Spanish: Race, Identity & Migrant Labor

Spanish composition and conversation course that explores the Mexican and Mexican-American experience in the United States during the nineteenth, twentieth, and twenty-first centuries and focuses on issues of sustainability, food sovereignty and institutionalized racism in service-learning and global contexts. Prerequisites: SPAN 2200 or equivalent; GRS 1500 recommended.

Prereq: SPAN 2200 or equivalent PACE students with permission and override

This course is a designated D1 Diversity course, a Civic Learning course, is conducted entirely in Spanish and fulfills the University of Vermont Sustainability Requirement. The unifying theme of this D1/SU/CL Composition and Conversation course is the Mexican and Mexican-American experience in the United States during the 20th and 21st centuries. Through readings, writing, research assignments, presentations, and discussion, we will examine the migrant farm worker experience in the US and the Zoot Suit culture of the mid 20th century. This course examines institutionalized racism in the United States and the behavioral norms in American society that have promoted active racism against Mexicans and Mexican-Americans. This course is a designated Civic Learning course. The civic learning portion of the course focuses on issues surrounding Vermont’s migrant dairy farmworkers. Students engage in civic learning activities that cause them to think critically about sustainability across the diversity of cultural values in Vermont and Mexico. This course is writing-intensive and works on diverse writing styles including description, narration, argumentation, and exposition. Important: Within three months prior to enrolling in your first language class at UVM, you need to take the online placement test (even if you haven't studied the language) and enroll in the course level recommended. Note that if you enroll in a class without taking the test, or enroll in a class below your recommended level, the system will disenroll you from the course (you will receive an email notification if this occurs). Find the placement test at go.uvm.edu/flp

This course relies on discussion, participation and civic learning. Students should expect to spend 6 hours a week on coursework outside of class, with additional time for exams and presentations.

Grades will be based on attendance and participation, civic learning, homework, journal entries, compositions with revisions, written exams, oral presentations, and a final project.