ETHN 2536: Survey of Chicana/o History and Culture

Through historical and social scientific studies, novels, autobiographies, testimonies, films, music, and art, this course will provide students a survey of Chicana/o history and culture. Historical overviews of Chicana/o peoples from Mesoamerica; the Spanish Conquest; the historical presence of Chicana/o peoples in the Southwest; the rise of the Chicana/o student and community movements; immigration issues; and the gender, sexuality, and criminalization issues.

Learning Objectives

Identify key terms, events, and people and their significance within Chicana/o/x history and culture;
Demonstrate competency in note-taking and written communication when discussing issues of social injustice including, but not limited to, racism, classism, and sexism;
Evaluate the roots of social inequalities and histories of social justice struggles within the Chicana/o/x community and from an intersectional lens;
Critically analyze historical and contemporary Chicana/o/x experiences in a local and transnational context;
Summarize how Chicana/o/x history, identity, and culture changed over time when critically reading, analyzing, and synthesizing primary and secondary sources.

Meet Your Instructor

Jessica Ordaz

Jessica Ordaz is an Assistant Professor of Ethnic Studies at the University of Colorado Boulder. She received her doctorate from the University of California Davis in American History. During the 2017-2018 academic year, Ordaz was the Andrew W. Mellon Sawyer Seminar postdoctoral fellow at the University of Washington, which focused on comparative racial capitalism. Her first book, "The Shadow of El Centro: A History of Migrant Incarceration and Solidarity", was released in March 2021. Her second project will explore the multifaceted history of veganism and plant-based foods throughout the Americas, focusing on colonization, food politics, and social justice. This research will illuminate the wider and transnational history of Latinx veganism and how communities of color have engaged with questions of animal, human, and plant relations for centuries.

Ordaz is also the Veggie Mijxs Denver Metro Co-organizer. The goal of the collective is to center women, non-binary, femmes, and trans BIPOC while providing a safe place for folks to explore decolonization and plant-based food justice.

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ETHN 2536: Survey of Chicana/o History and Culture

Learning Objectives

Meet Your Instructor