This seminar will provide undergraduates with an in-depth understanding of the social, economic, and spatial transformations in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries U.S.- Mexico borderlands. In particular, we will examine how Indian removal, the Texas wars for Independence, the Mexican American war of 1848, and the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo continue to influence how ideas of nation, space and citizenship (or lack thereof) are articulated in these regions today. Lastly, this course operates from a feminist scholarly perspective, demonstrating the role of both transnational analysis and the pivotal role of the intersections of race, class, gender and sexuality in forming this distinct regional history.
In addition, students will engage in their own archival research projects during the semester. Juxtaposed with contextual historical and methodological essays, we will examine the concerns, anxieties and preoccupations with the contested nature of gender, race, subjectivity and sexuality in the nineteenth and early twentieth century U.S./Mexico Borderlands.
Requirements
25% Final Paper
10% Prospectus and Bibliography
10% Presentation
25% Position Papers
30% Attendance and Class Participation
Possible Texts
Juliana Barr, Peace Came in the Form of A Woman
James Brooks, Captives and Cousins
Ned Blackhawk, Violence Over the Land
Dena Gonzlaez, Refusing the Favor
Guidotti-Hernández, Unspeakable Violence
Adina de Zavala, History and Legends of the Alamo and Other Missions in and around San Antonio
Jovita Gonzalez, Dew on the Thorn
Encarnación Pinedo, El Cocinero Español
Upper-division standing required. Students may not enroll in more than two AMS 370 courses in one semester.
Flag(s): Writing
