Introduction to U.S. Latino/a Literature (Syllabus for Thematic Survey)

This undergraduate course, dedicated to the field of U.S. Latina/o literature, will be focusing on three spaces where the Latino/a identity is shaped and defined: the home, the street and history. Moving from the private territory of the home to the public narrative of history, our course will bring theory and literature into conversation about the competing definitions of the relationship between Latino/a populations and the U.S. cultural sphere. Our readings will be focus on writers from various Latino/a groups, including Chicanos, Puerto Ricans, Cuban Americans and Dominican Americans.

Primary Texts

Rudolfo Anaya, Bless Me, Ultima (1972)

Sandra Cisneros, House on Mango Street (1984)

Richard Rodriguez, Hunger of Memory (1982)

Cristina Garcia, Dreaming in Cuban (1992)

Junot Díaz, Drown (1996)

Piri Thomas, Down These Mean Streets (1967)

Ernesto Quiñonez, Bodega Dreams (2000)

Angie Cruz, Soledad (2001)

Black Artemis, Picture Me Rollin’ (2005)

Américo Paredes, With His Pistol in His Hand (1958)

Julia Alvarez, In the Name of Salomé (2001)

Ana Menéndez, Loving Che (2004)

Secondary Texts

Juan González, Harvest of Empire: A History of Latinos in America (2001)

Ilan Stavans, The Hispanic Condition (1995), Chapter 1, “Life in the Hyphen”

Lisa Sánchez González, Boricua Literature: A Literary History of the Puerto Rican Diaspora (2001), Chapter 4, “The Boricua Novel: Civil Rights and ‘New School’ Nuyorican Narratives”

Juan Flores, From Bomba to Hip-Hop (2000), Introduction, Chapter 8, “Life off the Hyphen: Latino Literature and Nuyorican Traditions”

Raphael Dalleo and Elena Machado Sáez. The Latino Canon and the Emergence of Post-Sixties Literature (2007)

SCHEDULE

Week 1                        Introduction to the course

Historical Contexts of Latino/a Presence in United States: Juan González, Harvest of Empire: A History of Latinos in America (2001)

Contested Territory of Home

Week 2                        Ilan Stavans, The Hispanic Condition (1995), Chapter 1, “Life in the Hyphen”

Rudolfo Anaya, Bless Me, Ultima (1972)

Week 3                        Sandra Cisneros, House on Mango Street (1984)

Richard Rodriguez, Hunger of Memory (1982)

Week 4                       Cristina Garcia, Dreaming in Cuban (1992)

Dalleo and Machado Sáez. “Latino/a Identity and Consumer Citizenship in Cristina Garcia’s Dreaming in Cuban.”

                                    (Chapter 4 of The Latino/a Canon.)

Week 5                        Junot Díaz, Drown (1996)

Thesis Proposal Conferences and Peer Review Workshop

Contested Territory of the Street

Week 6                        Paper #1 Due

Lisa Sánchez González, Boricua Literature (2001), “The Boricua Novel: Civil Rights and ‘New School’ Nuyorican Narratives”

Week 7                        Piri Thomas, Down These Mean Streets (1967)

            Dalleo and Machado Sáez. “Periodizing Latino/a Literature Through Pedro Pietri’s Nuyorican Cityscapes.” (Chapter 1 of The Latino/a Canon.)

Week 8                     Ernesto Quiñonez, Bodega Dreams (2000)

Dalleo and Machado Sáez. “Mercado Dreams: The End(s) of Sixties Nostalgia in Contemporary Ghetto Fiction.”

                                    (Chapter 2 of The Latino/a Canon.)

Week 9                        Angie Cruz, Soledad (2001)

Dalleo and Machado Sáez. “Lowercase Latino/a Realism in the Works of Junot Díaz and Angie Cruz.”

                                    (Chapter 3 of The Latino/a Canon.)

Week 10                      Black Artemis, Picture Me Rollin’ (2005)

Peer Review Workshop

Contested Territory of History

Week 11                      Paper #2 Due

Juan Flores, From Bomba to Hip-Hop (2000); Introduction, Chapter 8, “Life off the Hyphen: Latino Literature and Nuyorican Traditions”

Week 12                      Américo Paredes, With His Pistol in His Hand (1958)

Week 13                      Julia Alvarez, In the Name of Salomé (2001)

Dalleo and Machado Sáez. “Writing in a Minor Key: Postcolonial and Post-Civil Rights Histories in the Novels of Julia Alvarez.” (Chapter 5 of The Latino/a Canon.)

Week 14                     Ana Menéndez. Loving Che (2003)

           Dalleo and Machado Sáez. “New Directions: The Post-Sixties Miami Imaginary.” (Conclusion to The Latino/a Canon.)

Week 15                      Peer Review Workshop

Week 16                     Final essay due one week after the final day of class.

Assignments:

5% Participation in class discussion and activities (includes in-class writing exercises or impromptu reading quizzes). Reading assignments must be completed on time.

5% Thesis Proposal Conference: Introductory paragraph and outline of Paper #1.

30% Six 1-page Pattern Papers. These function as drafts for the longer analysis essays.

15% Home Category Textual Analysis Paper #1: 3-4 pages.

20% Street Category Textual Analysis Paper #2: 3-4 pages.

25% History Category Textual Analysis Paper #3: 3-4 pages.

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