FYS 1166 - Yo/Latinx: Telling Stories of Being and Becoming American

Credits: 4
Students will learn from a diverse range of Latinx voices who reflect on their identities and experiences as Americans, a term which includes their origins throughout the hemisphere as well as in United States. We will learn by hearing directly from Latinx people through digital and social media, memoire, essay, poetry, art, film, music, news, guest speakers, and more. We will all engage in creating and reflecting on our own first-person narratives through a variety of digital media to appreciate the power of framing one’s own experience and claiming the agency to effect greater personal and social change. The course will provide sociohistorical context for students to understand the impact of emerging and longstanding issues experienced by Latinx and Latin American communities both in the U.S. and in other parts of the Americas. A variety of topics arise in these discussions and will help students to understand intersectional identities of Latinx people in the U.S. These include: differing racial constructs and racism in the U.S. and Latin America; values (family, religion, individualism vs. group responsibility); internal/external migration experiences; the negotiation of national identities; language; healthcare and notions of wellness; work and participation in the economy; education and different funds of knowledge; gender and LGBTQ identities; political representation and community participation; and more.
Offered: Fall only, on demand
McDaniel Plan: First-Year Seminar; Multicultural