Official Course Bulletin Description:

“Survey and theoretical foundations in Puerto Rican and Latinx Studies. Case study on Puerto Rico. Pertinent themes in Puerto Rican and Latinx history, culture, literature, contemporary society, and politics. Impact of the United States’ economic policies on Puerto Rico and the causes of Puerto Rican and Latinx migration to New York City and urban centers. Satisfies Pathways Flexible Core US Experience in Its Diversity requirement.”

Course Overview:

This course aims to familiarize students with Puerto Rican and Latino Studies by providing an interdisciplinary survey of the field’s theoretical foundations. The course overviews the important historical, political and economic context that has created and influenced the Puerto Rican and Latinx diaspora in the United States. It explores central themes within the discipline, including immigration, identity, gender and sexuality, education, activism, poetry, and literature. The course analyzes the influence of Puerto Rican and Latinx communities on urban centers, popular culture and politics.

Student Learning Outcomes

Learning Objective #1: Students will understand the Puerto Rican and Latinx migration processes and emerging realities of diasporic communities in the U.S. from the 1848-2022 time period.

Learning Objective #2: Students will demonstrate knowledge of race, ethnicity, class, gender, national origin, religion, language, and/or sexuality with regard to the experiences of populations of Latinx, Caribbean, and/or Latin American descent.

Required Readings:

All required readings are available via our CUNY Academic Commons WordPress Site and do not need to be purchased. They are also linked on this syllabus to our BC Library site (direct citation to the text with link of online reading). Books that include book chapters that we will read in class (with digital access) are also placed on course reserve for student reference and research purposes. 

A Brief Note on Language:

Across the course readings you will find different terms used to describe a group of people with roots in Latin America: “Hispanic,” “Latino,” “Latinx,” or “Latine.” Some authors have a note on language at the beginning of their work, others assume familiarity with the term as it was of popular use during the time the text was written. In the last few years, “Latinx” and “Latine” have been used more, presenting a more inclusive way, challenging the gender binary in Spanish and cutting off the connection to Spain (rejecting the term Hispanic). During our class discussions, we will use the specific community designation for respective groups (Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans) and inclusive language (Latine/Latinx) when talking about a mixed group of people. The course will also spend time listening to the voices of the Black LGBTQ+ community with roots in Latin America, and interpretations of the term Latinidad and Afro-Latino/a/x/e.

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