Fall 2004

E 314V • Mexican American Literature and Culture

Course Description

This course will consider the relationship between Chicana/o literary productions and the social conditions and possibilities of its production, mainly concentrating on novels since the late 1960s. Topics will include: cultural nationalism as a response to structural racism, the articulations of literary form and cultural nationalism during the Chicano Renaissance and after, the fate of both texts and their producers within various institutions, the gendered division of literary labor and the feminist critique of nationalist aesthetics, and queer transformations of the Chicano/a literary landscape.

Grading Policy

Completion of all writing projects and preparation of assigned readings and exercises; regular section attendance and participation. Note that punctual attendance and prepared participation are essential; anyone arriving more than five (5) minutes after the official class start time will be counted as absent. The journal must be typed or machine-printed, double-spaced with one-inch margins; this means approximately 250 words per page (12-point font). Be sure to keep an extra copy of the journal, whether on disk or as a hard copy.

The course grade will consist of: two in-class examinations, each covering half of the semester (35% each); participation/attendance (10%); a weekly journal (20%). All work must be completed in a timely fashion; assignments are due at the beginning of class on the given date. Late papers will lose half a grade per day (e.g., B to B-). NB: Extensions must be requested at least 24 hours before the specific deadline, and will only be granted in truly extenuating circumstances.

Texts

Rudolfo Anaya, Bless Me, Ultima
Ana Castillo, The Mixquiahuala Letters
Sandra Cisneros, The House on Mango Street
Arturo Islas, The Rain God
Américo Paredes, George Washington Gómez
Tomás Rivera, …y no se lo trago la tierra (bilingual edition)
Michele Serros, How to be a Chicana Role Model
Helena Viramontes, Under the Feet of Jesus

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