The Cultural Essay

E-mail: [email protected]

COURSE DESCRIPTION/CONTENT:

This course examines the social, historical and cultural roots and life experiences of Latinx community in urban America. It focuses on Latinx families and youth in global cities. The course situates the Latinx diaspora in the United States within a colonial/transnational and global context. In this course we also position Latino communities in the U.S. and discuss “growing up Latinx” within the changing economy of the U.S.A and the impact it has had on the job market, recessions, the organization of the family, gender roles and cultural capital. We explore the role that racial classification and racism in the Spanish speaking Caribbean and in the U.S. play in the emergence of a Latino identity. 

The family is the strongest institution in Latinx culture. This course explores how the Latinx family is changing, settlement patterns in the U.S., the fit between Latinx and the job market, cultural strategies of survival such as the reciprocity system, which includes cultural strategies such as children by rearing, the Godparent system, religion, and other forms of cultural capital.

Latinx in the United States have a high rate of high school attrition. This course compares the educational status of different Latinx communities in the United States and non-Hispanics and critically reviews educational theories, arguments, and explanations about why some groups are more socially successful than others. In this context we consider explanations about the culture of poverty, intelligence, and I.Q. testing, and review the history of scientific racism and eugenics in the U.S.

In addition, we will explore the impact of new trends among the largest minority group in this country and their impact in the arts--literature, music, film, theater, television; the academy, business and commerce and national electoral politics, on Latinx children and youth.  Importantly, issues of gender, race, class, culture, language use, transnational migration and citizenship as variants among Latinos will be interwoven throughout course readings and discussion.

AAC/SDS Policy:

AccessAbility Center/Student Disability Services ensures equal access and full participation to all of City College’s programs, services, and activities by coordinating and implementing appropriate accommodations. If you are a student with a disability who requires accommodations and services, please visit the office in NAC 1/218, or contact AAC/SDS via email ([email protected]), or phone (212-650-5913 or  212-650-8441)

Semester Learning Outcomes: Students who successfully complete this course will:

· Demonstrate familiarity with the main issues, themes, and debates concerning the educational status, changing gender roles and family life of Latinx in the United States.

· Gain insight into the complex economic, cultural, racial, and gender dynamics of Latinx who migrated to the United States from the 1950s onward.

· Gain greater fluency in learning how to take a fully online course.

· Gain greater fluency and confidence in writing research papers.

· Develop fluency in developing a clear thesis statement and an annotated bibliography.

· Develop critical thinking and reading skills.

· Develop the ability to meet deadlines.

· Learn to participate actively and in an informed way with other students.

Weekly Learning Objectives:

· To become more informed about the socio-historical and economic plight of Latinos/as in the United Sates.

· To gain an understanding of how socio-historical and economic plight of Latinos/as in the United Sates shape family organization and affect children.

· To explore the strengths of Latino/a Families by exploring the Cultural and Social capital of your family. (This objective will help develop greater fluency & confidence in writing papers).

· To Provide a Historical Overview of the Forces that Create and Trigger Immigration.

· To analyze the complex economic, cultural, & gender dynamics of Latinx communities in New York City.

· To demonstrate familiarity with the arguments and debates about why there is such a high dropout rate among Latinx students in New York/U.S.

· To learn to critically analyze the political economy of social injustice (e.g poverty, inequality, racism) within the educational system (e.g. For example, how inequality is produced in school through inequitable government funding). Skill: To learn to develop counter narratives to deprivation theories and cultural reductionist theories.

· To demonstrate familiarity with the arguments and debates about why there is such a high dropout rate among Latinx students in New York/U.S.

· To demonstrate familiarity with the History of Intelligence Testing, and the history of Eugenics and how it was linked to Intelligence Testing. To Demonstrate Familiarity with the History of Intelligence Testing and It’s Link to the Eugenic Movement.

· To gain familiarity with Deprivation Concepts in Education such as the Culture of Poverty.

· To Gain an Understanding of why the Assimilation Model based on the Melting Pot Thesis is not a good analytical tool to discuss Latinos/as

· To Understand the Traditional U.S. Racial Classification System Versus the Spanish Caribbean & Latin American Racial Classification System.

· To gain insight into the combination of Socio-historical and Cultural Forces that affect Latinx Youth Identities in the United States

Content & Assessment:

SUMMARY OF COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

Your Final Grade is Based on a Running Weighted Average of Quizzes (20%), an essay on the Cultural and Social Capital Strengths of Your Family (15%), Discussions, (20%) Thesis & Annotated Bibliography for the final paper (25.00%), and a Final Paper (20%).

This course consists of six quizzes, six discussions on Discussion Board, an essay on the cultural and social capital strengths of your family, a thesis & annotated bibliography based on the topic that you will develop your final paper on, and your final paper. You will select the topic of your final paper from any theme of the five units in this course. The five units of this course are:

UNIT ONE: The Latinx Family, Cultural Capital, Language, & Migration

UNIT TWO: New York City’s Economy and its Impact on Latinx Family Organization & Changing Gender Roles

UNIT THREE: The Educational Challenges of Latinx Students

UNIT FOUR: Deprivation Theories in Education

UNIT FIVE: The Politics of Identity: Race, Ethnicity, & the Construction of Racial Classification Systems

Organization of this Course:

As you will see in the course schedule, this course consists of 15 modules, one for each week of the semester. Each module has its own objective(s), topic, course material, and assessment. The assessment each week can vary from a quiz, to a discussion, or a writing assignment. The assessments will be linked to each weekly module. The goal of the assessment is to see how well you have learned the weekly material and how well you are doing in the class.

The materials and activities that you will use in this class are primarily readings and discussions. The readings and discussions are located in the Blackboard menu in the Reading link.

Additional Course Guidelines:

Advice for Taking a Fully Online Asynchronous Course: Taking a fully online course (asynchronous) requires independent work, discipline, and careful planning. Asynchronous Classes do not meet online. You work independently, with other students, and with me.

Because this is a fully online course, it is essential that each student taking this course have access to a lap or desk top computer. If you are taking this course it is highly advisable that you own your own computer because you need to check in on black board at least once a day for announcements, updates, discussion forums, and other activities. If you do not own your own computer and/or do not have easy access to one, it is not advisable that you take this course. See me after class and I will try and help you find another course.

Create a backup plan:

It is also good to have a backup plan in case your computer crashes or you have some other unforeseen problem during the semester. I do not accept technical excuses for not getting your work done on time since it is your responsibility to come up with a backup plan early in the semester.

E-mail Address:

On the first day of class check your e-mail address on blackboard in order to make sure your CUNY e-mail is listed correctly. You will find the course e-mail serve list under tools in blackboard. If you are not listed or the e-mail is incorrect go to black board page; on the left you will see update e-mail. Click on that and add or correct your e-mail. For further assistance contact the help desk at 1-212-650-7878. The help desk is located on the first floor of NAC. The help desk is located on the first floor of NAC. In addition for technical help with blackboard see the announcement file on blackboard.

E-mail: Contact Information and Response Time: