Humanities and Fine Arts 191HFA29 - FYS- Latinx Expressions
Fall
2017
01
1.00
Jayne Reino
W 1:25PM 2:15PM
UMass Amherst
42415
How is it that Latinx pop star Marc Anthony was deemed (by some) not "American enough" to sing "God Bless America" during a nationally-televised Major League Baseball game, yet tortilla chips and salsa are now one of the highest selling snack foods in the U.S.?
In this seminar, we will focus on Latinx identities in the context of a shared experience of colonialism, migration, and racialization. Students will survey samples of Latinx cultural production including literature, music, street art, spoken word, podcasts, television, and film clips.
We will begin by exploring the construction of the terms Hispanic, Latino, and "Latinidad" as well as the contemporary, gender-neutral alternative, "Latinx," to anchor our conversation: the Latinx experience both shapes and is shaped by life in the United States. We will then investigate how a heterogeneous and ever-evolving Latinx population expresses issues related to class, race and/or ethnicity, gender and sexuality, and language through cultural production.
In this seminar, we will focus on Latinx identities in the context of a shared experience of colonialism, migration, and racialization. Students will survey samples of Latinx cultural production including literature, music, street art, spoken word, podcasts, television, and film clips.
We will begin by exploring the construction of the terms Hispanic, Latino, and "Latinidad" as well as the contemporary, gender-neutral alternative, "Latinx," to anchor our conversation: the Latinx experience both shapes and is shaped by life in the United States. We will then investigate how a heterogeneous and ever-evolving Latinx population expresses issues related to class, race and/or ethnicity, gender and sexuality, and language through cultural production.
Open to first-year Humanities and Fine Arts Exploratory Track students and first-year HFA Majors.