| Course Description |
In the US, Latinxs are often treated in quantitative terms—as checkmarks on census forms, or as
data points in demographic surveys. However, Latinxs have always been more than mere numbers:
while some have stayed rooted in traditional homelands, and while others have migrated through
far-flung diasporas, all have drawn on and developed distinctive ways of imagining and inhabiting
the Americas. In this course, we will explore a wide range of these Latinx lifeways. Through readings
in the humanities and social sciences, we will learn how Latinxs have survived amidst and against
settler colonialism and racial capitalism. Meanwhile, through the study of literature and art, we will
see how Latinxs have resisted and/or reinforced these social systems. With our interdisciplinary and
intersectional approach, we will determine why Latinidad has manifested differently in colonial
territories (especially Puerto Rico), regional communities (especially the US–Mexico borderlands),
and transnational diasporas (of Cubans, of Dominicans, and of a variety of Central Americans). At
the same time, we will understand how Latinxs have struggled with shared issues, such as (anti-)
Blackness and (anti-)Indigeneity, gender and sexuality, citizenship and (il)legality, and economic and
environmental (in)justice. During the semester, we will practice Latinx studies both collectively and individually: to enrich our in-class discussions, each student will complete a reading journal, a five-
page paper, a creative project, and a digital timeline.
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