Spring 2024 course offerings (this list subject to change)
Spring 2024 course roster
LSP 1101 - Research Strategies in Africana and Latina/o Studies (also ASRC 1900). The digital revolution has made an enormous amount of information available to research scholars, but discovering resources and using them effectively can be challenging. This course introduces students with research interests in Latino and Africana Studies to search strategies and methods for finding materials in various formats (e.g., digital, film, and print) using information databases such as the library catalog, print and electronic indexes, and the World Wide Web. Instructors provide equal time for lecture and hands-on learning. Topics include government documents, statistics, subject-specific online databases, social sciences, the humanities, and electronic citation management. Instructor(s): Reanna Esmail and Hannah Toombs. MW 2:30 – 3:20. 1 credit. PLEASE NOTE: This course is a ½ semester course – 2nd 7 week session – 3/13 – 5/18/2024. (This course does not fulfill minor requirements).
Introduction to Latinos in U.S. History – LSP 1802 (also HIST/AMST/LATA 1802. This course seeks a fuller recounting of the U.S. history by remapping what we understand as “America”. We will examine traditional themes in the teaching of U.S. history – territorial expansion and empire, migration and nation building, industrialization and labor, war and revolution, and citizenship and transnationalism—but we will examine this “American experience” in a broader hemispheric context and include as actors Americanos of Spanish, Mexican, Caribbean, and Central/South American ancestries. Instructor: Maria Cristina Garcia. TR 11:40 – 12:55. 4 credits. (This course fulfills required course for the LSP undergraduate minor).
Spanish for Heritage Speakers - LSP 2020 (also SPAN 2000). A course designed to expand bilingual student's knowledge of Spanish providing them with ample opportunities to develop and improve each of the basic language skills. Prerequisite: LPS score 56 or higher, SAT II 590 or higher, CASE placement, or permission of instructor. Instructor: Mary K. Redmond. Two sections: MWF 11:15 – 12:05 or 12:20 – 1:10. 3 credits. (This course fulfills an elective option for the LSP undergraduate minor).
(Im)migration and (Im)migrants: Then and Now – LSP 2152 (also GOVT 2152). One in ten residents of the United States was born outside the country. These people include international students, temporary workers, refugees, asylees, permanent residents, naturalized U.S. citizens and undocumented migrants. The arrival of these newcomers affects the cultural, economic, political and social dynamics of the country. Since immigration shows no signs of slowing down—in the United States or in many other nations of the world—the causes, consequences and repercussions of immigration will be one of the most important topics of the 21- century. Therefore this class will examine the history and contemporary role of immigration in the U.S. political system. The class will focus on two aspects of immigration: First, a historical examination of immigration policy from the founding of the country all the way forward to the current debate over immigration reform. Second, we will evaluate and assess the political incorporation and political participation of immigrant groups in the U.S. and determine whether immigrants are being incorporated, and if not, why? We will reflect on many important questions including the costs and benefits of immigration, issues related to civil rights and civil liberties, and finally propose our own ideas and solutions to the current immigration reform debate. Instructor: Fernando Villegas Rivera: MW 11:40 – 12:55. 4 credits. (This course fulfills Social Science distribution for the LSP undergraduate minor).
Performance and Immigration: Staging the Migrant, Alien, and Refugee in and outside the United States – LSP 3215 (also PMA 3215). In this course, we interrogate how immigration debates are staged and experiences of belonging are redefined through performance. The categories of "undocumented," "illegal," "displaced," and "exile" collide on international and national stages when governmental bodies decide who gets to be a migrant and under what terms. We assess how bodies marked culturally and legally as "aliens" use performance to navigate complex migration laws and dangerous social terrains that appear to be shifting and solidifying at the same time. We consider performances on stage, as well as performance in a broader understanding. We examine visual, linguistic, and performative representations of migrant experiences. We analyze and write about performances that deal with issues of migration beyond economic and security models. Instructor: Juan Manuel Aldape Muñoz. MW 11:40 – 12:55. 3 credits. (This course fulfills Humanities distribution for the LSP undergraduate minor).
Modern and Contemporary Latino/Latin American Art – LSP 3551 (also ARTH 3550, LATA 3680). This course is designed as a thematic survey of Latin American Latino art from the early twentieth century to present. Attention is given to issues such as the effect of colonialism on Latin American Latino visual arts, the creation of national artistic styles, the relation of Latin American arts and artists to European and American cultural centers, the interaction of high art and popular culture, the role art criticism on popular perceptions of Latin American art, and the contributions of Latin American Latino women to various aspects of artistic practice. Instructor: Maria Fernandez. MW 10:10 – 11:25. 4 credits. (This course fulfills an elective option for the LSP undergraduate minor).
Contemporary Issues in Latina/o/Latin America – LSP 4000/6000 (also LATA 4000/6000). Interested in Latina/o Studies and Latin American Studies? This course will explore topics in Anthropology, Art, Economics, History, Literature, Government, Sociology, and more, of US Latina/o and Latin American contexts. Course features guest speakers from Cornell and other institutions. Course requirements: Attend a total of 12 programming events of your choice throughout the semester sponsored by the Latina/o Studies and Latin American Studies (you should plan for at least one a week), and write a brief follow-up critical or analytic report on some aspect of what you learned. These reports are due within one week of the event. Faculty. T 12:20 – 1:10. 1 credit. (This course does not fulfill minor requirements).
Latino Politics as Racial Politics - LSP 4283 (also GOVT 4283). What are the social, policy, and political needs of the diverse Latino community? This seminar delves into the politics of resistance and solidarity of Latinxs/Hispanics in North America, with a primary focus on the U.S. political system. We commence by examining conceptual categorizations and definitions of the Latina/o/x population, pondering whether Latin@s should be regarded as a racial or ethnic group. Then, we follow with a historical survey of Latino migration to the U.S. and analyze how interlocking systems of oppression shape the material conditions and lived experiences of Latin@/x people. Ultimately, we conclude by analyzing Latino collective action to understand how they organize at the local, national, and transnational levels to confront systems of inequality. The class takes a relational approach, focusing on political and ethnoracial relations and their effects on U.S. political institutions and public policy. Themes we will explore encompass (im)migration, interethnic/racial relations, neoliberalism, mass incarceration and settler colonialism, and social movement's effects on policy outcomes. Instructor: Fernando Villegas Rivera. R 8:30 – 11:00 am. 4 credits. (This course fulfills Social Science distribution for the LSP undergraduate minor).