Courses Designed to
Meet General Education Requirements
Identity/US Cultures Studies
Hispanic Cultures in the United
States
Dr. Bernardo Ferdman -- SUNY-Albany
Course Descriptions and Objectives:
In 1990, according to the Census, there
were over 22 million Hispanics (or Latinos)
in the U.S.--more than 9% of the total
population and 53% more than in 1980.
In New York State, one of every eight
persons (over 12%) in 1990 said he or
she was of Latino background. Growing
markedly in both size and importance
in American society, Latinos as a group
share many experiences and cultural
features and yet are also very diverse.
Using a variety of social science frameworks,
this course will look at the nature
of both unity and diversity among the
Hispanic peoples of the U.S. We will
consider the variety of experience among
Latinos, in the U.S., focusing in particular
on Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans,
and Cubans, and will explore the factors
that led both to differences and similarities
in the relationship of these groups
to the broader society. Attention will
be given to the interactions between
Latino groups and American society as
a whole, including their implications
for and manifestations in cultural and
value change, cultural identity, prejudice
and discrimination, and social policies
in areas such as immigration, language,
and education. The course will incorporate
lectures, in-class discussion, audio-visual
materials, reading and writing assignments,
and examinations. [This course is part
of SUNY's General Education program;
completing it counts towards both the
World Cultures and the Human Diversity
Requirement.] [http://www.albany.edu/gened/]
Readings:
Readings for the course will be assigned
from books and articles. The following
two books are available for purchase
at the campus bookstore:
1. Joan Moore & Harry Pachon (1985).
Hispanics in the United States.
Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice- Hall.
2. Clara E. Rodriguez (1991). Puerto
Ricans: Born in the U.S.A.
Boulder, CO: Westview.
Course Requirements:
IN-CLASS
SUMMARIES/COMMENTS--Between 3 and 8
times during the semester, students
will complete short (5-10 minute) writing
exercises in class focusing on that
day's lecture, film, and/or assigned
readings.
NEWS ANALYSIS--To provide an opportunity
to link concepts learned in the course
with actual events, each student will
be required to put together an annotated
set of at least 4 related news articles
clipped from daily newspapers (e.g.
Albany Times Union, New York Times,
USA Today, etc.) over the semester.
You will be asked to collect accounts
of current events and write an essay
analyzing the events and/or the articles
in terms of concepts and issues relevant
to the course.
Class Schedule and Reading
Assignments
|
Class 1 |
|
Introduction |
|
Class 2 |
|
Hispanic Diversity. Readings:
Moore, pp. ix-37 (Preface, Ch.
1&2). |
|
Class 3 |
|
Demographics I. Readings: Moore,
pp. 38-65 (Chs. 3&4); Rodriguez,
pp. xiii-xxi (Preface). |
|
Class 4 |
|
Demographics II. Readings:
Moore, pp. 66-85 (Ch.5); Rodriguez,
pp. 26-48 (Ch. 2); [R] Rafael
Valdivieso and Cary Davis (1988),
"U.S. Hispanics: Challenging
Issues for the 1990's." Population
Trends and Public Policy Reports,
No. 17. |
|
Class 5 |
|
Race and Ethnicity. Video:
Birthwrite: Growing up Hispanic
(Edward Rivera). Readings: Rodriguez,
pp.49-84 (Ch.3); [R] Piri Thomas,
Down These Mean Streets, pp. 98-104.
[R] Edward Rivera, "In the
Black Turf." [Ch. 7 of Family
Installments: Memories of Growing
up Hispanic. Pp. 147-160. New
York: Penguin. 1982]. [R] Samuel
Betances (1974), "Race and
the Search for Identity."
[Reprinted in M.L. Andersen and
P.H. Collins, Eds. Race, Class,
and Gender: An Anthology, pp.
277-286. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth,
1992]. |
|
Class 6 |
|
Language and Culture. Video:
Birthwrite: Growing Up Hispanic
(Rolando Hinojosa, Nicholas Mohr,
Judith Ortiz Cofer, Alejandro
Morales, Lorna Dee Cervantes,
Tato Laviera). Readings: Moore,
pp. 86-131 (Chs. 6&7). [R]
Lorna Dee Cervantes, "Refugee
Ship." [R] Tato Laviera,
"AmeRican." |
|
Class 7 |
|
Cultural Continuity and Change
I. Readings: [R] Harry H.L. Kitano,
"Goals." (In Race Relations
{4th edition}, pp.10-27. Englewood
Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1991.)
[R] "I Am What I Am,"
"Ending Poem," and "Puertoricanness."
[From Getting Home Alive, by Aurora
Levins Morales and Rosario Morales]--[R]
Gloria Anzaldua, "Don"t
Give In, Chicanita." |
|
Class 8 |
|
Cultural Continuity and Change
II. Video: The House of Ramon
Iglesia. Readings: [R] Richard
Rodriguez, "An American Writer."
[In W. Sollors, Ed., The Invention
of Ethnicity, pp. 3-13. New York:
Oxford University Press, 1989.]
|
|
Class 9 |
|
Cultural Continuity and Change
III. Readings: [R] Helen I. Safa,
"Migration and Identity:
A Comparison of Puerto Rican and
Cuban Migrants in the United States."
[In E. Acosta-Belen&B. Sjostrom,
Eds. The Hispanic Experience in
the United States, pp.137-150.
New York: Praeger, 1988.]--[R]
Arturo Madrid (1988), "Missing
People and Others: Joining Together
to Expand the Circle." [Reprinted
in Anderson and Collins, pp.6-11]--[R]
Guillermo Gomez-Pena, "Documented/Undocumented."
[In R. Simonson and S. Walker,
Eds. The Graywolf Annual Five:
Multicultural Literacy, pp.127-134.
Saint Paul, MN: Graywolf Press,
1988.]--[R] Bernardo M. Ferdman
and Angelica C. Cortes, "Culture
and Identity Among Hispanic Managers
in an Anglo Business." [In
S.B. Knouse, P. Rosenfeld&A.
Culbertson, Eds. Hispanics and
Work, pp. 246-247. Newbury Park,
CA: Sage, 1992.] |
|
Class 10 |
|
Cultural Continuity and Change
4. Readings: [R] Juan Flores and
George Yudice, "Living Borders/Buscando
America: Languages of Latin Self-formation."
[Social Text, 1990, 24, 57-84]--[R]
Felix M. Padilla (1989). "Salsa
Music as a Cultural Expression
of Latino Consciousness and Unity."
[Reprinted in Andersen and Collins,
pp. 347-358.]-- Rodriguez, pp.158-174
(Ch. 7). |
|
Class 11 |
|
Women and Men: Gender Roles.
Video: A Man When He is a Man
(El Hombre Cuando Es Hombre).
Readings: [R] Cherrie Moraga,
"La Guera." [In C. Moraga
and G. Anzaldua, Eds. This Bridge
Called My Back: Writing by Radical
Women of Color, pp.27-34. Watertown,
MA: Persephone Press, 1981.]--[R]
Oliva M. Espin, "Cultural
and Historical Influences on Sexuality
in Hispanic/Latin Women: Implications
for Psychotherapy." [In Johnetta
B. Cole, Ed., All American Women,
pp.272-284. New York: Free Press,
1986.] |
|
Class 12 |
|
Hispanic Families, Hispanic
Community. Readings: [R] Melba
Sanchez-Ayendez, "Puerto
Rican Elderly Women: Shared Meanings
and Informal Supportive Networks."
[in Cole pp.172-186.]. Review
Moore, Ch. 6, especially pp.95-110.
|
|
Class 13 |
|
MIDTERM EXAM |
|
Class 14 |
|
Puerto Ricans: Historical Background.
Video: Operation Bootstrap (Manos
a la Obra) Readings: Rodriguez,
pp.1-25 (Ch.1). |
|
Class 15 |
|
Puerto Ricans: Migration and
Employment. (Speaker: Prof. Emilio
Pantojas-Garcia) Readings: Rodriguez,
pp. 85-105 (Ch.4). [R] Juan M.
Garcia-Passalacqua (1985), "The
Puerto Ricans: Migrants or Commuters""
[R] Juan M. Garcia-Passalacqua
and Carlos A. Torre, "Plebiscite,
Migration, and the Role of Puerto
Ricans in the United States."
[In C.A. Torre, H. Rodriguez-Vecchini
& W. Burgos, Eds., The Commuter
Nation: Perspectives on Puerto
Rican Migration. Rio Pedras, PR:
University of Puerto Rico Press,
in press 1991.]--[R] Lourdes Miranda
King, "Puertorriquenas in
the United States: The Impact
of Double Discrimination."
[Civil Rights Digest, 1974, 6,
(2), 20-28.] |
|
Class 16 |
|
Puerto Ricans: The Urban Experience.
Video: Los Sures, part 1. Readings:
Rodriguez, pp.106-119 (Ch. 5).
[R] Christian Neira, "Building
860." [Harvard Educational
Review, 1988, 58, 337-342.] |
|
Class 17 |
|
Puerto Ricans: The Urban Experience
Continued. Video: Los Sures, Part
II. |
|
Class 18 |
|
Mexican Americans/Chicanos:
Historical Background. Video:
Los Mineros. Readings: [R] Leobardo
Estrada, F. Chris Garcia, Reynaldo
Flores Macias & Lionel Maldonado,
"Chicanos in the United States:
A History of Exploitation and
Resistance." [Daedalus, 1981,
110 (2), 103-132.] |
|
Class 19 |
|
Mexican Americans/Chicanos:
Immigration and Labor I. Readings:
Moore, pp. 132-144 (Ch. 8). [R]
Mario T. Garcia. "Americanization
and the Mexican Immigrant, 1880-1930."
[Journal of Ethnic Studies, 1978
Summer, 19-34.]--[R] Denise Segura,
"Labor Market Stratification:
The Chicana Experience."
(Berkeley Journal of Sociology,
1984, 29, 57-91.] |
|
Class 20 |
|
Mexican Americans/Chicanos:
Immigration and Labor II. Readings
to be announced. |
|
Class 21 |
|
Cuban Americans. Readings:
[R] Felix Masud-Piloto, "The
United States, Cuba, and Cuban
Exiles, 1868 to 1958." [Ch.
1 of With Open Arms, pp. 7-18.
Totowa, NJ: Rowman & Littlefield,
1988.] [R] Felix Masud-Piloto,
"Mariel, The Open Door in
Crisis." [Ch. 6 of With Open
Arms, pp.71-91]. |
|
Class 22 |
|
Other Hispanic/Latino Groups
in the United States. Readings
to be announced. |
|
Class 23 |
|
Language Debates: English Plus.
Video: To be announced. Readings:
[R] Catherine Snow and Kenji Hakuta,
"Bilingual Education: What
Does it Really Cost?" [R]
Immigration Viewpoints 1 and 2
("Bilingual Education Helps
Immigrants," by National
Coalition of Advocates for Students,
1988; "Bilingual Education
Hurts Immigrants" by Rosalie
Pedalino Porter, 1990; In W. Dudley,
Ed., Immigration: Opposing Viewpoints
(pp. 198-213). San Diego, CA:
Greenhaven, 1990.) [R] Immigration
Viewpoints 3 & 4 ("Making
English the Official Language
Would Help Immigrants," by
S.I. Hayakawa, 1989; "Making
English the Official Language
Would Hurt Immigrants," by
Arturo Madrid, 1990. In Dudley,
pp. 214-225). |
|
Class 24 |
|
Hispanics in the Education
System I. Readings: Moore, pp.
145-168 (Ch. 9); Rodriguez, pp.
175-182 (Appendix). |
|
Class 25 |
|
Hispanics in the Educational
System II. Readings: [R] Martha
E. Bernal, Delia S. Saenz, &
George P. Knight, "Ethnic
Identity and Adaptation of Mexican
American Youths in School Settings."
[Hispanic Journal of Behavioral
Sciences, 1991, 13, 135- 154.]
[R] Bernard M. Ferdman, "Literacy
and Cultural Identity." [Harvard
Educational Review, 1990, 60,
181-204.] |
|
Class 26 |
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FINAL EXAM |
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