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Aug 18-22 | NO CLASS | COURSE SYLLABUS | Complete (Moodle): 1) Beginning-of-the-year questionnaire; 2) How much do you already know? Read: Mission & Vision of the College of Wooster |
Aug 25-29 | Read: “The Liberal Arts Endeavor” by C. Long. Homework questions: What is the difference, in your mind, between “liberal and practical education” (v)? How would you define “liberal education”? What were some of the things that you weighed or considered before deciding to come to Wooster? What is the central argument of the assigned article and how is it already obsolete in terms of the issue that it raises? | Read: Defining Critical Thinking. Homework questions: After reading this assignment, how would you define critical thinking? What do you see as the social importance of critical thinking? What habits do you think lead to good critical thinking? What habits do you think lead to bad critical thinking? What are two things that you think that you can do starting now to become a better critical thinker? Why do you think Professor Cope thinks this last question is so important? | Read: “Othering: Cultural Diversity and Symbolic Boundaries” in American Misfits and the Making of Middle-Class Respectability by R. Wuthnow. Homework questions: Identify and discuss some of the ways that othering functions in American society based on the following definition given by the author: “Othering is the process through which a person or group is turned into somebody different from us, an “other” from whom it is possible to distance ourselves. It is at heart a relational process that occurs in social interaction, real and imagined, as a person or group defines itself in contrast with and in opposition to someone else” (258). How do the concepts of respectability and citizenship factor into the equation? |
Sep 1-5 | Read: Roma/Gypsies in Spain View: Destiny: 21st Century Gypsies (Kanopy). Review: “Othering: Cultural Diversity and Symbolic Boundaries” in American Misfits and the Making of Middle-Class Respectability by R. Wuthnow. Homework Questions: Identify and discuss some of the ways that the documentary shows othering to function in relation to Spain’s Roma community based on the following definition given by the author of “Othering: Cultural Diversity and Symbolic Boundaries.”: “Othering is the process through which a person or group is turned into somebody different from us, an “other” from whom it is possible to distance ourselves. It is at heart a relational process that occurs in social interaction, real and imagined, as a person or group defines itself in contrast with and in opposition to someone else” (258). Do the concepts of respectability and citizenship factor into the equation? What did you find to be particularly instructive about the documentary? What did you find to be interesting the history of the Roma community in Spain? Challenge: Be prepared to briefly state how this video exemplifies the relational aspect of othering, according to Wuthnow, and the way in which respectability comes into relief. Hint: Start with identifying who is being othered in the conversation. | Read: “Kimberlé Crenshaw” in Persuasive Acts: Women’s rhetorics in the 21st Century, by Shari Stenberg and Charlotte Hogg (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2020). Homework Questions: What motivated Kimberlé Crenshaw to theorize intersectionality? What specifically is it meant to address? In what ways has the concept been broadened?How was intersectionality received in conservative circles and other sectors resistant to change? How does the author respond in her Washington Post article from 2015? What point does the author make, specifically, about talking about intersectionality? Describe intersectionality in relation to the person featured in Destiny. Share your thoughts on intersectionality, specifically its utility. | Read: Bird of Four Hundred Voices by Eugene Rodríguez (2024): Chapters 1-2. Homework Questions: (Chapter 1) The author uses a fifteenth-century Aztec poem about a bird to define culture. How does the author define culture? What happened as a result of NAFTA, according to the author? How did the arrival of large numbers of Mexican nationals to the author’s neighborhood effect the social fabric? How did it effect the author’s work? What does the author mean when he says, at the end of chapter 1, that “we must use culture to assert a vision of light”? (Chapter 2) What aspects of the author’s family history caught your attention? What lessons about culture did the author learn from his father? How do intersectionality and othering factor into his narrative? What does the author say about the role of music in his life? What does the author reveal at the end of the chapter and how do you think it might be consequential in his life? View: 1) Los Centzotles Academy – El buscapiés; 2) Los Centzontles – Naninan Upirin; 3) Un tributo a Flaco Jiménez. |
Sep 8-12 | Read: Bird of Four Hundred Voices by Eugene Rodríguez (2024): Chapters 3-4. Homework Questions: (Chapter 3) What are some of the challenges and frustrations that the author describes in his early adult life and how did he cope with them? In what ways did he experience othering? How does the author describe the role of critical thinking in his early life and why does he portray it as being so important? What social issues arise in this chapter? (Chapter 4) How does the author describe the social landscape of Richmond? How would you describe the purpose that he conveys as he discusses his role in the non-profit arts organization? How would you describe his teaching method? How does culture figure into his purpose and method? View: 1) Los Centzontles – Arenita Azul; 2) Los Centzontles – Ojitos Verdes; 3) 1968 WS Gm5: José Feliciano; 4) José Feliciano – Light My Fire | Due: Paper 1 | Read: Bird of Four Hundred Voices by Eugene Rodríguez (2024): Chapters 5-6. Homework Questions: (Chapter 5) Describe the meaningfulness of the Veracruz trips for the author. Describe the cultural intersections that the author sees and feels? In what ways does the author’s own experiences inform what he is doing and seeing? How does the author describe the power of culture? What opinion does the author share about authenticity and culture brokers? (Chapter 6) What do you think keeps the author grounded as he experiences success and carries out collaborations with people that he admires? What are some things that caught your attention in this chapter? Definitions: 1) son = musical sound; 2) fandango = community party. View: 1) Mono Blanco: La mañanera; 2) Mono Blanco: El chuchumbé; 3) Papas Dream (tracks 1-2); 4) Los Cenzontles Juvenil ft. David Hidalgo; 5) Linda Ronstadt – Blue Bayou; 6) La cigarra – Linda Ronstadt |
Sep 15-19 | Read: Bird of Four Hundred Voices by Eugene Rodríguez (2024): Chapters 7-9. Homework Questions: (Chapter 7) Describe the difficult lessons learned by the author as he builds the program that he is leading. How does failure factor in? What principles informed the author’s approach to teaching music to the children? What did he want to accomplish? (Chapter 8) Why does the author title the chapter “Space”? What is the importance of space for his work? Who is Marie-Astrid and what contributions does she make to the space and the pedagogical endeavor? Why is the space special according to the author? (Chapter 9) What does the author say about NAFTA? What stands out about the story that the author relates about Julián González Saldaña? What comes as a result of their collaboration? View: 1) La Llorona; 2) Soy Mexico-Americano; 3) Julián González – Breve biografía | Read: Bird of Four Hundred Voices by Eugene Rodríguez (2024): Chapters 10-11. Homework Questions: (Chapter 10) Describe the human stories that the author relates in this chapter. What were some of the challenges that the author faced? In what ways is his work archaeological? How does he describe the social situation of his community and of the United States? (Chapter 11) How does the title of this chapter capture its focus and content? What challenges does the author describe? How does he describe the importance of the cultural arts? Why does he see folk culture as an ideal foundation for early arts education? How does he describe the problems inherent in the fundraising efforts of non-profits that serve communities of color? View: 1) Ojitos verdes; 2) Tzi Tzi Sapichu; 3) Los Cenzontles w/Atilano López Patricio. Review: 1) Chicano Movement: Uncover Your Heritage; 2) Chicana Identity: Proud Heritage | Read: Bird of Four Hundred Voices by Eugene Rodríguez (2024): Chapters 12-13. Homework Questions: (Chapter 12) What does the author admire in David Hidalgo? Who is David Hidalgo? What does David Hidalgo represent for the author? Why does the author admire him so much? (Chapter 13) What technique of othering does the author describe at the beginning of the chapter? What does the author say about diversity in this chapter? What is the problem with American popular culture, according to the author? How does the historical content complement the cultural content of the chapter? View: 1) Los Lobos – La bamba; 2) La Bamba – Playing for Change; 3) Daniel Valdez, David Hidalgo & Eugene Rodriguez – Lo siento mi vida; 4) Somebody Please; 5) Los Lobos – La bamba (live 1989) |
Sep 22-26 | Read: Inciting Joy by Ross Gay (2024): Chapter 1 (The First Incitement). Homework Questions: 1) Describe the author’s meditation on joy. 2) In what ways does he question common assumptions? 3) What is the relationship of sorrow to joy? 4) How does the author make his point on the relationship? 5) What are your thoughts about this first chapter? | Read: Inciting Joy by Ross Gay (2024): Chapters 2-3 (The Second and Third Incitements) Homework Questions: 1) Describe the author’s writing style. What are some of the interconnected themes of these chapters? What are some of the takeaways for you? Do you see any commonalities with Bird of 400 Voices? How might we put the first three chapters of the book into dialogue with Bird of 400 Voices? | Read: Bird of Four Hundred Voices by Eugene Rodríguez (2024): Chapters 14-15 Homework Questions: (Chapter 14) How does the author describe the relevance of the cultural work done by Los Cenzontles? What makes the work so meaningful? What are the successes that the author describes in this chapter? How does Lucina Rodriguez describe her life in the first of the assigned videos below? What caused her situation? What commonality is shared by the remaining assigned videos? What do we see in the music of Los Cenzontles that thus far we have not seen? (chapter 15) In what ways does the author’s admiration for his friend Linda Ronstadt come through in this chapter? What advice does she give him? What happened in Banámichi and how does the author describe the experience and the town? Who is buried there? What does the author say about Marisol (“La Marisoul”)? View: 1) I Want to live, not just survive; 2) Los Cenzontles – valor latino; 3) Estado de verguenza; 4) Los Cenzontles – La pelota Live at Kennedy Center; 5) Linda and the Mockingbirds Trailer 1; 6) Linda and the Mockingbirds Trailer 2; 7) Todo cambia – From Linda & Marisoul. |
Sep 29 – Oct 3 | Read: Bird of Four Hundred Voices by Eugene Rodríguez (2024): Chapters 16-17 Homework Questions: (Chapter 16) How does the author describe surviving the Covid-19 pandemic? What measures were taken and for what reasons? What are some things that the author says in this chapter that resonate with you? What do we learn about the song, already viewed in class, “Lo siento mi vida”? (Chapter 17) How does the author characterize the present moment in the United States and the world? What does he say about his and his family’s relation to the American dream? As you finish reading this book, what would you now say it is about? View (again): Daniel Valdez, David Hidalgo & Eugene Rodriguez – Lo siento mi vida | View: Latino Americans: Empire of Dreams (1880-1942) Homework Questions: Summarize in broad strokes the historical information conveyed in the assigned episode. What do you find to be interesting and relevant? How did the US come to possess Puerto Rico? What happened as a result of the Mexican Revolution (1910)? What was happening in Los Angeles about 100 years ago? Why did it come to such an abrupt end? Who built Los Angeles? Who is Emilia Castañeda and what happened to her and her family? What historical continuities come to light through this episode between the past and the present? | Read: 1) “Barrio Boy” by Ernesto Galarza; 2) Segregation in Sacramento: Racial Agreements Shaped Neighborhoods (parts 1-4). Homework Questions: How does the narrator describe the journey to Sacramento and what is his subject position? How does the narrator describe the social landscape of Sacramento? How was the city divided and sub-divided? Why does the narrator describe his fellow Mexicans as refugees? Around what year do you think this story took place? How does the narrator describe the Americans and American culture? How does the narrator describe the chicanos, and what role did trust play in upholding the fragile community? How does the story depict diversity and othering? How does the narrator’s description of the area of Sacramento that he knew intersect with Eugene Rodriguez’s description of Richmond? What other continuities exist between Richmond and Sacramento? How does this story, especially what the narrator says at the end, help us better understand Eugene Rodriguez’s story of being a third-generation Mexican-American? How does the story connect more generally to today? What is its relevance? What did you gain from reading the assigned story and report on segregation in Sacramento? |
Oct 6-10 | FALL BREAK | FALL BREAK | FALL BREAK |
Oct 13-17 | View (Youtube): My Family (1995) by Gregory Nava Read: Revisiting Mi familia Homework Questions: How does the story told in the film resemble and differ from “Barrio Boy”? What does the film tell us about the Mexican and Mexican-American experience in Los Angeles and California? How does the film depict diversity, othering, and/or intersectionality? How does the film elicit empathy from the viewer? What did you learn from the film? What are some of the take-aways for you? What do you think that the director, Gregory Nava, was trying to achieve via this film? Being a film from 1995, what does it say about the United States in 1995? Do you see any connections, however faint or general, to Bird of 400 Voices? | Due: Paper 2 (Comparison of Bird of 400 Voices with My Family or “Barrio Boy”) | View: Latino Americans: Peril and Promise (1980-2000) Homework Questions: Summarize the information given in the assigned episode. What do you find to be interesting and relevant? Who is Gloria Estefan and what was the Latin Explosion? Who is María Elena Salinas and how is her story the embodiment of the American Dream? What argument does Mark Krikorian offer against undocumented immigration? What was the Sensenbrenner Bill and what was the reaction in the Latino community? What historical continuities come to light through this episode between the past and the present? |
Oct 20-24 | Read: This Land is Our Land: An Immigrant’s Manifesto by Suketu Mehta (2019): Part I, chapters 1-3. Homework Questions: What is the author’s argumentative position related to the global phenomenon of immigration? What themes appear in the three assigned chapters? Where do you see othering being described in the various accounts about immigrants given by the author? What stories stand out to you? What do you think is unique or valuable about these chapters? Who was Woody Guthrie and what does the author say about him? View: Los Cenzontles – This Land is Your Land | Read: This Land is Our Land: An Immigrant’s Manifesto by Suketu Mehta (2019): Parts I & II, chapter 4. Homework Questions: The author writes at the end of chapter 4 that Favoui “needs Spain because her region of Nigeria has been robbed of its future; but what is equally true is that Spain needs Favoui, and her industriousness, to ensure its future” (58). This statement channels the thesis of the book. What is the thesis? Describe the author’s argumentative methodology. Do you think the author is persuasive? What are some of the take-aways of this chapter? Who are Las Cafeteras and what do you think about their version of This Land is Your Land? View: Las Cafeteras – This Land is Your Land | Read: This Land is Our Land: An Immigrant’s Manifesto by Suketu Mehta (2019): Parts II & III, chapters 5-6. Homework Questions: What does the author tell us about colonialism and post-colonialism? What are some of the specifics that caught your attention? How do you see othering in the context of colonialism? How do you see othering in the context of post-colonialism? What do you see as the author’s purpose in these two chapters? What do you think is unique or valuable about these chapters? View: 1) Woody Guthrie – This Land is Your Land; 2) This Land is Your Land (the true story) |
Oct 27-31 | Read: This Land is Our Land: An Immigrant’s Manifesto by Suketu Mehta (2019): Part III, chapters 7-8. Homework Questions: What are the factors that the author sees as the principal causes of global migration? What are some of the details of these two chapters that caught your attention? Why do you think that people in general are largely unaware of the macro-level causes of migration? What measures do you think could be taken to diminish global migration? View: 1) This Land is Your Land: Woody and Arlo Guthrie; 2) Arlo Guthrie and Everybody (at the Kennedy Center) | Read: This Land is Our Land: An Immigrant’s Manifesto by Suketu Mehta (2019): Part IV, chapters 9-11. View: Bruce Springsteen: This Land is Your Land | Read: This Land is Our Land: An Immigrant’s Manifesto by Suketu Mehta (2019): Part IV, chapters 12-14. View: |
Nov 3-7: Advising | Read: This Land is Our Land: An Immigrant’s Manifesto by Suketu Mehta (2019): Part IV, chapters 15-17. Academic Advising: Individual meetings. View: Arlo Guthrie: 1) This Land is Your Land (totally cool); 2) | View: 1) SPARC – The Great Wall of Los Angeles; 2) Mural projects of Judith Baca. Examine: Images of The Great Wall of Los Angeles *Come to class ready to talk about one of the mural panels. Each student will be invited to speak for about one minute (with another minute for further commentary by students and professor). Academic Advising: Individual meetings | Due: Paper 3 (Analysis of a Panel of The Great Wall of Los Angeles with discussion of This Land is Our Land) Academic Advising: Individual meetings |
Nov 10-14 | View: Latino Americans: Prejudice and Pride (1965-1980) | Read: 1) “The Organizer’s Tale” by César Chávez; 2) “The Twenty-Ninth” by Luis Rodríguez. | Workshop: Academic Research: 1) Keyword Searches; 2) Prospectus; 3) Bibliography |
Nov 17-21 | View: Latino Americans: Foreigners in their Own Land (1565-1880) | Topic: Dedicated Urban Cultural Spaces: Calle Olvera (Los Angeles). Read and View: Calle Olvera (focus on the links related to history and cultural expression; think of this as a model for your final project) | Topic: Documenting and Capturing Community and Culture. Read and View: Website by LA photographer Rafael Cárdenas. |
Nov 24-28 | TBA Due: Prospectus for Final Project | Thanksgiving Break | Thanksgiving Break |
Dec 1-5 | Workshop: Digital Project | Workshop: Digital Project | Due (5pm): Digital Project |
Dec 8-12 (Finals Week) | No class | Final Presentations (4:00-6:30) | No class |