SPAN 216 Narrating the US-Latino/a Experience: Migration, Identity, and Community
In this class, we will discuss the US Latino migration experience through literary texts and films that trace the history, highlight cultural issues and explore stories of migration. In the first part of the course we will discuss what it means to be a Latino/a in the US and what makes the Latino experience unique. We will then study distinctive migration groups (Cuban, Mexican, Dominican, Central American) within the growing Latino community in the US and the historical dynamics behind them (economic migration, political displacement, refugee movements, etc.). Through the narrative of Latino/a authors, we will explore what it means to live between two worlds, and not always know to which you belong. The process of identity building, the problematization of memory and cultural heritage, the immigrant experience and condition, and the role played by factors such as race, gender and socio-economic status will be at the center of the discussion. The class will focus on films, music and readings by US Latino writers such Gloria Anzald˙a, PÈrez Saillant, Junot DÌaz, Esmeralda Santiago, Sandra Cisneros, Richard Blanco, Julia Alvarez, and Edwidge Danticat. The course is taught in English and satisfies the requirements for HUM and LIT in the current curriculum.