Chicano Studies
Chicano Studies
Chicano/a/x Studies is an interdisciplinary program that honors Indigeneity as the foundation of our diverse histories, cultures, and lived experiences. Grounded in the activist legacy of El Movimiento and the broader struggle for Ethnic Studies, the curriculum emphasizes the intersection of Indigenous roots, migration, and transnationalism while engaging students in a critical analysis of the social, political, and economic forces that impact Chicano/a/x and Latinx lives. Students focus on decolonizing perspectives and community resilience, exploring how race and ethnicity intersect with gender, sexuality, and class to develop the critical consciousness necessary to bridge academic theory with community engagement. Through this lens, students examine how the arts, including muralism, teatro, poetry, and music, have historically served as the front lines of the movement and remain vital tools for community empowerment today. Students develop a versatile toolkit for the modern workforce, providing them with the critical thinking and cultural humility needed for leadership in a multitude of careers including but not limited to education and bilingual instruction, arts and digital storytelling, social services and community health, law and government advocacy, business, and cultural marketing, while also providing a strong foundation for graduate work in fields such as history, social work, women’s and gender studies, ethnic studies, urban studies, law, and the arts.
This course provides an interdisciplinary introduction to the Mexican American/Chicana/o historical and contemporary experience in the United States, emphasizing movements of social justice, resilience, decolonization, and cultural heritage. The course will include an analysis of the economic, political, social, historical and intellectual development of Mexican American/Chicana/o culture and community, and a study of the development of Chicana/o Studies in United States. The course enacts an Interdisciplinary examination of representation, ideologies, and material conditions of Mexican American/Chicana/o, including colonialism, race, labor, immigration, poverty, assimilation, gender, sexuality, and patriarchy.
The primary focus is on the development of Chicana/o/x and Latina/o/x communities in the U.S. This course investigates the effects of the Latina/o/x communities as well as the affects on the Chicana/o/x communities and most relevant contemporary issues. Special attention will be given to economic, social, political, cultural, and institutional issues that are important to the contemporary Chicana/o/x and Latina/o/x experience.
This course will introduce students to Chicana contemporary issues while examining historical events that have shaped the current social, political, cultural, and economic experiences of women of Latin American origin in the United States, with particular emphasis on the experiences of Mexican-origin women. Particular attention to the topic of gender, sexuality, patriarchy, spirituality, indigeneity, and intersectionality will frame this course. These topics will be explored through a critical engagement with interdisciplinary readings, poetry, Chicana popular culture, and film.
This course offers specialized study opportunities for students who wish to pursue projects not included in the regular curriculum. Students are accepted only by a written project proposal approved by the discipline prior to enrollment.