
  1. explain and interpret the role of Chicana/o/x and Latina/o/x art, artists, and artistic production in their historical and cultural context;
  2. explain the relationship of some Chicana/o/x and Latina/o/x art and artists to social movements and political moments in U.S. history;
  3. describe and analyze the similarities and particularities of different Chicana/o/x and Latina/o/x art and artists.
Textbooks (Typical):
  1. Rielle Navitski Leslie Marsh (2023). Latinx Media An Open-Access Textbook University System of Georgia https://alg.manifoldapp.org/projects/latinx-media.
  1. Jennifer A. González, C. Ondine Chavoya, Chon Noriega, Terezita Romo, Jennifer A. González, C. Ondine Chavoya, Chon Noriega, Terezita Romo (2019). Chicano and Chicana Art: A Critical Anthology (1). Duke University Press.
  2. Darlene Avila (2020). Latinx Art: Artists, Markets, and Politics Duke University Press.
  3. Claudia E. Zapata (Author), Terezita Romo, E. Carmen Ramos, Tatiana Reinoza (2020). Printing the Revolution!: The Rise and Impact of Chicano Graphics, 1965 to Now (1). Princeton University Press.
  4. Charles M. Tatum (2017). Chicano Popular Culture: Que Hable el Pueblo (2nd). University of Arizona Press.
  5. Charles M. Tatum (2013). Encyclopedia of Latino Culture: From Calaveras to Quinceaneras ABC-CLIO.
  6. Cristina Herrera and Trevor Boffone (2022). Latinx Teens: US Popular Culture on the Page, Stage, and Screen University of Arizona Press.
Abbreviated Class Schedule Description:
This course examines Chicana/o/x and Latina/o/x expressive cultures. Throughout the course, we will be reading and thinking about concepts like race, nationality, gender, sexuality, language, citizenship, identity, empowerment, and resistance through creative expressions.
Discipline:
Ethnic Studies*, or Chicano Studies*