Spring 2006

GOV 370K • 2- Latino Politics

Course Description

Course number may be repeated for credit when topics vary. This course will introduce students to the interactions of the Hispanic peoples of the United States with political institutions and public policy. The course begins with a political history of Latinos and Latino political movements, and then explores forms of political participation such as voting and community organization. We will discuss Latino representation in different levelsof government, as well as policy issues including immigration and education. The class will examine differences and similarities between the three largest Latino-origin groups--Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, and Cuban Americans-- as well as differences by gender. This class also investigates the subject of identity, namely what it means to be Latino, Hispanic, or Chicano, and whether it is accurate to speak of a united Latino community.

Grading Policy

Midterm: 40% Final: 45% Book Review: 15%

Texts

Garcia, F. Chris. 1997. Pursuing Power: Latinos and the Political System. Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press. Garcia, John. 2003. Latino Politics in America: Community, Culture, and Interests. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. Gutierrez, David. 1995. Walls and Mirrors: Mexican Americans, Mexican Immigrants, and the Politics of Identity. Berkeley: University of California Press. A variety of other readings will be placed on reserve using the ERes system.

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