In this seminar, we will consider the position of Latinx groups in the United States from a transdisciplinary North American studies perspective. Through course materials and assignments, we will probe central themes—demographics, geographies, identities, immigration, politics, media, popular culture, and sport—and the position of Latinx communities from different vantage points. Our discussion will be historically grounded, but a specific emphasis will be given on how identity formations assume meanings on a range of simultaneous scales: through domestic policies, geopolitical circumstances, legal discourses, and popular culture phenomena. During the semester, we will encounter a gallery of characters who negotiate their latinidad in relation to citizenship status, national boundaries, language, and shifting understandings of “Americanness.”
The class meets on every other Monday on even weeks from January 20 to May 12. The learning goals of this class are premised on joint discussion, so in-person attendance will be mandatory.
- Opettaja
Benita Heiskanen