Chicano a and Latino a Experiences

According to the United States Census Bureau, 17% of all U.S. American citizens identify as Latino/a or Hispanic. Approximately 60% of the Latino/as living in the U.S. are of Mexican decent. This class will provide an introduction to the historical and contemporary economic, social, and cultural context of Latino/as living in the U.S today. We will examine 20th and 21st century representations of Chicano/a and Latino/a culture in and through literature, poetry, radio features, film (fictional and documentary), and TV series. We will identify and reflect upon important motifs and critical terms that recur in Latino/a discourses influenced by the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s and 70s (such as ‘Aztlán’, ‘borderlands’ or ‘mestizaje’), the terminology of identity itself (‘Chicano/a’, ‘Hispanic’), prominent styles, such as magical realism, and recurring formats. The class will look at selected canonical literary works by authors like Rodolfo Corky Gonzales (I am Joaquin, 1972), Rudolfo Anaya (Bless Me Ultima, 1972), Sandra Cisnero (The House on Mango Street, 1984) and the writing of contemporary authors (e.g. Cristina Henríquez, The Book of Unknown Americans, 2014), as well as very recent TV series that focus on Latina protagonists (e.g. Cristela, 2014-15, Jane the Virgin, 2015-), documentaries (e.g. Harvest of Empire – The Untold Story of Latinos in America, 2012) and select radio features (for example from This American Life). Englisch, Ergänzungsstudiengang 3. Fach LA Gym. AmerF4 Registration – StudIP 01.09.2015 - 30.09.2015 /Prerequisites – None/ size restriction –30 /Further information – bettina.soller@engsem~ Universität Hannover WiSe 2015/16 Englisch, Bachelor (fachübergr.) (M. A.) Soller Bettina M A