This course examines the Latino experience in California through the study of visual art, short story, film, and documentary. In a popular folk song from the 1930s, Woody Guthrie confidently sang that, “this land was made for you and me.” In 2014, Las Cafeteras, a musical group from East L.A., remade the song in a hybrid style that combined English and Spanish, Folk and Norteño, to convey a message of inclusion. This is one example of the type of artistic expression that we will consider in the course, which is designed to impart both basic knowledge of the history of Latinos in California and perspective on their lived experiences through visual and textual testimonies. Significant attention will be given to the contributions made by Latinos to their respective communities and to American society in general, and nuanced attention will be given to activism and expressions of political dissent in relation to a selection of specific causes, including immigration. In addition to gaining a broad and in-depth understanding of the Latino experience in California, the goal of the seminar is for students to develop an increased aptitude for detached inquiry, objective analysis, evidence-based argumentation, constructive debate, and the free exercise of reason—all of which represent necessary tools for success in college and the world at large.
Instructor: Professor Brian Cope, Ph.D.
Room: Kauke 034
Time: 8:00-8:50, MWF
Office Hours: TBA
Office: Kauke 303