Blockseminar Archetypes and Icons in Mexican American Culture

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Hispanics/Latinos became the largest ethnic minority group in the U.S. and will presumably constitute the majority of the total population in 2050. Two thirds of the Hispanic population in the U.S. are of Mexican origin. Against this background, a closer look at the social and cultural practices of the Chicano/Mexican American communities is called for. Archetypes, icons, and traditional role models play a significant part in the construction of the communities' ethnic and gender identities (personal & collective). Identity models are affected by metanarratives (history, religion, feminism, research etc.) and expressed in representations of Mexican American/Chicano life, cultural phenomena, and artistic manifestations (literary & media texts, rituals, customs, festivals, art etc.). In this seminar, we will explore the relevance of Chicano/a and Latino/a archetypes (such as La Virgen de Guadalupe, La Malinche, La Llorona, Che Guevara) and icons (such as Aztlán) in Mexican American culture. We will deal with the archetypes' use, (re-)configuration, and transformation in contemporary Chicano/a prose, poetry, and drama, in visual art, in film and on TV, in magazines and on websites as well as in academic writing. More contemporary models like writers, singers, filmmakers, actors & actresses, politicians, and celebrities as well as their specific function in processes of identity construction will also be taken into account. Apart from a substantial knowledge of Chicano/a archetypes and icons as well as Chicano/a writers and artists, students attending this seminar will practice analyzing literary & media texts and learn about analytical methods and approaches. A reader containing relevant texts for this course will be available by the beginning of October at the copy shop on Reckhammerweg 4. Further readings will be announced as soon as possible. Requirements • Regular attendance and completion of all reading assignments. Your participation in class will enter into your seminar grade. • For -Studienbuch- credit: Reading quizzes, two short response papers, and a 10-minute oral presentation. • For -Proseminar- credit: Reading quizzes, two short response papers, and a research paper. Anglistik Universität Duisburg-Essen WS 2009/10 LHRGe, Lehramt an Grund-, Haupt-, Real- u. Gesamtschule, Sp Haupt-, Real-, Gesamtsch. Mansfeld Rebecca