LOS ANGELES MISSION COLLEGE

CHICANO STUDIES 2

CONTEMPORARY MEXICAN AMERICAN ISSUES

FALL 2015

Mr. Alberto Juárez, Jr. Phone: 818.364.7679

Office: Instructional Building #2 Email:

Hours: Wednesday : 5:00-6:00 pm or by appointment.

I. COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This course will introduce students to some of the major characteristics of the Chicano-Mexicano community. Special attention will be given to the social, cultural, economic and political elements, which differentiate persons of Mexican descent from other ethnic groups in the present-day United States. The purpose of the course is to provide students with a broader knowledge of the forces that shape the lives of Mexican-descended peoples in today’s society.

II . COURSE OBJECTIVES

·  Historical Overview of the Mexican American/Chicano/a and Latino and Latina experience in the United States in the period subsequent to Mexico’s Indolence from Spain in the 19th , their place in United States history and the emergence as a major political and socio-economic force in the 20th and the 21st century;

·  Special emphasis will be given to issues regarding, with the demographic characteristics of the Mexican American Community et al in the United States;

·  Research, analysis and discussion with be directed at the social, economic, political and religious forces and related issues that have impacted the current role and dynamic of this community within the context of contemporary American society , with special emphasis on political, social and economic issues in the 20th and 21st Centuries.

·  Students will learn to research, analyze and prepare reports on various topics and to make both written and oral presentations;

·  Students will learn to work in small groups and make team presentations on a number of assigned topics including: social justice, economic empowerment, educational opportunities and reforms, grass roots political organizations, problems related to federal, state and local government.

·  Use of Language: English, Spanish, Calo, Spanglish, Nahuatl, Code-Switching (Chiconics) and vocabulary building and oral skills.

III. ASSIGNMENTS – The Course Outline

·  lists the weekly text book readings, reports on articles, films/videos and assort reading materials;

·  schedule of weekly assignments, due dates for papers and projects .

·  Autobiography:

Autobiography– This project will give you an opportunity to research your family history, establish a family tree and genealogy (family background, grandparents and great parents, their country and states of origin); This will be a narrative that will include the and major events that have impacted your personal development, and shaped your outlook on life and future goals. This project will have a value of 150 points and will be due no later than WEDNESDAY, December 2, 2015.

IV. EXAMINATIONS

Midterm Exam - will have a value of up to 100 points. There will be an essay and multiple choice, true & false and identification questions. The essay topic that will be announced two weeks prior to the Mid Term, will have a value of 100 points.

Final Examination - will have a value of 150 points. The final will be structured in the same format as the midterm examination with the exception that there will be four short essay topics.

IV. STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES- You will learn to analyze the literary, and technical aspects of literature and literary criticism and in doing consider how literature addresses socio- political, cultural, ethnic , religious and gender issues in both a contemporary and historical context of the American and over all human experience.

V. ASSESSMENT METHODS

You will be required to demonstrate their understanding and interpretation of the assigned literature and related topics examined throughout the course. Students will be assessed through the use of class participation, multiple choice and true & false quizzes, and written essay covering all assigned course materials and creative writing assignment to evaluate set skills in grammar, spelling, word usage, and vocabulary.

·  Student Evaluation & Grading- course grades will be based on the cumulative number of points earned for the successful completion of all course work including:

1)  Six quizzes (20 pts each)...... 120

2)  Film reports (approx 10=10 ea)...... 100

3)  The midterm………………………………………………………...... 100

4)  final examination…………………………………………………… . 150

5)  Family History/Autobiography (course project…... . 300

6)  class participation (up to 10 points per session…… . . 150

Total……………..…………………………………………………………….920

·  To successfully pass the course with a “C” or better must to attain at least 70% of the total possible points. For example: (920 x .70) = 644 points as shown below:

A / 920
A- / 874
B+ / 828
B / 782
B- / 736
C+ / 690
C / 644
C- / 598
D / 552

VI. Text Books:

·  Recovering History, Constructing Race. Martha Menchaca. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2001

·  La Nueva California: Latinos in the Golden State. David E. Hayes- Bautista. Austin:.University of Texas Press, 2004

·  Barrios to Burbs: The Making of the Mexican American Middle Class. Jody Agius Vallejo. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2012

·  The Chicano Generation: Testimonios of a Movement. Mario T. Garcia. Berkeley:University of California Press, 2015

Who is Alberto Juarez?

Alberto Juárez, has taught Chicano Studies and Political Science at LA Mission College, CSU Dominguez Hills ,Cerritos College, East Los Angeles ,and Pasadena City College. He was born and raised in the Lincoln Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles, and is a third generation of Chicano. His family came to the United States from Chihuahua during the Mexican Revolution. During the course of his thirty five years of public service with both the County and City of Los Angeles. - he served as a City Commissioner, was on the staff of the Mayor and retired as an investigator for the Los Angeles City Housing Department. He is a graduate of Franklin High School, East Los Angeles College, and the University of California ,Los Angeles (UCLA), where he studied Latin American Studies, Political Science and Spanish. He is a US Navy veteran and served with the 7th Fleet as a petty officer in Southeast Asia..