Wise Latinas: Women, Gender, and Biography in Latinx History
Professor Emma Amador
Phone:401-863-2617
Office: CSREA 302
Office Hours (Sign up on Canvas):
Wednesday 2-4pm & by appointment
Wise Latinas: Women, Gender, and Biography in Latinx History
HIST 1979E/ ETHN 1890W, Section S01, CRN 26217
- J Walter Wilson, Room 503
Tuesday 4pm- 6:30pm
Last summer the Brown community reflected on Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor's autobiography that documents how her experience as a Bronx-raised Puerto Rican and “wise Latina” shaped her illustrious legal career. This course will provide historical context for reading Latinx biographies and locate them within a broader history of women, gender, and sexuality in Latinx histories of the United States. We will examine life histories, oral histories, and biographies as important sources for writing histories of Latinx communities. In particular, we will consider how historians and other scholars have used these types of sources to write intersectional histories that examine the intertwined history of gender, race and class in the United States. Units will explore the histories of Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans, Dominicans, and Central Americans after the 19thcentury. The course also will have a specific focus on considering the participation of Latinas in struggles for social justice. Specific units will consider histories of empire, colonization, Afro-Latinas, civil rights movements, Latina feminisms, immigrant rights movements, queer communities of color, Latina labor organizing, and contemporary Latina-led social movements. Students will learn to critically examine primary sources, review biographies, write life histories, and produce their own unit of the course based on a historical figure of their choosing.
Course Objectives:
The main objective of the course is for students to develop an understanding of what role gender plays in Latinx history. Students should also gain a basic fluency in Latinx history while learning about critical historiographic scholarship. In particular, students will learn to read and discuss primary sources and think about how historians use these sources to write historical narratives. The course emphasizes the development of both written and verbal communication skills through the writing of papers and reading responses and through presentations and discussion in class. Students will also research, develop, and write two course papers and complete a final project that draw on both primary and secondary sources. Throughout the semester students will have ample opportunity to practice and experiment with various methods and practices of “doing history.”
Writing
Reading Responses:You must completeFIVEreading responses during the semester. There will be ten opportunities to post a reading response in the weekly discussion thread, which means that you can skip five of these. The reading responses should be about 400-500 words and are due each week 24 hours before class—by 4pm on Monday. Late reading responses will not be accepted unless there is a documented emergency. These responses are an integral part of the course and will help ground our conversation about the primary and secondary sources we explore in class. They are also an ideal space to experiment with concepts that will be useful to you later in developing your papers. You should complete at least three reading responsesbeforeSpring break to be on track with the course. I would recommend that you post a response on the week that you give your class presentation, but it is not required.
Papers and Final Project:Students will complete two 5-6 page papers based on prompts given by the instructor as well as a final project that will consist of a final 5-6 page essay and additional materials. The papers will cite sources using Chicago Style Format and should be submitted as Word documents. I will provide specific information about style and mechanics in class and on Canvas. Complete prompts and grading rubrics will be provided in advance of each assignment.
- First paper:First paper: Book Review: This assignment will be to write a review of a published biography approved by the instructor. I will provide a list of biographies, but you can also pick an alternative title. (5-6 pages)
- Second paper:Short Life History: Paper on a historical figure that draws on an archived oral history recording or transcript as well as primary and secondary sources from the course. (5-6 pages)
- Final Project: Course Development: The final project will be to a creative project revolving around constructing a “missing week” of this course that focuses on a historical figure that was not highlighted in this class and examines the significance of their life. The final assignment will include writing a short essay (5-6 pages), bibliography, and collection of primary and secondary source documents, images, or videos that relate to the life of the person that you choose. This material will be put up on the course website, and described in a short presentation. Together we will create an expansive map and ongoing syllabus of Latina lives that can be used for further examination, collaboration, and conversation.
Class Presentations with Reading & Discussion Questions:Students will sign up in groups to conduct one class presentation during the semester. The goal of these presentations and discussions is to have students take ownership over the course and to feel that they are participating in shaping the trajectory of our work together.
PresentationOverviews:
- Formal Presentation: 8-10 minute presentation of an important theme in the reading. Pleasepractice and time yourpresentationsbeforehand.
- Presentation Handout- Reading Questions: 5-6 reading discussion questions that address all of the materials assigned that day. These discussion questions should also be posted online and emailed to the professor 24 hours before the class presentation. The goal of these questions is to deeply interrogate the reading and provide engaging and open-ended questions that will lead into a discussion. Thesequestionswill be graded.
Class Participation:Please sign the attendance sheet every day that you come to class. The main goal of the course will be to create an environment of lively and collegial discussion where every student participates regularly. To encourage participation and discourage multi-tasking that can detract from discussion and comprehension there will be a general rule of only using laptops in class to look at assigned readings and materials. The instructor reserves the right to restrict laptop usage at anytime during the course if they become a distraction. We will check in about how laptop usage is impacting the course throughout the semester to see if it is the best policy moving forward. Phone usage will not be allowed during class.
Policy on Gender Identity:At the beginning of the semester we will use name cards where you can identify your names and gender pronouns. Remember that Title IX is a federal act mandating that educational institutions receiving federal funding must provide sex and gender equity. All students thus have the right to a campus atmosphere free of sexual harassment, sexual violence, and gender discrimination.
Students with Disabilities: If you need academic adjustments or accommodations because of a disability please see me during the first week of class. Students may also speak with Student and Employee Accessibility Services at 401-863-9588 to discuss the process for requesting accommodations.
Academic Honesty:Plagiarism is a serious breach of trust in an academic community and will not be tolerated in this course. You must write your own essays and acknowledge with references any ideas that are not your own. Familiarize yourself with the “Academic Code” at Brown and please speak to me if you have any questions about what constitutes plagiarism or how to cite your sources.
Attendance and Student Engagement:Attendance in this class is expected and counts towards your grade. More than two unexcused absences will negatively impact your grade. Engagement in class is also an essential part of your grade and includes coming to class prepared to share your ideas with the readings to discuss. You will be expected to make reference to specific passages of the texts in class and to actively use the reading materials. Remember that some students are more comfortable speaking and others listening we will all work together during the semester to actively practice and develop both skills.
Grading & Other Policies:Your grade for the course will be a weighted average of the grades you receive on your papers, reading responses, class presentations, and on your participation in the class.
Policy on email:I will do my best to get back to all your emails in a timely manner, however due to a high volume of messages emails will generally receive a response in 24-48 hours and messages received on the weekend might take a bit longer. If you have not heard back from me in 48 hours you may send a follow up message with a pressing question. I would recommend that if you have a question that is about course content your ask another person in the class if possible. Also, complex questions are much easier to answer in person, so please ask me during office hours or request an individual meeting in person or on google hangouts.
Requirements
Reading Responses 30%
First Paper: 15%
Second Paper: 15%
Final Projects: 20%
Class Participation & Presentation 20%
Time Expectations:Over fourteen weeks, students will spend three hours per week in class (42 hours total). Required reading and preparation for the seminar meetings is expected to take approximately seven hours per week (98 hours). In addition, other work, including a class presentation, and the papers, is estimated at a total of approximately forty hours over the course of the term.
Questions or Concerns:Please come visit in office hours or arrange an alternative meeting time to see me.
Syllabus Changes:This syllabus is a provisional document that will be subject to revision throughout the semester according to student and course needs. The readings, assignments and deadlines may change during the semester.You are expected to check Canvas regularly to consult with the most up to date version of the syllabus that will be posted online and dated. The readings and materials will generally be posted one week before they are due. If you would like to read ahead please check in with me to make sure there will not be any changes.
Required Readings and Films:All readings and additional materials for this course will be available online on the course website or as electronic books on the library’s website. Links to films will be provided that can be seen online, rented on Amazon Video or Vimeo, or watched on Brown Kanopy.The following are course books you might consider purchasing in hardcopy:
Vicki L. Ruiz and Virginia Sánchez Korrol,Latina Legacies: Identity, Biography, and Community,Oxford University Press, 2005.
Juan Gonzalez,Harvest of Empire: A History of Latinos in America(Revised Edition), Penguin, 2011.
Antonia Pantoja,Memoir of a Visionary,ArtePublico Press, 2002.
Iris Morales,Through the Eyes of Rebel Women: The Young Lords: 1969-1976,Red Sugarcane Press, 2016.
Daisy Hernandez,A Cup of Water Under My Bed,Beacon Press, 2015.
Sonia Sotomayor,My Beloved World,Vintage, 2014.
Schedule
Week One:
January 30:Introduction to the class and review of the syllabus
Virginia Sánchez Korrol, “The Origins of Latino History,”Magazine of History, Vol .10, No. 2. Latinos in the United States (Winter 1996), pp. 5-12.PDF
Vicki Ruiz, “Nuestra America: Latino History as United States History,”Journal of American History(December 2006) 655-672.PDF
Questions:What does Latino/a/@ mean? What about Latinx? What does Afro-Latin@ or Afro-Latinx mean? What is Latino/a/x History? What are the origins of Latinx history and Latinx studies? Why might the study of Latina life history and biography be particularly fruitful to investigate Latinx history?
Week Two:[***Reminder: This reading should be completed by Feb 6th]
February 6: 1) Defining Latino/a/x History & 2) The Spanish Borderlands (1848)
Reading Response #1
Assignment: By Monday at 4pm Complete the "New Student Survey" online
David Gutiérrez, “Introduction: Demography and the Shifting Boundaries of “Community:” Reflections on “U.S. Latinos” and the Evolution of Latino Studies” inThe Columbia History of Latinos in the United States Since 1960,pp. 1-42.Ebook
(Please use the PDF copies ofHarvest of Empirebecause the ebook link no longer functions)
Juan González,Harvest of Empire, "Introduction" PDF
Juan González,Harvest of Empire, "Chapter One" PDF
Juan González,Harvest of Empire, "Chapter Two" PDF
Latina Legacies, “Introduction.”Ebook
María Raquel Casas, “Ch 1. Victoria Reid and the Politics of Identity,” inLatina Legacies.Ebook
Film #1:“Episode 1: Foreigners in Their Own Land,” Latino Americans (PBS Documentary)Link to External Website(Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
[We will watch the second film later in the semester:]Film #2:Harvest of Empire: Documentary
FILM #2Content Warning:Important Reminder: As I mentioned in class there is some violent content in theHarvest of EmpireDocumentary, including the description of a rape near 1:08-1:10 (minutes) in the film. You may choose to not watch this section of the film, or the entire film.
Supplemental:
PierretteHondageneu-Sotelo, “Gender and the Latino Experience inLate-Twentieth CenturyAmerica,”The Columbia History of Latinos in the United States Since 1960, pp. 281-302.Ebook
Deena J. González, “Ch 2. (Links to an external site.)GertudisBarceló: La Tules of Image and Reality,” inLatina Legacies. (Links to an external site.)Ebook
Emma Pérez, “Queering the Borderlands: The Challenges of Excavating the Invisible and Unheard,”Frontiers: A Journal of Womens Studies24, no. 2 (2003): 122- 131.PDF
Week Three:
February 13: 1)Afro-Latinx Histories & 2) 1898: Race, Gender, Empire, and Migration
Reading Response #2
Office Hours Info- Sign up via Calendar Tab
Assignment: ByMonday at 4pm- SubmitTop 3 Presentation Dates
Assignment: ByTuesday at 4pm(Before Class)- Submit theTitle of the Biographythat you are interested inusing for First Paper.We will discuss these in class. Before picking a biography you can review the assignment forEssay #1: Due Feb 23rd at 5pmand a list ofSuggestions for First Essay-Books. Please remember to select texts that you can get easily and quickly.
Juan González, Chapter 3: “Banana Republics and Bonds: Taming the Empire’s Backyard (1898-1950),”Harvest of Empire.PDF
Film:“Episode 2: Empire of Dreams,” Latino Americans (PBS Documentary) Link(Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
Miriam Jiménez Román and Juan Flores, “Introduction,”The Afro-Latin@ Reader: History and Culture in the United States, pp. 1-19. PDF
Jesse Hoffnung-Garskof, “The World of Arturo Alfonso Schomburg.” The Afro-Latin@ ReaderPDF
Edna Acosta- Belen, “Lola Rodríguez de Tió and the Puerto Rican Struggle for Freedom,” in Latina Legacies. PDF
ArturoAlfonso Schomburg, “Racial Integrity: A Plea for the establishment of a Chair of Negro History in our Schools and Colleges.” (AndIntroduction to document)PDF*Primary source document. We will read part of this together in class.
José Martí, “My Race.”*Primary source document.
Supplemental:
Eileen Findlay, “Love in the Tropics: Marriage, Divorce, and the Construction of Benevolent Colonialism in Puerto Rico, 1898-1910” FromClose Encounters of Empire: Writing the Cultural History of U.S.—Latin American Relations, 1998.PDF
Ana Maurie- Laura, “Bodies and Memories: Afro-Latina Identities in Motion,”Women Warriors of the Afro-Latina Diaspora(2012)Ebook
Amy Dockser Marcus, “The Adventures of Loreta Janeta Velázquez: Civil War Spy and Storyteller” inLatina Legacies.Ebook
Week Four:
February 20: No Class, but theFirst Essay is due this FRIDAY, Feb 23rd at 5pm.
Submit on Canvas:Essay #1
Office Hours Info: Sign up via Calendar
-The reading assignment for this week is to read the biography selections for your paper.
(Reminder: Office hours this week on Google Hangout. Sign up online. There will be extra times available.)
Week Five:
February 27: 1) Feminist Histories andTestimonio2) The Mexican Borderlands and the Diaspora
Reading Response #3
Presentation Schedule
Juan González,Harvest of Empire, Chapter 5: “Mexicans: Pioneers of a Different Type.”PDF
María Eugenia Cotera, “Jovita González Mireles: A Sense of History and Homeland.”Latina LegaciesEbook
[Intro- Telling to Live]Full title: The Latina Feminist Group, “Introduction: PapelitosGuardados: Theorizing Latinidades Through Testimonio,”Telling to Live: Latina Feminist Testimonios(Durham, Duke University Press, 2001), 1-24.PDF
Film:“Episode 3: War and Peace,” Latino Americans (PBS Documentary)(Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.(Links to an external site.)
Supplemental:
Juan González,“The Return of Juan Según: Latinos and the Remaking of American Politics,”Harvest of Empire.Ebook
Week Six:
March 6: Chicana Feminism(s) and Chicana History
Reading Response #4
Film: “Episode 5: Prejudice and Pride,” Latino Americans (PBS Documentary)(Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.Link Online
Vicki Ruiz, Chapter Five: "La Nueva Chicana, Women in the Movement,"From Out of the Shadows: Mexican Women in Twentieth-Century AmericaPDF
Mirta Vidal,Chicanas Speak Out. [Primary Source]PDF
Gloria Anzaldua,Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza(Selections)PDF
Website Review:Chicana Por Mi Raza—Latina Feminist Archival Project(Links to an external site.)
This Bridge Called My Back(Selections)PDF of Entire 3rd Edition