Course Information Overview
CHS100 (12982) Meets MW 11:00-12:15PM JR 119
CHS100 considers the life experiences, cultural expressions, and political struggles of Chicana and Chicano people from pre-Hispanic times through the present. As the largest subgroup (24 million people) subsumed into a larger generic United States pan-Hispanic ethnic category, Latinas/os now constitute the majority of the diverse and heterogenous U.S. Hispanic diaspora. This class covers political history, language, cultural politics, social geography, and leadership among North American residents, immigrants and citizens of Mexican, Central, and Latin American descent within the United States.
*This section of CHS100: Intro. to Chicana/o Culture will participate in the curriculum on "Civil Discourse and Social Change" a campus-wide program being led by Rev. James Lawson who worked alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Students will be encouraged to attend and participate in Rev. Lawson's public lectures, organizing, and student participation.
Course Description
Transdisciplinary by design, CHS100 examines history, politics, literature, and popular culture from a variety of disciplines including anthropology; literary criticism; folklore; gender, ethnic, and cultural studies. Students participate in various inside and outside classroom activities including group study halls; attendance of local and on-campus cultural, academic, and political events, lectures, and artistic performances; essay writing; library research; in-class performances; and intensive reading assignments. Course objectives include development of critical thinking, reasoning, public speaking, essay writing, and other fundamental academic skills at the same time covering indispensable knowledge of Chicana and Chicano cultural studies as a field of inquiry and teaching. Course topics include: the U.S./México border; Zoot Suit riots; el Movimiento Chicano; music, art, and theater; gender and sexual politics; ethnic stereotypes and media representation; multiculturalism and diversity. Enrollment involves a commitment to regular class attendance and participation, informed class discussions, artistic masterclasses, and intense short essay writing.
Course Prerequisites
CHS100 will rely on and utilize the universitie's newest classroom technology. Students must sign up for moodle and set up online class profile: Moodle http://moodle.csun.edu. If you have never used this technology, see http://docs.moodle.org to access moodle and to learn how to navigate this program. Students should check grades, announcements, chat-rooms, forums, events, links, quizzes, and study guides which will be posted weekly on Moodle. If you have any problems, see the CSUN moodle web site for suppporting documentation and other resources. Please read Peter Garcia's web page and online syllabus beforehand and read the CSUN Student Conduct Code and Academic Policy before the second week of class.
Student Learning Objectives
Course Objectives
1. This course encourages student attendance of local cultural, community, and civic events including art exhibits, music concerts, live shows, theater performances, and/or dances in order to develop a sense of individual responsibility in supporting human creativity and encouraging diverse, ethnic, and avant-garde modes of self-expression. Support of the arts must occur at the level of community support and participation from within local cultures since institutions of higher learning are organically connected to particular locales, universities are obliged to offer courses that develop a strong supportive student role throughout southern California and within Chicana/o and all ethnic communities.
Assessment: Students prepare several 2 page single spaced written critiques discussing the hype, price, quality, and audience participation. Students learn aesthetic criticism and artistic concepts in readings and class lectures that provides them with the necessary theories, understanding, and vocabulary by which to evaluate and critique cultural events or artistic performance.
2. Students make class presentations over assigned literature or participate in small group artistic projects while studying the role of the arts in political activism and society. Students produce and present various in class activities involving dancing, singing, dramatic reading and other group arts and food projects. These creative activities provide students with excellent opportunities to develop leadership within the classroom. Performance encourages students to speak publicly and develop creativity through participating in dramatic readings, dance and music concerts. Visual, body, food and fashion arts are also collective assignments emphasizing the group project where social skills are fundamental within an art studio framework.
Teatro Campesino Dramatic Readings from Luis Valdez's "Actos" may be viewed on-line at ImaginArte (University of California, Santa Barbara Library's California Ethnic and Multicultural Archive. Check out: Theater-El Teatro Campesino video collection and search for the play you are interested on working on.
Assessment: With the diverse range of artistic talent and experience within a single class, participation in creative projects is given full credit with the academic scrutiny and evaluation taking place within the classroom environment and from the student audience. The “masterclass” immediately follows a dramatic reading, dance, or music performance. Here students provide constructive criticism and assessment as well as compliments, kudos, and applause. The works are discussed in terms of aesthetics, emotional content and impact, rehearsal preparation and final presentation, enthusiasm and performance ability, musical, theatrical, and dance talent and exceptionalism.
3. Students read current scholarship devoted to the role of the arts in the expression of ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality, spirituality, identity, and nationalism among the diasporic and diverse communities throughout Greater Mexico and the Southwestern Borderlands. From reading assignments, students learn various aesthetic/cultural concepts and values, artistic styles, performers, composers, and playwrights, forms, genres by Mexicans, Latinas/os, and Chicanas/os. Students are encouraged to develop their artistic talents and utilize their artistic expression into their own political activism.
Assessment: Students are expected to use theory and language learned in readings and media assignments in written reports and in class discussions and artistic masterclasses.
Grading
Exams: 30 points (15 points each)
There will be two multichoice exams throughout the semester.
Midterm exam October 13, 2010
Exam option paper: Students may elect to attend the first two lectures by Rev. James Lawson from the series "Civil Discourse and Social Change" and submit a 7 -8 page double spaced/word processed report discussing the use of violence and non-violent philosophy in the civil rights movement and specifically the Chicano movement. The paper should review the first lectures from the series and also draw from the reading assignments covered in the first of the class.
Lecture 1 - Monday, Aug. 30 (4-6:45pm): Examine the world in which we live over and against what is so wrong; who are we; what are we; what are we about. The gandhian methodological approach to social action and the way in which Rev. Lawson revised this approach for the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 60s
Lecture 2 - Tuesday, Sept 21 (4-6:45pm): Introduction to nonviolence; Misconceptions of nonviolence - what is nonviolence. Possibly screen the “Nashville” segment of the documentary A Force More Powerful
Final Exam December 15, 2010
Exam option paper: Students may elect to attend the last two lectures by Rev. James Lawson from the series "Civil Discourse and Social Change" and submit a 7 -8 page double spaced/word processed report discussing the role of the arts and culture in political activism, civil discourse and social change. The paper should review the last two lectures from the series and also draw from the reading assignments covered in the second portion of the class.
Lecture 3 - Monday, Oct 11 (same time): Develop a nonviolent approach; the methodology and dynamics of nonviolence; history of nonviolent action as a 20th century concept; dynamics of nonviolence
Lecture 4 - Tuesday, Nov. 9 (same time) Gandhi and King’s perspectives - Gandhian method for social action and their own training and actions in the Civil Rights movement…how do you approach an issue.
Assignments/Grading:
Participation in artistic projects including in-class singing, dramatic readings, or visual/culinary art projects (5 points); AND leadership of either a large group discussion over reading assignment listed in your calendar or study hall. In class presentation (5 points) -including powerpoint presentation posted on Moodle (5 points) 10 points
Homework/Written Assignments in Chicano Popular Culture: Que Habla el Pueblo and Chicana and Chicano Art: ProtestArte answer Discussion Questions (see calendar for dates and details) 5 assignments each worth various points (2 points extra credit available) 50 points
Attendance of 2 artistic, political, religious, academic or cultural events with brief reports (such as a protest, march, academic lecture, workshop, music concert/art exhibit/dance/theater/culinary/cinematic/cultural/religious event or occasion) 5 points each –reports should cover political/academic;spiritual/religious; and/or cultural/artistic themese and show proof of attendance. 10 points
2 Exams (midterm and final) or optional papers 30 points
Attendance: Students may miss up to three class meetings and still receive an A; for every unexcused absence thereafter, your grade will be lowered by five points overall.**Students may make up to three unexcused absences (see below **)
Required Event Attendance
Concert Attendance and Reports:
Attendance of two musical, ritual, or dance events such as spiritual observances, pilgrimages, protest dances, folklorico rehearsals; lectures on related course topics with written critiques (no less than 2 entire double spaced pages minimum with evidence of attendance including flyer, ticket stub, newspaper announcement, program or photographs) is required.
Discussion Leaders
Discussion Questions: For most class meetings, a pair or group of students will make a class presentation over assigned literature or participate in small group artistic project while studying the role of the arts in political activism and society. Students will prepare a 5 to 6 slide powerpoint presentation leading the class in a group discussion over the reading assignment which will also be posted on Moodle. Please label the file with your last name followed by (student number) and title of the article you are covering. The first slide should include your name, class information and the full citation of the article or chapter you are presenting. Title (in quotes), author's name, and book or volume title (italicized) should all be centered. The second slide should include a brief overview of the article and some meaningful quotes. The remaining slides ought to explain vocabulary, illustrate important concepts, or review and critique various theories used in the scholarly analysis. Your presentation should also include important internet links, photos, audio footage, youtube, or additional media and cool video files that are related to the case studies or illustrate the cultural and art forms you are presenting. Your final slide may include some of the discussion and study questions provided in the syllabus or you may prepare new questions with class discussion open for general platica (conversation).
Class Participation and Attendance
Class Participation and Attendance: Participation and attendance is extremely important. Absences, arriving late to class, immature, disrespectful and disorderly conduct and lack of participation will have a considerable effect on your grade. Asking questions and requesting clarification or elaboration of readings is considered participation and is highly encouraged. If a student is late, it is his/her responsibility to let professor know after the class, so that the professor does not mark him/her absent.
Participation in artistic projects including in-class singing, dramatic readings, or visual/culinary art projects (5 points); AND leadership of either a large group discussion over reading assignment listed in your calendar or lead role and director of a dramatic reading. In class presentation (5 points) -including powerpoint presentation posted on Moodle (5 points) 10 points
Course Schedule
Monday, August 23, 2010: Introduction, Syllabi, Course Requirements
View: The Mexican Americans
Vocabulary: culture, Chicana, Chicano, Latina/o, Hispanic, Mexican American, fine art, folk art, popular culture
Define culture and discuss the division of the cultural spectrum into high/low; popular/serious; art/folk categories. What are the implications of such categories on the study of culture? Alicia Gaspar de Alba defines popular culture as the way of life of a group of people. Such a broad definition includes everything from how we think and what we believe, to the food we love, the books we read, the shows and movies we watch, the people we admire, the music we buy, the clothes we wear, and the manner in which we celebrate holidays. In short, popular culture is our everyday life, the products, activities, and ideologies that describe our daily existence. She rejects the notions of “subcultures” or “minority” cultures in her analysis of Chicana/os because both terms connote below or less than? Can you suggest a better way to describe Chicana/o culture?
Wednesday, August 25, 2010: Introduction to Chicana/o Studies
Read: “Introduction” pp. xi-xxvi in Tatum Chicano Popular Culture: Que Habla el Pueblo.
Discussion Leader:
Vocabulary: Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo; nativism, México lindo, El México de afuera, mutualista, LULAC, GI FORUM, movimiento chicano (Chicano Movement); César Chávez, Dolores Huera, Crusade for Justice; Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzales; La Allianza Federal de Mercedes; Reis López Tijerina; La Raza Unida Party; José Angel Gutiérrez; LA School walksouts; Sal Castro; Vietnam Moratorium; Ruben Salazar, Brown Berets, MECHA.
Study Questions: Identify the leaders of each different branch or arm of the Chicana/o Movement? Discuss the various political activism in each of the various states: Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, California.
Read: "Introduction: La Plebe," Aztlán: An Anthology of Mexican American Literature (on e-reserve)
Discussion Leader:
Notes and Questions: Why does Luis Valdez insist that Chicana/os are Mestizos? What cultural traits does Valdez identify as being Indio in origin? Who are La Raza, La Plebe, el Vulgo, or La Palomía? What were some of the markers of high levels of civilization among the Maya, Aztec, Toltec, Mixtec, Totonac, and Zapotec tribes of Mexico? Why was América Indigena obsessed with death? Discuss the significance of the 1848 US/Mexico war, the Alamo, The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, the California Gold Rush, The Mexican Revolution, and the Mexican American Civil Rights Struggle known as the Chicano Movement. What does the term Chicano mean? Are Chicana/os victims of racism and colonization? What does Valdez mean when he writes "We are the New World?" Define Mestizos and do you agree that the Anglo is the eternal foreigner, suffering from the immigrant complex? What or where is Aztlán? What is significant about the Mayans, Aztecs, Toltecs, Mixtecs, Totonacs, and Zapotecs.
Large Group Discussion: Discuss the following: Mexican-American, Mexican national, American of Mexican descent, Mexican origin, Spanish speaking, Angelino, Tejana/o, Nuevo Mexicana/o, Chicana/o, Xicana/o, Latina/o, Hispanic as identity labels for United States residents, immigrants, and citizens of Mexican, Central or Latin American (raza) descent in the United States. When and in what contexts are these terms used and do they all mean the same thing? What political persuasions or influences (right/left, democrat/republican, liberal/conservative) do they imply or do they? Define or locate the political center in mainstream American society.
Finish: The Mexican Americans
Week 2 El Movimiento Chicano
Weekly Recommended Activity: Attend and/or participate in a political rally, march, protest or other activist organization such as attendance of an on-campus MECHA de CSUN meeting. Discuss the group dynamics, political agendas and strategies, leadership and overall mission of the organization or effectiveness of the activism. Be sure to take photos or retrieve flyers and/or announcements.
Monday August 30, 2010: United Farm Workers
Rev. James Lawson "Civil Discourse and Social Change" Lecture 1 - Monday, Aug. 30 (4-6:45pm): Examine the world in which we live over and against what is so wrong; who are we; what are we; what are we about. The gandhian methodological approach to social action and the way in which Rev. Lawson revised this approach for the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 60s
View: Chicano: Struggles in the Fields
Study Questions: When and where was Cesar Chavez born? What role did Dolores Huerta play in the United Farm Workers struggles? What forms of protest did Chavez advocate and practice? Who were Chavez’s heroes and what philosophy did they practice? What role did theater play in the Chicano Movement? Discuss the Teatro Campesino as an artistic institution. What political issues are immigrant workers in the United States facing today?
Vocabulary: Cesar Chavez, cultural nationalism, Dolores Huerta, huelga, United Farm Workers, el movimiento Chicano, La Virgen de Guadalupe Luis Valdez, Teatro Campesino
Wednesday September 1, 2010 L.A. Blow Outs
Due: Homework Assignment: "Introduction" Pp. 1-20 in Jackson Chicana and Chicano Art: ProtestArte. Answer Discussion Questions 1-5 (1 point each response) on p. 23 submit your responses typed (single spaced) w/ name and id# on left hand corner.
View: Chicano!: Taking Back the Schools
Study Questions: What role did student activists play in el movimiento Chicano? How effective were the walk outs, teach ins, and demonstrations? Describe the organizations known as: MECHA, MAYO, NCLR, and LULAC.
Vocabulary: Brown Berets, El Plan de Santa Barbara, Good Neighbor Policy, Las Hijas de Cuatémoc, LULAC, MAYO, MECHA, Sal Castro, UMAS,
Monday September 6, 2010: Labor Day Holiday (no classes)
Wednesday September 8, 2010: El Movimiento Chicano: Land Struggles and Crusade for Justice
Due: Homework Assignment: “Definitions and Theoretical Approaches to Popular Culture” (5 points) Pp. 3-13 in Tatum Chicano Popular Culture: Que Habla el Pueblo. Answer Discussion Questions 1-5 (1 point each response) on p. 13 submit your responses typed (single spaced) w/ name and id# on left hand corner.
Read: Introduction pp. ii-iv; “El Plan Espiritual de Aztlán” pp. 1-5; in AZTLÁN: Essay on the Chicano Homeland. (on e-reserve)
View: Chicano!: Quest for a Homeland
Study Questions: What did the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo promise to the original Mexican (conquered generation) settlers living in the Southwest following the United States war with Mexico? Describe the Tierra Amarilla incident and la Alianza Federales. What are mercedes? Discuss the Crusade for Justice, Denver Youth Conference, and Poor People’s March.
Vocabulary: El Grito, Gadsden Purchase, Reis Lopez Tijerina, Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo 1848, mercedes, United States War on Mexico 1846-1848, Denver Youth Conference, Crusade for Justice, Corky Gonzalez, Aztlan, Allurista, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Black Power Mvt.
Monday September 13, 2010: El Plan Espiritual de Aztlán
View: Chicano: Fighting for Political Power
Study Questions: Compare the different styles of political leadership and goals of Corky Gonzales and Reis Lopez Tijerina. Describe La Raza Unida, Denver Youth Conference, and the Chicano Vietnam Moratorium. Who was Ruben Salazar? What is El Plan Espiritual de Aztlan and who composed the poem I Am Joaquin? Describe the poem and its author. Discuss the idea of Aztlán as a mythical homeland uniting la gente and its role in the Chicano movement.
Vocabulary: “Corky” Gonzalez, Crusade for Justice, El Plan Espiritual de Aztlan, I am Joaquin, José Angel Gutierrez, La Raza Unida, maquiladora, Chicano Vietnam Moratorium,
Wednesday September 15, 2010: Indio, Mestizo, Chicano
Due: Homework Assignment: "Artistic Influences on the Chicano Art Movement" Pp. 25- 57 in Jackson Chicana and Chicano Art: ProtestArte. Answer Discussion Questions 1-6 (1 point each response) on p. 57 submit your responses typed (single spaced) w/ name and id# on left hand corner.
Read: Guillermo Lux and Maurilio E. Vigil, “Return to Aztlán: The Chicano Rediscovers His Indian Past” pp. 93-110; in AZTLÁN: Essay on the Chicano Homeland.
Discussion Leader:
Dramatic Reading: The Militants
Notes and Questions: Are Chicanos Indians today and who determines who is or isn’t Native American? What Native American elements can be identified in contemporary Chicano culture? What are the important symbols of the Chicano movement as presented in The Militants? Why did both Chicanos miss the larger point of the revolution? Characterize Dr. Bolillo and his political persuasion.
Vocabulary: Militants, Dr. Bolillo, Indio
Monday September 20, 2010: Myth and Nationalism
Tuesday September 21, 2010 Rev. James Lawson "Civil Discourse and Social Change" Lecture 2 - Tuesday, Sept 21 (4-6:45pm): Introduction to nonviolence; Misconceptions of nonviolence - what is nonviolence. Possibly screen the “Nashville” segment of the documentary A Force More Powerful
Due: “Cinema” (8 points) Pp. 50-88 in Tatum Chicano Popular Culture: Que Habla el Pueblo. Answer Discussion Questions on p. 87 1-12 (1/2 point for each response) and Pp. 126-133 answer Discussion Questions on p. 151 4-5 (2 points) and submit your responses typed (single spaced) w/ name and id# on left hand corner
Dramatic Reading: Los Huelguistas
Notes and Questions: Discuss the central importance of huelga during el movimiento Chicano.
Vocabulary: Montezuma, ideology, cultural nationalism, huelga
Wednesday September 22, 2009: Pensamiento Serpentino
Read: (Valdez) “Pensamiento Serpentino” “Introduction to Chicano Theater” in Early Works, Actos, Bernabe, Pensamiento Serpentino. (1995) Houston: Arte Publico Press.
Discussion Leaders:
Dramatic Reading: Las Dos Caras del Patroncito
Vocabulary: acto, mito, Pensamiento Serpentino IN LAK’ ECH colonization mestizaje acto/mito An nochipa tlaltipac: zan achica ye nican Popol Vuh El Rabinal Achi
Study Questions and Notes: How does Valdez define Chicano? How does Valdez distinguish between acto and mito? What is the title and theme of the surviving Prehispanic ritual drama existing in the Americas discussed by Valdez? Discuss Valdez’s Pensamiento Serpentino and explain his Chicano approach to theater of reality. What is the point Valdez is trying to make using the concept IN LAK’ECH? Discuss the humorous and comic elements in Las Dos Caras del Patroncito.
View: Interview with Luis Valdez
Recommended Activity: Attend a local hip hop concert or Salsa club and discuss the uses of language, violence, race, gender and resistance in the music lyrics or the choreography and expression of the dancers. If you drink may sure you designate a driver. Work on event reports and portfolio.
Monday September 27, 2010: Teatro Masterclass
Due Political/Cultural/Artistic Report #1
Dramatic Reading: Los Vendidos
Dramatic Reading: Soldado Razo
Vocabulary: Pachuco Revolutionario Farmworker Mexican American Vietnam War, La Muerte
Notes and Questions: Discuss the humorous elements and comedy in Los Vendidos. Discuss the tragic elements in Soldado Razo and does it speak to today’s war on terror?
View: Interview with Luis Valdez
Wednesday September 29, 2010: La Conquista
Read: Genaro M. Padilla, “Myth and Comparative Cultural Nationalism: The
Ideological Uses of Aztlán” pp. 111-134 in AZTLÁN: Essay on the Chicano Homeland
Discussion Leader:
Questions: What issues does Padilla have with the ideological uses of Aztlan? What was the criticism raised by cultural nationalism towards Luis Valdez's Neo-Mayan spirituality as a direction for the Chicano Movement?
Dramatic Reading: La Conquista de Mexico (A Puppet Show)
Vocabulary: Hernan Cortes Ce Akatl La Malinche Moctezuma Cuauhtemoc Quetzalcoatl Tenochtitlan Fray Bartolo Teomama Cempoala Cholula coatlique el Quinto Sol Pancho Villa Emiliano Zapata Mexican Revolution 1910-1917 Viva la Raza Hijos de la Chingada
Notes and Questions: Discuss the indigenous elements in Luis Valdez’s La Conquista de Mexico.
View: Interview with Luis Valdez
Monday October 4, 2010: Zoot Suit
Due: Homework Assignment: "Art and the Chicano Movement" Pp. 60-84 in Jackson Chicana and Chicano Art: ProtestArte. Answer Discussion Questions 1-5 (1 point each response) on p. 85 submit your responses typed (single spaced) w/ name and id# on left hand corner.
View: Luis Valdez’s Zoot Suit
Questions Notes: What role did media and journalism have in producing a legendary pachuco? Discuss the events surrounding the Zoot Suit Riots. Describe the Zoot Suit and the role of African American music and dance on the 1940s barrio.
Wednesday October 6, 2010: Sin Fronteras
View: Luis Valdez’s Zoot Suit
Study Questions: What motivated Luis Valdez’s Teatro Campesino? Describe Valdez’s view of teatro and art as political work. Discuss the neo-Mayan philosophy in Valdez’s works.
Review for Midterm from El Movimiento through Aztlán, Actos, Zoot Suit, Luis Valdez, and Teatro Campesino.
Monday October 11, 2010: Zoot Suit Riots
Rev. James Lawson "Civil Discourse and Social Change" Lecture 3 - Monday, Oct 11 (4:00-6:45): Develop a nonviolent approach; the methodology and dynamics of nonviolence; history of nonviolent action as a 20th century concept; dynamics of nonviolence
Read: (Rodríguez) "Queering the Homeboy Aesthetic" Pp. 127-137 in Aztlán: A Journal of Chicano Studies 31:2 (Fall 2006) (on-reserve).
Discussion Leader:
Check Out: Hector Silva on-line gallery (*homoerotic sexuality and nudity)
Study Questions: Discuss the bilingual lyrics in Chicana/o rap music and describe the themes, messages, and important artists. What kinds of social problems, political struggles, and community issues are articulated in Latina/o Hip Hop music? Describe the Homeboy Aesthetic and the Homoerotic art of Hector Silva?
Vocabulary: cholo, queer vato, Hector Silva, Deadlee (Good Soldier II).
View: Deadlee "Good Soldier II"
View: Zoot Suit Riots
Study Questions: Compare and contrast the actual case with Luis Valdez’s musical in terms of factual accuracy, characters and language, historical realism and storyline.
Wednesday October 13, 2010: Midterm Movimiento, Aztlán, Teatro Campesino (15 questions multiple choice)
Monday October 18, 2010: Los Mariachis and Baile Folklorico
Due: “Music” (6 points) Pp. 14-49 in Tatum Chicano Popular Culture: Que Habla el Pueblo. Answer Discussion Questions on p. 48 (1/2 point each response) and submit your responses typed (single spaced) w/ name and id# on left hand corner.
Read: (Pérez) “Transgressing the Taboo: A Chicana’s Voice in the Mariachi World” Pp. 143-166; in Cantú and Nájera-Ramírez’s Chicana Traditions: Continuity and Change.
Discussion Leader:
Read on e reserve: Royball, Jimmy Newmoon “Baile Folklórico” (pp. 52-55) in the Enyclopedia of Latino Popular Culture 2004, Volume 1. Connecticut: Greenwood Press. Cordelia Candelaria, Arturo Aldama and Peter J. Garcia, editors.
Discussion Leader:
Check Out: Ballet Folklorico Aztlán de CSUN
Vocabulary: Linda Ronstadt, Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan, corrido, cancion ranchera, bolero, son: Jalisciense, Jarocho, Huasteca, huapango. traje de charro, sombrero, la bamba, guitarrón, vihuela, Mariachi Sol de Mexico, Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles, Los Camperos, Pedro Infante, Jorge Negrete, Vicente Fernandez, Alejandro Fernandez (el Potrillo de Mexico)
Notes: Describe the traje de charro (mariachi suit) including sombero and know the names of the musical instruments and reportoire including: huapango; son (jalisco, jarocho, and veracruzano types); boleros; rancheras, and corridos. What gender struggles have women musicians encountered within the male-dominated mariachi world? How does the introduction of higher women’s voices change the character of the art form and the overall sound?
View: Linda Ronstadt”s Canciones de Mi Padre
Wednesday October 20, 2010: Linda Ronstadt
Read: (Jáquez) “Meeting La Cantante through Verse, Song, and Performance” Pp. 167-182 in Cantú and Nájera-Ramírez’s Chicana Traditions: Continuity and Change.
Discussion Leader:
Read: (Romero) “The Indita Genre of New Mexico: Gender and Cultural Identification” Pp. 56-80 in Cantú and Nájera-Ramírez’s Chicana Traditions: Continuity and Change.
Discussion Leader:
Notes: Why is mariachi music a national symbol of Mexican culture and how has it changed in the United States? Describe the macho elements in mariachi music in the United States. Is the charro a sexual symbol for Mexican masculine aesthetics and sensuality? How has Alejandro Fernandez’s mariachi recordings, celebrity image, and performances built upon the charro lineage going back to Pedro Infante?
Trace the evolution of the indita genre to the son and describe what musical elements define the song. Describe La Cautiva Marcelina and the heroic story of this unfortunate woman.
Vocabulary: corrido, indita, son, tocatin, décima, copla, despedida, zapadeado
View: Linda Ronstadt”s Canciones de Mi Padre
Recommended Activity: Gather a group of classmates or amigas/os for an evening of Mariachi music and snacks at a local restaurant. Be sure to phone for days and times of performances—they may not perform every night. Request various song forms including: huapangos, sones, boleros, corridos, and rancheras. Don’t forget to rate the food and if you drink designate a driver always!
Monday October 25, 2010: La Llorona, Deportes, y La Escaramuza
Read: (Nájera-Ramírez) “Mounting Traditions: The Origin and Evolution of La Escaramuza Charra” Pp. 207-223 in Cantú and Nájera-Ramírez’s Chicana Traditions: Continuity and Change
Discussion Leader:
(Pérez) “Caminando con La Llorona: Traditional and Contemporary Narratives” Pp. 100-116 in Cantú and Nájera-Ramírez’s Chicana Traditions: Continuity and Change
Discussion Leader:
View: La Charreada
Vocabulary: charro, escaramuza, machismo, Las Adelitas, traje/sombrero, la llorona, leyenda allegory
Questions and Notes: Describe sportsmanship and identity in la charreada including gender conflicts, roping events, competitions, history, and contemporary meaning. In what ways is Mexican charreada similar to and different from American rodeo in the United States? Describe the various riding and lasso competitions taking place in contemporary charreada and other music, dance, food, clothes, and cultural phenomenon. Explain the difference between myth and legend? What are the common elements in the legend of la Llorona? How does Perez distinguish between traditional elements and contemporary story telling? Does gender influence the story in its narrative elements?
Wednesday October 27, 2010: Lydia Mendoza
Read: (Broyles-González) “Ranchera Music(s) and the Legendary Lydia Mendoza: Performing Social Location and Relations” Pp. 183-206 in Cantú and Nájera-Ramírez’s Chicana Traditions: Continuity and Change
Discussion Leader:
View: Songs of the Homeland
Vocabulary: accordion, bajo sexto, Beto Villa, Lydia Mendoza, Little Joe Hernandez, “Las Nubes”, Sunny (Ozuna) and the Sunglows, Carlos Santana, conjunto/norteño, orquesta tipica, R & B, rock ‘n’ roll, Country Western, Flaco Jimenez, Narcisso Martinez, Valerio Longorio, polka
Notes: Tejano music is a broad genre consisting of several styles including conjunto, orquesta, R & B, Country Western and Mariachi. Be able to identify the most important musical instruments, musicians, and singers for each expression. Why is regional identity so pronounced in Texas and how is Tejano music and dance unique from other Chicana/o arts we have studied thusfar? How does conjunto music function as a symbol for the Mexican working class? Who is the father of conjunto music and orquesta tejana? Who added lyrics to the instrumental polka? What popular American music program did Sunny Ozuna appear on following his rock and roll hit tune and who was the host of the show? Discuss Little Joe Hernandez’s hit “Las Nubes” as an anthem for Texas Farm Workers.
Monday November 1, 2010: Tex-Mex Music
Due: “Art, Celebrations, and Other Popular Traditions” (6 points) Pp. 153-191 in Tatum Chicano Popular Culture: Que Habla el Pueblo. Answer Discussion Questions on p. 189 (1-8 = ½ point each response 9-10 additional 1 point for each response upon completion of 1-8) and submit your responses typed (single spaced) w/ name and id# on left hand corner.
Read: (Broyles-González) “Ranchera Music(s) and the Legendary Lydia Mendoza: Performing Social Location and Relations” Pp. 183-206 in Cantú and Nájera-Ramírez’s Chicana Traditions: Continuity and Change
Discussion Leader:
View: Songs of the Homeland
Notes: Who was the father of conjunto music and what was Lydia Mendoza’s historical significance? What did Beto Villa and Sunny Ozuna accomplish with their musical recording career?
Vocabulary: Narciso Martinez, Lydia Mendoza, Beto Villa, Isidro Lopez, Sunny Ozuna, Flaco Jimenez, conjunto, bajo sexto, accordion, orquesta tejana, rock ‘n’ roll, American Bandstand
Wednesday, November 3, 2010: Selena
Read: (Vargas) “Cruzando Frontejas: Remapping Selena’s Tejano Music “Crossover”” Pp. 224-236 in Cantú and Nájera-Ramírez’s Chicana Traditions: Continuity and Change.
Discussion Leader:
Vocabulary: A.B. Quintanilla, Kumbia Kings, Los Dinos, Chris Perez, Jennifer Lopez, Barrio Boyz, Los Lobos, Selena Quintanilla-Perez, Flaco Jimenez, Mingo Saldivar
View: Selena Remembered
Notes and Questions: Discuss the erotic elements in Selena’s musical performances and videos as a Latina pop star including choreography, singing style, songs, fashion, visual images, and hair. Describe the high points of Selena’s musical career and identify at least 3 of her greatest hits. How did Tejano music become popular and stylized following the 1980s and MTV? How have Chicana/o musical tastes, dance, and aesthetics changed since the 1990s?
Recommended Activity- Check out a local Chicano or Latin American art gallery and take note of important works, artists, color, and imagery. What kinds of art works did you see (water colors, dibujo (drawing), tatuaje) and discuss the museum. Attend a local car club dance and/or low rider show and describe the various cars and aesthetics. Check out local Mexican murals in public places. What symbols are used on the cars and how do they compare to Chicana/o murals throughout the region? Is graffiti and tagging a form of political protest or vandalism? Work on event reports. Take a tour of Los Angeles murals and describe themes, imagery, symbolism, political and historical struggles
Monday November 8, 2010 Art as Resistance
Rev. James Lawson "Civil Discourse and Social Change". Lecture 4 - Tuesday, Nov. 9 (same time) Gandhi and King’s perspectives - Gandhian method for social action and their own training and actions in the Civil Rights movement…how do you approach an issue.
Read: (Herrera-Sobek) “Danger! Children at Play: Patriarchal Ideology and the Construction of Gender in Spanish-Language Hispanic/Chicano Children’s Songs and Games” Pp. 81-99 in Cantú and Nájera-Ramírez’s Chicana Traditions: Continuity and Change
Discussion Leader:
Vocabulary: Don gato, Los diez Perritos, Naranja Dulce, Arroz con Leche, Matarile, rile, ro, La Roña, Loteria, Hilitos, Hilitos de oro, la Vieja Ines, listones,
Notes and Questions: How do children’s games, toys, and nursery rhymes teach gender roles, cultural identity, language, and moral values? Discuss the importance of language in cultural politics and community maintenance for Chicanas/os.
Sing: La Rana, Las Mañanitas, Cielito Lindo, El Rey, Volver. All students are invited to participate in the music workshop regardless of talent or ability. Copies of music will be provided along with translations. Students will learn musical fundamentals regarding singing including: posture, breathing, phrasing, pronunciation, expression, and style.
View: Art as Resistance
Wednesday November 10, 2010: Rasquachismo
Due: "Prominent Themes in Chicano Art" Pp. 87-139 in Jackson Chicana and Chicano Art: ProtestArte. Answer Discussion Questions 1-5 (1 point each response) on p. 139 submit your responses typed (single spaced) w/ name and id# on left hand corner.
Read: (Marianna Nunn) “Goldie Garcia: La Reina de South Broadway y Rasquache” Pp. 237-250 in Cantú and Nájera-Ramírez’s Chicana Traditions: Continuity and Change
Discussion Leaders:
“Rasquachismo: A Chicano Sensibility” in Chicano Aesthetics: Rasquachismo, 5-8. Catalog. Phoenix: MARS [Movimiento Artistico del Río Salado], 1989 (on reserve and on-line)
Discussion Leader:
Vocabulary: Goldie Garcia Rasquachismo ephemera nichos altares papel picado, murals, altars, calaveras, piñatas, tatuaje, chalk drawing, fotonovelas, low riders, joyeria, santero/a, graffiti, drawing, pintura, sculpture, calendario,
View: On-line Art Galleries
Check out: Goldie Garcia Glitter Art
John J. Leaños
Notes and Questions: What is Goldie Garcia’s take on beans? What materials does she use in her art? Why does she dislike folk and ethnic art categories? How does Chicana art blur the distinctions between folk and fine art? What folk elements and symbols are used in Chicana art and what political messages are revealed in the works?.
Monday November 15, 2010: Mexican Christianity
Due: “Newspaper, Radio, Television” (6 points) Pp. 89-117 in Tatum Chicano Popular Culture: Que Habla el Pueblo. Answer Discussion Questions on p. 116 (1/2 point for each response) and submit your responses typed (single spaced) w/ name and id# on left hand corner due this afternoon.
Read: (Broyles-González) “Indianizing Catholicism: Chicana/India/Mexicana Indigenous Spiritual Practices in Our Image” Pp. 117-132 in Cantú and Nájera-Ramírez’s Chicana Traditions: Continuity and Change
Discussion Leader:
Read: (Vidaurri) “Las Que Menos Quería el Niño: Women of the Fidencista Movement” Pp. 133-142in Cantú and Nájera-Ramírez’s Chicana Traditions: Continuity and Change.
Discussion Leader:
Study Questions: How are Christian elements such as the cross, trinity, Jesus mixed or integrated into Native American beliefs and spirituality? Describe the Yaqui Waehma and the various symbols used within the ritual. What does Broyles-González mean by disimulo? Discuss the influence of Niño Fidencio and the grassroots movement of blending folk Catholicism and traditional medicine.
Vocabulary: Waehma, disimulo, sabíla, bendicíon, santas animas, mandas, promesas, Doña Sebastiana, Jesus Malverde, curanderismo: yerbero/a, sobador/a, partera, and huesero/a, materias, movimiento feminil
View: Day of the Dead
Wednesday November 17, 2010: Chicano Spiritual Art
(Lucero) “Art of the Santera” Pp. 35-55 in Cantú and Nájera-Ramírez’s Chicana Traditions: Continuity and Change
Discussion Leader:
Read on e-reserve: Amalia Mesa Bains “Domesticana: The Sensibility of Chicana Rasquache” in Distant Relations/Cercancias Distantes. ed. by Trisha Ziff. Santa Monica: Smart Art Press
Discussion Leader:
Handout: Like Una Virgen
Vocabulary: colcha bulto, retablo, rezador Santa Teresa de Cabora, dichos, Jesús Malverde, Santa Librada, santero/a
Notes and Questions: Compare and contrast bultos and retablos. How is the santero/a tradition changing throughout the Southwest Borderlands? Does a sacred object intended for private or public devotion lose its religious integrity when sold for profit?What is the historical significance of Cinco de Mayo celebrations in Mexico and how are they distorted in the United States?
View: Finish Day of the Dead
Monday November 22, 2010 Chicano Park
Due: Political/Cultural/Artistic Report #2
Reading on e- Reserve: Tomas Ybarra-Frausto’s “The Chicano Movement/The Movement of Chicano Art” in Exhibiting Cultures: the Poetics and Politics of Museum Display. ed. By Ivan Karp and Steven D. Lavine. @1992 Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press (on reserve).
Discussion Leader:
View: Chicano Park
Vocabulary: Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco, David Alfaro Siquieros, Frida Kahlo, Magical realism, muralism, Chicano Park, Los Tres Grandes
Questions: Chicano Park is located in which San Diego Barrio? Describe the historical context surounding the communities resistance and how the muralists sought inspiration. Describe the use of magical realism in Chicano muralism. When is Chicano Park day celebrated?
Wednesday November 24, 2009
Due: "Chicano Art Collectives" Pp. 141-154 in Jackson Chicana and Chicano Art: ProtestArte. Answer Discussion Questions 1-3 (1 point each response) on p. 154 submit your responses typed (single spaced) w/ name and id# on left hand corner.
Monday November 29, 2010 Fiesta and Visual Arts
Course evaluations
Wednesday December 1, 2010 Latino Kings of Comedy and Visual Arts
Due: "Community Art Centers and Workshops" Pp. 156- 171 in Jackson Chicana and Chicano Art: ProtestArte. Answer Discussion Questions 1-3 (1 point each response) on p. 171 submit your responses typed (single spaced) w/ name and id# on left hand corner.
View: Latino Kings of Comedy
Monday December 6, 2010
Due: "Trends in Chicano Art" Pp. 173-195 in Jackson Chicana and Chicano Art: ProtestArte. Answer Discussion Questions 1-5 (1 point each response) on p. 195 submit your responses typed (single spaced) w/ name and id# on left hand corner.
Wednesday December 8, 2010 Culinary Art (Pot Luck)
Review for Final Exam
Wednesday December 15, 2010 Final Exam 10:15-12:15PM