Academic Catalog

ENGL 31: LATINO/A LITERATURE

Foothill College Course Outline of Record

Foothill College Course Outline of Record
Heading Value
Units: 4
Hours: 4 lecture per week (48 total per quarter)
Advisory: Demonstrated proficiency in English by placement via multiple measures OR through an equivalent placement process OR completion of ESLL 125 & ESLL 249.
Degree & Credit Status: Degree-Applicable Credit Course
Foothill GE: Area I: Humanities
Transferable: CSU/UC
Grade Type: Letter Grade (Request for Pass/No Pass)
Repeatability: Not Repeatable

Student Learning Outcomes

  • Examine the various cultural interpretations of United States society (e.g., assimilation, cultural pluralism, melting pot, the Latino/a Diaspora) and interpret their impact on Latino/a writers.
  • Identify major literary, social and political events and movements in the 19th and 21st century and explain their impact/influence on contemporary Latino/a American literature.

Description

Reading and discussion of Latino/a literature and its relationship to social issues and identity politics of Latinos/as. Critical examination of fiction, poetry, essays, and drama by and about the Latino/a communities, including those of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Caribbean, and South and Central American descent.

Course Objectives

The student will be able to:
A. Differentiate between specific Latino/a cultural groups, their perspectives, and their interaction with United States society.
B. Identify ways in which Latino/a cultures shape the narrative of the United States (e.g., assimilation, cultural pluralism, melting pot, the Latino/a Diaspora) and interpret their impact on Latino/a writers.
C. Analyze the influence of assigned literature to the culture of the U.S.
D. Examine the various cultural interpretations of United States society.
E. Analyze the themes of migration and mestizaje in various Latino/a texts.
F. Discuss issues of gender race, class, sexual orientation, and religion and their impact on Latino/a communities and literatures.
G. Recognize and apply basic literary terminologies, theories, categories, motifs, and genres appropriate to an introductory college-level discussion of literature.

Course Content

A. Perspectives on Latino/a identity as seen through a variety of writers
1. Examination of the diversity of Latino culture, including writers of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Caribbean, and South and Central American descent
2. Connections to country and culture of origin
B. Issues of assimilation, acculturation, and cultural pluralism expressed in the literature
1. Legacy of colonialism and imperialism
2. Embracing the paradox of life between and within multiple cultures
C. Recent and contemporary literary works by Latino/a authors
1. Novel and short stories
2. Poetry
3. Non-fiction essays and autobiographies
4. Significance and influence of Latino/a literatures on contemporary literatures of the United States
D. History and development of the United States identity as portrayed in Latino/a literature
1. Characteristics of United States and Latino/a identities
2. Interactions of these characteristics
E. Issues of identity and belonging as expressed in Latino/a literature
1. Themes of exclusion/inclusion as related to pace of origin and migration
2. Concept of mestizaje and how it intersects with insider/outsider politics
3. Issues of mixed heritages: color consciousness and categorization
F. Issues of diversity in Latino/a communities as expressed in literatures
1. Role of gender in Latino/a communities and literatures
2. Representations of sexuality and sexual orientation in Latino/a literatures
3. Economic and class issues within Latino/a communities and literatures
G. Relevant literary theories, terminologies, and analytic statements
1. Denotative and connotative meaning of words and statements
2. Structure or development of events, emotions, images and ideas
3. Figurative and symbolic language in relation to central theme(s) of the work
4. Artistic synthesis of literal and figurative details with theme(s)
5. Historical evolution of genres and styles in appropriate literary, cultural, and historical context

Lab Content

Not applicable.

Special Facilities and/or Equipment

A. When taught via Foothill Global Access, on-going access to computer with email software and hardware; email address.

Method(s) of Evaluation

Methods of Evaluation may include but are not limited to the following:

A. Critical papers
B. Participation in class discussions
C. Panels and reports
D. Mid-term examination
E. Group presentations
F. Stylistic imitations
G. Final examination

Method(s) of Instruction

Methods of Instruction may include but are not limited to the following:

A. Lecture
B. Discussion

Representative Text(s) and Other Materials

Alvarez, Julia. How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents. New York: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2010.
Anaya, Rudolfo A. Bless Me, Ultima. New York: Recorded Books, LLC, 2004.
Anzaldua, Gloria. Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza. 2012.
Castillo, Ana. So Far from God. Boston: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2005.
Christie, John S., and Jose B. Gonzalez. Latino Boom: An Anthology of U. S. Latino Literature. New York: Longman Group, 2005.
Cisneros, Sandra. Caramelo. New York: Vintage, 2003.
Cofer, Judith Ortiz. Silent Dancing: A Partial Remembrance of a Puerto Rican Childhood. New York: Pi, 2011.
Corral, Eduardo. Slow Lightning. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2012.
Diaz, Junot. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. New York: Riverhead Books (Hardcover), 2007.
Gilb, Dagoberto, and Ricardo Angel Gilb. Mexican American Literature: a Portable Anthology. Bedford/St Martin's, Macmillan Learning, 2016.
Huerta, Javier. American Copia: An Immigrant Epic. Houston: Arte Publico Press, 2012.
Moraga, Cherie, and Gloria Anzaldua, eds. This Bridge Called My Back. Third Woman Press, 2002.
Ramos, Jorge. The Other Face of America: Chronicles of the Immigrants Shaping Our Future. Dial Press Trade Paperback, 2003.
Rivera, Tomas. And the Earth Did Not Devour Him. San Antonio: Hampton Brown, Inc., 2007.
Rodriguez, Richard. Hunger of Memory: The Education of Richard Rodriguez. New York: Broadway Books, 2004.
Santiago, Esmeralda. Cuando Era Puertorriquena: When I was Puerto Rican. Cambridge: Da Capo Press, 2006.
Stavans, Ilan, and Lalo Alcaraz. Latino U.S.A., Revised Edition: A Cartoon History. New York: Basic Books, 2012.
Viramontes, Helena M. Their Dogs Came With Them. New York: Washington Square Press, 2008.
Villasenor, Victor. Rain of Gold. New York: Broadway Books.
Viramontes, Helena M. Under the Feet of Jesus. New York: Tarcher, 1996.
 

Types and/or Examples of Required Reading, Writing, and Outside of Class Assignments

A. Reading essays, poetry, short stories, drama, and novels
B. Journal responses to readings
C. Written analysis of readings
D. Individual/group presentation of significant historical events in Latino/a history
E. Attendance at a Latino/a writer's book/poetry reading
 

Discipline(s)

English