History 267/Latino 267: The History of Latinos in the United States
Summer 2017
Four-Week Class: Monday June 26 to Saturday, July 22
3 credits (Online)
Prof. Joseph A. Rodríguez
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Department of History
This online four-week summer course covers the history of Latinos in the United States. In 2016 there were 57 million Latinos/as, the largest minority population in the US.We will concentrate on the largest Latino/a populations (Mexicans and Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, and Cubans) with some coverage of other groups (Salvadorans and Nicaraguans) toward the end of the course. Latinos/as are U.S. residents with some family connection to Latin America. Roughly 65 percent of Latinos were born in the U.S. (native born) and 35 percent are foreign born. Latinos can be classified as any racial group and mixtures of more than one. This is because Latin America, like the U.S. was and is a melting pot of all the races and combinations (including a substantial Asian-Latino population).
Note: This course satisfies UWM’s Cultural Diversity and Humanities requirement. It is also an elective for the Latino Certificate program.
Course Requirements: 100 total points possible; 5 ten-question online quizzes on readings lectures/powerpoints, worth 10 points each for a total of 50 points; participation in 3 online discussions, 5 points each for total of 15 points, a 6-page final research paper, 25 points due July 31. Paper topic discussion, due July 7 is worth 5 points. 5 points for response to Levine report.
Final Grade Scale
A = 94-100C+= 79-76D- = 62-60
A- = 90-93C = 75-73F = < 59
B+ = 89-86C- = 72-70
B = 85-83D+ = 69-67
B- = 83-80D= 66-63
One book is required:
Manuel G. Gonzales, Mexicanos: A History of Mexicans in the United States. Indiana University Press (all page references will be to the 2nd edition, 2009).
Note: We will read articles on Puerto Ricans and Cubans.
The required text is available on 2-hour reserve in the Golda Meir Library. If you are on campus infrequently and therefore do not have easy access to the library’s reserve system, you should purchase the book. Consider consulting an on-line bookstore like Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble which also sell used books. Also, check for used copies at Half-Priced Books or other used bookstores. Finally, you may check the books out of the Milwaukee County Library system or your hometown public library.
IMPORTANT: Please note thatI will be sending everything to your UWM email account. Make sure you check it regularly or have your UWM email forwarded to another account you do use regularly.
Taking an online course…
As you know, this course will be conducted completely online using a course site on the UWM Desire-to-Learn (D2L) system. Scheduling: You must have access to a computer and the internet on all test dates. You must be able to access the D2L site and know how to use it before class starts. No excuses accepted for missed examinations or missed discussion submission dates. If you have not used D2L before, the instructions below should help you find your way around the system. Regardless of your experience, you should explore the site right away so you can iron out any technical problems before the semester starts.
You can access D2L by going to the UWM Homepage ( and click on Quick Links and select D2L or you can go directly to the login page ( Note: there is no www in the address and an “s” on https. On the login page, notice the “For Students” link that offers help files for dealing with various aspects of D2L. The other help source is to visit the 24/7 help desk at 229-4040, (toll free 1-877-381-3459) or sending an email to: .
Learning Goals/Outcomes:
Students will:
1. Learn how Latinos/as fit into the history of the United States including their role in shaping United States culture and the impact of United States culture on Latino/a groups
2. Learn how the identities of these groups (racial, ethnic, national,class, and gender) are all complex with different meanings and histories.
3. Learn the significance of race and racial mixture in Latino and American history.
4. Learn about current immigration politics.
Student Rights and Appeals
UWM has policies on students' rights and appeals. Students can review university policies on final exams, incompletes, complaints/appeals, accommodations for students with disabilities, absences due to religion and military service, sexual harassment, and academic misconduct (i.e. cheating and plagiarism). These university policies are available at:
Anyone who needs special assistance should see me during the first week of classes. My office is 325 Holton Hall; telephone: 229-3963; email address: . I am available for face to face meetings by appointment.
Academic Misconduct
Academic misconduct is an act in which a student seeks to claim credit for the work or efforts of another without authorization or citation, uses unauthorized materials or fabricated data in any academic exercise, forges or falsifies academic documents or records, intentionally impedes or damages the academic work of others, engages in conduct aimed at making false representation of a student's academic performance, or assists other students in any of these acts. Students caught can be expelled, and/or receive an F in the course. See UWM policies on academic misconduct:
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Topics, Readings, and Assignments
Week 1-June 26
StudyPowerpoints#1 and 2 and Lectures #1 and 2
Read, Gonzales,Mexicanos, chap. 1-3 guided by the study questions provided.
Assignment: Write a one page (double spaced) response to the “Latino Milwaukee” report by Dr. Marc Levine, available here:
Post it to the drop box by July 7.Value: 5 points.
Discussion Assignment #1:
Please post a 100-word comment and a 50-word response (to a classmate’s post) on the Discussion site in the D2L by Sunday,July 2nd.
Quiz #1-July 3
The quiz is available on the D2L quiz site and covers Week 1 material including: Powerpoints and lectures and Gonzales, Mexicanos, chapters 1-3. The test is available all day but you have 20 minutes to complete the quiz. The quiz consists of 8 multiple choice questions and one short answer. Please write a full paragraph (4 sentences) to answer the short answer question.
Week 2-July 3
Study: Powerpoints 3 and 4 and Lectures 3 and 4
Read: Gonzales, Mexicanos, chap. 4-6 using study questions provided.
Discussion #2-due by Sunday, July 9th: Please post a 100-word comment and a 50-word response to the question provided on the Discussion site.
Quiz #2-July 10.
The quiz is available on the D2L quiz site and covers Week 2 material including: Powerpoints and lectures and Gonzales, Mexicanos, chapters 4-6. The test is available all day.
Week 3-July 10
Study Powerpoints 5 and 6 and Lectures 5 and 6.
Read: Gonzales, Mexicanos, chap. 7-8; reading on e-reserve: Lutton, “Mexico to Milwaukee” and “Rural Wisconsin, Latino Labor and the Migration Paradox,” (starts on page 3 of Kaliedoscope II, Spring 2007).
Discussion assignment #3: add a comment on the discussion site by Sunday July 16.
Submit paper topic to drop box by July 7. Read ** below, pick a state, list possible sources, include a statement describing the topic and why the topic is significant.Please write at least 10 sentences.
Quiz #3- July 17:
The quiz is available on the D2L quiz site and covers Week 3 material including:
D2L Powerpoint and lectures and Gonzales, Mexicanos, chapters 7-8. The test is available all.
Week 4-July 17
Study Powerpoints, 7-12 and Lectures, 7-12.
Read (all on e-reserve): Doña Licha’s Island, chps. 2 and 5; “A Bifurcated Enclave”; Maldonado, “Contract Labor”; and “Waiting on Washington” —look at the study questions for each reading.
No discussion submission required for this week.
Quiz #4 and 4b-Saturday, July 22:
The quiz is available on the D2L quiz site and covers Week 4 materials. These quizzes will serve as a final exam, though they will not be cumulative. They will only cover week 4 materials but will be worth 20 points. You will take two separate quizzes, 4 that will cover Puerto Ricans, and 4b Cubans and Salvadorans.
Final 6-page essay due on July 31. Submit to Drop Box. You can email me for suggestions on sources and topics. You can also hand it in early if you prefer. I can also read rough drafts and offer comments.
***Final paper Assignment: Pick one of the United States and tell me the significant developments related to Latinos in that state since World War II. This can include information about population growth trends, employment, significant historical events, recent controversies, current political debates, major employers, population source (Mexican, Puerto Rico, Central, South America). You can even pick a Canadian province.
You must: 1. Include four secondary sources and three primary sources. Correctly use an approved citation system for documenting your sources (APA or ASA or Chicago Manual of Style). Consult with me for more help. See this web site for reference help:
You must submit to me the state and area that your paper will focus on. I can help with questions. In your topic paragraph, include a research question. Submit a paper topic statement to the Dropbox by July 7.
Online Resources:
Migration Policy Institute
Pew Research Center
Open Borders
Homeland Security
Center for Comparative Immigration Studies
Cuban Research Institute
Centro
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