Syllabus

Syllabus
CHST 302: Chicanas and Latinas in the U.S.

M 4:30 – 7:00 PM
VDA 040
Dr. Annemarie Pérez
http:/citedatthecrossroads.net/chst302
email: annemarie (dot) perez (at) me (dot) com
Twitter: @anneperez
4418 University Hall
Office hours: M 2:00 – 4:00 PM or by appointment

Reading List
Required:
Alice Bag, Violence Girl
Elva Treviño Hart, Barefoot Heart
Carla Trujillo, What Night Brings
Josie Mendez-Negrete, Hijas de Juan
Sandra Cisneros, House on Mango Street
Cherríe Moraga, Loving in the War Years
Helena Maria Viramontes, Under the Feet of Jesus
Julia Alvarez, Once Upon a Quincañera

Films:
Real Women Have Curves

This course will explore Chicana and Latina coming of age stories through an interdisciplinary reading of fiction, autobiography and other media sources.  As a class, we will create an online archive of Chicana / Latina stories.  Guest speakers will discuss the process of writing / creating an autobiographic self.  This course will explore aspects of  Chicana / Latina feminism which looks at the self as text.

In addition to studying Chicana / Latina coming of age stories, students in this course will gain or refine technical skills related to blogging and social media. Specifically, students will gain a familiarity with WordPress and Twitter.

Reading Schedule: Additional readings (articles and book chapters) will be provided throughout the semester in the readings section of the course website.

 

Technology in the Classroom:
Using Twitter in CHST 302: All students should set up a Twitter account by the second class meeting and make use of the class hashtag #CHST302 to connect with me and each other outside of class. I want you to use tweets as a way of annotating our readings, writing tweets either as you read or immediately after — so at least one for each day’s reading. You can make informal, community building sorts of tweets, but should also make substantive tweets giving information about the readings and your thoughts at least once every few days.

When you communicate with others in the course, be it online or in person, be respectful of their opinion and of them, even if you disagree with their ideas. Misunderstandings happen even more easily online than they do in person.

Evaluation:
Active and informed participation (10%) Come to class prepared to contribute to class discussion on the assigned readings Since it is impossible to be an “active and informed” participant without having done the reading, you must read assigned materials in advance of each class meeting and bring the materials to class with you (either electronically or on paper). Reading and replying to your classmates on the course blog is part of your participation grade. You also need to create a Twitter account and follow me and each other. I will look at Twitter comments and expect to see remarks by you at least three times per reading using the hashtag #CHST302.

Reading questions (15%) To insure active class discussion and your ability to listen and contribute, prepare a weekly reading response approximately 300 words to a question posted about the assigned texts. Questions will be posted on the course blog. Write your responses in the comment section of that post before each class meeting. Your response should conclude with a focused question (or questions), opening up discussion of a specific passage. Your goal with this response is to demonstrate a personal interest in and engagement with the week’s reading.

These writings should be informal, a way of processing the texts you’ve read to generate class discussion. The other writing you do for this class may grow out of these writings.

Presentation (20%) 10 minute presentation to the class.

Blog Entries (20%) Write at least ten (10) separate blog posts for the class blog, each well researched and between 400 – 600 words. The entry should each focus on a different one of the texts and / or an aspect of Chicana feminism, using no fewer than 3 outside (on or off-line) sources or references for each. Blog entries must demonstrate intertextuality in relation to sources on the class blog and other online work and should be able to stand on their own for reading by someone who isn’t in our course.

Midterm exam (15%): Take home essay exam

Final exam (20%) Short identification and essay.

How to contact me:
The most effective way to contact me outside of class and office hours is through email. When you do, put CHST302 in the subject line so I know the email is about the course. Use a friendly yet formal email style, starting your mail with “Dear” or “Hi,” and including enough information about your question or needs that I can answer you effectively. You should get a reply to me within 24 hours. If you don’t, assume I didn’t get your email and send it again.  If your message is short, you can also reach me with a message on Twitter.

This syllabus is subject to change as the seminar evolves.