HIST 385 Latinos in the U.S.: History, Film, and Literature
Latinos currently make up twenty percent of the population of the United States, and will make up thirty percent by 2050. This course explores the political, cultural, religious, and economic history of Latino communities from World War II to the present. Lectures will be supplemented by field trips to institutions that house materials relating to Latino history and culture, including the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, and the Library of Congress. We will watch feature films and documentaries, read Latino literature, and listen to Latino music. We will focus on Central Americans in Washington; on Mexican Americans in California, Texas and the southwest; and on Cuban and Puerto Rican communities in New York, New Jersey, and Florida. We will study Latino cultural and religious traditions; border policy and the history of Latin American migration to the U.S.; racial and class discrimination; migrant labor in the U.S.; and the role of Latino communities in national and regional politics.
Cross Listed Courses
HIST 385 &
SPAN 385