976601 Contemporary Latino USA

This subject introduces students to the historical, geopolitical and transcultural coordinates of the heterogeneous Latino populations in the United States of America. Those populations comprise more than 35 million people, making the USA one of the most important Spanish-speaking countries. For the purposes of this subject, Latino refers to anyone born, raised, or resident in the USA who comes from or who has antecedents in the Latin Americas. The term Latino covers the same aggregate of peoples that fall under the Hispanic rubric, but is widely preferred by Latinos to the latter designation. The core historical Latino sectors are: Chicanos or Mexican-Americans (the largest Latino population, and one swelled by continuing mass migration from Mexico); mainland Puerto Ricans; and Cuban-Americans. Newer substantial Latino sectors are: the Dominicanos; Central Americans (notably El Salvadoreans, Guatemalans, and Nicaraguans); and South Americans (notably Colombians, Peruvians, and people from the Southern Cone states). This subject focuses on the three core Latino sectors with some attention paid to the more recently established communities. The subject places Latino communities in specific historical, political and cultural contexts, as well as in the pan-ethnic context of 'latinisation', a term sometimes used to describe the profound impact of Latinos on US political structures, economy and culture, from literature, film and music, to language and mass media. The subject also links US latinisation to the broader processes of transnationalisation, globalisation, and transculturation. The subject encourages students to develop multidisciplinary critical skills that allow them to identify the major contemporary issues at work in Latino USA. The subject requires no prior knowledge of Latino USA or of the Spanish language.

Assessment: Assessment tasks involve the writing of essays.

Typical availability

Spring semester, City campus