Course Information Overview
- CHS111 The Chicana/o and the Arts
- 12992 meets Tuesday 4:00-6:15 JR 118
- 13434 meets Mon/Wed 2:00-3:15PM SH 198
- CHS111 will be participating in the campus wide initiative on Civil Discourse and Social Change led by Rev. James Lawson.
Course Description
The Chicana/o and the Arts explores Mexican, Mexican-American or Chicana/o and Latina/o history, culture, society, spirituality, identity, and aesthetics through creative production and artistic performance. Working within a transdisciplinary framework, CHS 111 incorporates perspectives from several specialties including ethnomusicology; folklore; cultural anthropology; performance, ethnic, queer, critical race, Chicana/o and gender studies; and others. This course is designed as an active “hands on” artistic workshop covering dance, theater, music, and visual/body/culinary/fashion arts. Students read current scholarship devoted to the role of the arts in the expression of ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality, spirituality, identity, and nationalism among the diasporic and diverse communities throughout Greater Mexico and the Southwest Borderlands. Students learn various aesthetic/cultural values, artistic styles, performers, playwrights, forms, genres and criticism and are encouraged to utilize their artistic expression into their own political activism.
Course Prerequisites and Attendance
Chicana/o and the Arts will rely on and utilize the universitie's newest classroom technology. Students must sign up for moodle and set up online class profile: Moodle http://moodle.csun.edu. If you have never used this technology, see http://docs.moodle.org to access moodle and to learn how to navigate this program. Students should check grades, announcements, chat-rooms, forums, events, links, quizzes, and study guides which will be posted weekly on Moodle. If you have any problems, see the CSUN moodle web site for suppporting documentation and other resources. Please read Peter Garcia's web page and online syllabus beforehand and read the CSUN Student Conduct Code and Academic Policy before the second week of class.
When in class you are required to turn off cell phones, and other distracting devices (i.e. no text messaging please). You need to arrive on time and remain for the entire class in order to get full credit for attendance. Do not leave early without letting the instructor know in advance. Please be courteous and do not bring food, drinks, or chewing gum to class.
Each of you is responsible for weekly reading materials, in class presentations, homework assignments, in class discussions, video/audio materials, and artistic projects. Unless it is stated otherwise, you are expected to read the material and complete the writing assignments BEFORE the class session of the week for which the readings are assigned. You may, or you may not, fully understand the assignment when reading on your own; however, if you have already read the material, you will be prepared to ask for clarification, and to participate meaningfully in class discussions of the readings. In short, just do it! You will be assigned to group artistic projects including dramatic readings, culinary, and visual arts projects.
Attendance: Missing class means automatically losing participation points awarded toward your grade for this course. In addition, habitual tardiness disrupts the class and is a sign of disrespect to your peers. For this course, there is a direct correlation between good attendance/punctuality and high grades. In short, absenteeism and regular tardiness will adversely affect your grade. Excuses such as jury duty attendance, court appearances, hospitalization, and genuine medical emergencies will be considered based on your demonstrated responsibility in the course to date (i.e., work is turned in on time, active participation, attitude and maturity etc.). Unless you are a surgeon or other certified medical professional and your relative or friend is rushed to the hospital, you are not excused from class. Written documentation is required for any consideration of excused absence.
Students may miss up to three class meetings and still receive an A; for every unexcused absence thereafter, your grade will be lowered by five points overall.**Students may make up to three unexcused absences
Student Learning Objectives
Course Objectives
1. This course encourages student attendance of local cultural, community, and civic events including art exhibits, music concerts, live shows, theater performances, and/or dances in order to develop a sense of individual responsibility in supporting human creativity and encouraging diverse, ethnic, and avant-garde modes of self-expression. Support of the arts must occur at the level of community support and participation from within local cultures since institutions of higher learning are organically connected to particular locales, universities are obliged to offer courses that develop a strong supportive student role throughout southern California and within Chicana/o and all ethnic communities.
Assessment: Students prepare two page double spaced written critiques discussing the hype, price, quality, and audience participation. Your report should follow a standard five paragraph essay with introduction, thesis statement, and three paragraphs of development and a final review or concluding paragraph restating your thesis or point of view. Your essay should integrate quotes from readings, homework assignments or theoretical concepts and vocabulary from lectures. In other words, your reports must show what you have read for this class and what you have learned about the topic you are writing about. Any visual images, illustrations, or photographs must be on a seperate page and labeled with the event, date, location, artist, group, or subject and name of photographer. Your reports must include some proof of attendance in the form of ticket stubs, programs, photographs, menus, or announcements stapled to the report. Students learn aesthetic criticism and artistic concepts in readings and class lectures that provides them with the necessary theories, understanding, and vocabulary by which to evaluate and critique cultural events or artistic performance.
*As part of the on-campus lecture series on "Civil Discourse and Social Change," students are encouraged to attend any or all of the following lectures as the basis of their reports.
REV. LAWSON'S LECTURES
Lecture 1 - Monday, Aug. 30 (4-6:45pm): Examine the world in which we live over and against what is so wrong; who are we; what are we; what are we about. The gaudhian methodological approach to social action and the way in which Rev. Lawson revised this approach for the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 60s
Lecture 2 - Tuesday, Sept 21 (4-6:45pm): Introduction to nonviolence; Misconceptions of nonviolence - what is nonviolence. Possibly screen the “Nashville” segment of the documentary A Force More Powerful
Lecture 3 - Monday, Oct 11 (same time): Develop a nonviolent approach; the methodology and dynamics of nonviolence; history of nonviolent action as a 20th century concept; dynamics of nonviolence
Lecture 4 - Tuesday, Nov. 9 (same time) Gandhi and King’s perspectives - Gandhian method for social action and their own training and actions in the Civil Rights movement…how do you approach an issue.
2. Students read current scholarship devoted to the role of the arts in the expression of ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality, spirituality, identity, and nationalism among the diasporic and diverse communities throughout Greater Mexico and the Southwestern Borderlands. From reading assignments, students learn various aesthetic/cultural concepts and values, artistic styles, performers, composers, and playwrights, forms, genres by Mexicans, Latinas/os, and Chicanas/os. Students are encouraged to develop their artistic talents and utilize their artistic expression into their own political activism.
Students make class presentations over assigned literature or participate in small group artistic projects while studying the role of the arts in political activism and society. Students prepare a 5 to 6 slide powerpoint presentation leading the class in a group discussion over the reading assignment which will also be posted on Moodle. Please label the file with your last name followed by (student number) and title of the article you are covering. The first slide should include your name, class information and the full citation of the article or chapter you are presenting. Title (in quotes), author's name, and book or volume title (italicized) should all be centered. The second slide should include a brief overview of the article and some meaningful quotes. The remaining slides ought to explain vocabulary, illustrate important concepts, or review and critique various theories used in the scholarly analysis. Your presentation should also include important internet links, photos, audio footage, youtube, or additional media and cool video files that are related to the case studies or illustrate the cultural and art forms you are presenting. Your final slide may include some of the discussion and study questions provided in the syllabus or you may prepare new questions with class discussion open for general platica (conversation).
Assessment: Students are expected to use theory and language learned in readings and media assignments in written reports and in class discussions and artistic masterclasses. Students will also be assessed regarding how well they are prepared to discuss the daily reading materials and participate regularly in class activities.
3. Students will also produce and present various in class activities involving dancing, singing, media, dramatic readings, spoken word, and other group arts and food projects. These creative activities provide students with excellent opportunities to develop leadership and performance skills within the classroom. Performance encourages students to speak publicly and develop creativity through participating in dramatic readings, dance and music concerts. Visual, body, food and fashion arts are also collective assignments emphasizing the group project where social skills are fundamental within an art studio framework.
Assessment: With the diverse range of artistic talent and experience within a single class, participation in creative projects is given full credit with the academic scrutiny and evaluation taking place within the classroom environment and from the student audience. The “masterclass” immediately follows a dramatic reading, dance, or music performance. Here students provide constructive criticism and assessment as well as compliments, kudos, and applause. The works are discussed in terms of aesthetics, emotional content and impact, rehearsal preparation and final presentation, enthusiasm and performance ability, musical, theatrical, and dance talent and exceptionalism.
Grading
Exams: 50 points (25 points each)
There will be two multichoice exams throughout the semester.
Midterm exam will cover music, charreada, ritual/quinceañeara, and dance
Final Exam will cover film, theater, visual arts, spirituality, food and storytelling
Assignments/Grading:
Participation in artistic projects including in-class singing, dancing, dramatic readings, spoken word, or visual/culinary art projects (10 points); AND leadership of a large group discussion over reading assignment listed in your calendar or study hall. In class powerpoint presentation (5 points) -or 1 page study guide for all members of class (5 points) (20 points).
Homework/Written Assignments in Chicano Popular Culture: Que Habla el Pueblo answer Discussion Questions (see calendar for dates and details) 5 assignments each worth 4 points (11 points extra credit available) (20 points).
Attendance of two artistic, religious, or cultural events with brief reports (such as a music concert/art exhibit/dance/theater/culinary/cinematic/cultural/religious event or occasion) Due Week 7 and 14. 5 points each –reports must show proof of attendance. (10 points).
Course Schedule
Week One Chicana/o Culture (12992) Tuesday, August 24, 2010
(13434) Monday August 23, 2010: Introduction, Syllabi, Course Requirements
View: The Mexican Americans
Vocabulary: culture, Chicana, Chicano, Latina/o, Hispanic, Mexican American, fine art, folk art, popular culture
Notes and Questions: Define culture and discuss the division of the cultural spectrum into high/low; popular/serious; and art/folk categories. What are the implications of such categories on the study of culture? Alicia Gaspar de Alba defines popular culture as the way of life of a group of people. Such a broad definition includes everything from how we think and what we believe, to the food we love, the books we read, the shows and movies we watch, the people we admire, the music we buy, the clothes we wear, and the manner in which we celebrate holidays. In short, popular culture is our everyday life, the products, activities, and ideologies that describe our daily existence. She rejects the notions of “subcultures” or “minority” cultures in her analysis of Chicana/os because both terms connote below or less than? Can you suggest a better way to describe Chicana/o culture?
(13434) Wednesday August 25, 2010: Chicana/o Culture
Read: “Introduction” pp. xi-xxvi in Tatum Chicano Popular Culture: Que Habla el Pueblo.
Discussion Leader:
Read: "Introduction: La Plebe," Aztlán: An Anthology of Mexican American Literature (on e-reserve)
Discussion Leader:
Large Group Discussion: Discuss the following: Mexican-American, Mexican national, American of Mexican descent, Mexican origin, Spanish speaking, Angelino, Tejana/o, Nuevo Mexicana/o, Chicana/o, Xicana/o, Latina/o, Hispanic as identity labels for United States residents, immigrants, and citizens of Mexican, Central or Latin American (raza) descent in the United States. When and in what contexts are these terms used and do they all mean the same thing? What political persuasions or influences (right/left, democrat/republican, liberal/conservative) do they imply or do they? Define or locate the political center in mainstream American society.
Vocabulary: Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo; nativism, México lindo, El México de afuera, mutualista, LULAC, GI FORUM, movimiento chicano (Chicano Movement); César Chávez, Dolores Huera, Crusade for Justice; Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzales; La Allianza Federal de Mercedes; Reis López Tijerina; La Raza Unida Party; José Angel Gutiérrez; LA School walksouts; Sal Castro; Vietnam Moratorium; Ruben Salazar, Brown Berets, MECHA.
Study Questions: Identify the leaders of each different branch or arm of the Chicana/o Movement? Discuss the various political activism in each of the various states: Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, California.
Finish: The Mexican Americans
Week Two Danza: Voladores, Concheros, Mex (12992) Tuesday, August 31, 2010
(13434) Monday August 30, 2010 : Danzante Prototypes: Ixta and Popo
Weekly Recommended Activity: Attend and/or participate in a political rally, march, protest or an on-campus MECHA meeting. Take note of the group dynamics, political agendas and strategies, leadership and overall mission of the organization or effectiveness of the activism. Be sure to take photos or retrieve flyers and/or handouts if you intend to use this event as subject for a political report.
Read (on e-reserve): Royball, Jimmy Newmoon “Danza” (pp. 218-220) in the Enyclopedia of Latino Popular Culture 2004, Volume 1. Connecticut: Greenwood Press. Cordelia Candelaria, Arturo Aldama and Peter J. Garcia, editors.
Discussion Leader:
Read: (Rueda-Esquibél) “Velvet Malinche: Fantasies of “the” Aztec Princess in the Chicana/o Sexual Imagination” Pp. 295-310 in Gaspar de Alba’s Velvet Barrios: Popular Culture and Chicana/o Sexualities.
Discussion Leader:
Read: Hernandez, Benjamin Francisco “The Legendary Jesus Helguera” in Lowriderarte.com http://www.lowriderarte.com/featuredartists/0901lra_mexican_artist_jesus_helguera/index.html
Discussion Leader:
Vocabulary: la leyenda de los Volcanos; popo y ixta, indigenismo, Jesus Huelguera, huipil, maxtli, penacho
Study Questions: Provide some details regarding the costume based on Newmoon Royball’s article and Helguera’s paintings. When did Helguera leave Mexico and where did he go? Who was his primary female model? Where is death located according to Aztec worldview and in what type of geometrical formation do the danzantes perform? In which direction do the dancers move? Explain why?
View: Pacho Lane Danza Trilogy: “Tree of Life”
(13434) Wednesday, September 1, 2010 Danza
Read: (Estrada) “The “Macho” Body as Social Malinche” Pp. 41-62 in Gaspar de Alba’s Velvet Barrios: Popular Culture and Chicana/o Sexualities
Discussion Leader:
View: Pacho Lane’s Danza Trilogy: “Eagle’s Children”
Vocabulary: Danza Azteca, Danzas Concheros, , palabra, Akatl, Tekpatl, Calli, Totchli
Study Questions: What are the indigenous symbols and concepts associated with the four cardinal directions according to Gabriel S. Estrada? What is the difference between Conchero and Azteca dancers? Can past civilizations be revived, ancestral languages relearned, and cultures reinvented? How has Danza Azteca survived and changed since the Spanish conquest and what does it mean today? According to Estrada, approximately how many danzantes are in the United States and Mexico? Where is death located according to Aztec worldview and from which side of the circle do the danzantes enter? What does Estrada mean by “duel spirit” and how does his essay integrate binary concepts like male/female, youth/elderly, light/darkness? What does Estrada mean by palabra when he references Pacho Lane’s Danza Trilogy
Week Three Chicana/o: Gender, Ritual, and Baile (12992) Tueday September 7, 2010
Monday September 6, 2010: Labor Day Holiday (no classes)
(13434) Wednesday September 8, 2010 La Quinceañera y el Baile
Recommended Activity: Attend a family gathering such as: quinceañera, bautismo (baptism), boda (wedding), aniverário (anniversary) and discuss the ritual process and use of symbolism. Discuss the types of music and dancing used in the bailes and how was food used in the observance?
Read: (Cantú) “Chicana Life-Cycle Rituals” Pp. 15-34 in Cantú and Nájera-Ramírez’s Chicana Traditions: Continuity and Change.
Discussion Leader:
(Davalos) “La Quinceañera: Making Gender and Ethnic Identities” Pp. 141-162 in Gaspar de Alba’s Velvet Barrios: Popular Culture and Chicana/o Sexualities.
Discussion Leader:
Notes: Describe the ritual function of the quinceañera or in other words what does the event actually do? What symbols are used in the ritual and what do they mean? Describe the ritual process in terms of initiation (preparation and prior instruction), liminality (the ritual event from beginning to end); communitas (resulting outcome or how girl is changed into a señorita)? Does the quinceañera privilege and/or reinforce a patriarchal social order by normalizing heterosexuality? Define other Chicana/o rituals and discuss the meaning of certain rites of passage to Chicanas (weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, reunions, graduation)? Distinguish danza from baile in terms of choreography, meaning, function, context, and social value. What generally happens at the baile following the formal ritualized events? Is the dance an essential element within the ritual complex and if so how does the baile affect sexuality or does it? Is the baile a carnivalesque tradition-a ritualized celebration (according to literary critic Mikhail Bakhtin) that is oriented around the passions of plentitude (i.e. binge drinking, flirtatious behavior, courtship, overeating, fighting, farting, fucking . . .). The carnivalesque is where the social order may be inverted momentarily and the peasant (working class) becomes king or princess and mocking laughter is designed to “uncrown power”.
View: Dirty Laundry: A homemade Telenovela by Christina Ibarra and Monica Nanez (NY SubCine 2000).
Vocabulary: baile, danza, ritual, quinceañera, chambelán, el cambio, cinquentañera, menstruation, damas, madrinas/padrinos, corona, diadema, libro y rosario, medalla de oro, esclava, brindis, corte de honor, salon de baile, libro de recuerdos, conocida, niña, joven, mujer, señora,
Week Four: Baile (12992) Tuesday September 14, 2010
(13434) Monday September 13, 2010: Baile
Due: “Definitions and Theoretical Approaches to Popular Culture” (5 points) Pp. 3-13 in Tatum Chicano Popular Culture: Que Habla el Pueblo. Answer Discussion Questions 1-5 (1 point each response) on p. 13 and leader will submit responses typed (single spaced) w/ name and id# on left hand corner.
Read on e reserve: Royball, Jimmy Newmoon “Baile Folklórico” (pp. 52-55) in the Enyclopedia of Latino Popular Culture 2004, Volume 1. Connecticut: Greenwood Press. Cordelia Candelaria, Arturo Aldama and Peter J. Garcia, editors.
Discussion Leader:
View: Baile Folklorico
Workshop: In Class Baile repertoire: Baile de la Escoba, Vals de los Paños
Finalize: Dramatic Readings, Music Concert, and Visual Art Groups Assignments
(13434) Wednesday September 15, 2010: Canciones de Mi Padre
View: Canciones de Mi Padre
Week Five: Lo Ranchero y La Escaramuza (12992) Tuesday September, 21, 2010
(13434) Monday September 22, 2010: Mariachi Music and Baile Folklorico
Recommended Activity: Gather a group of classmates or amigas/os for an evening of Mariachi or Tejano music, dancing, and snacks at a local restaurant. Be sure to phone for days and times. Request various song forms including: huapangos, sones, boleros, corridos, and rancheras. Don’t forget to rate the food and if you drink designate a driver always!
Read: (Pérez) “Transgressing the Taboo: A Chicana’s Voice in the Mariachi World” Pp. 143-166; in Cantú and Nájera-Ramírez’s Chicana Traditions: Continuity and Change.
Discussion Leader:
(Jáquez) “Meeting La Cantante through Verse, Song, and Performance” Pp. 167-182 in Cantú and Nájera-Ramírez’s Chicana Traditions: Continuity and Change.
Discussion Leader:
View: Linda Ronstadt”s Canciones de Mi Padre
Vocabulary: Linda Ronstadt, Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan, corrido, cancion ranchera, bolero, son: Jalisciense, Jarocho, Huasteca, huapango. traje de charro, sombrero, la bamba, guitarrón, vihuela, Mariachi Sol de Mexico, Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles, Los Camperos, Pedro Infante, Jorge Negrete, Vicente Fernandez, Alejandro Fernandez (el Potrillo de Mexico)
Notes: Describe the traje de charro (mariachi suit) including sombero and know the names of the musical instruments and reportoire including: huapango; son (jalisco, jarocho, and veracruzano types); boleros; rancheras, and corridos.Why is mariachi music a national symbol of Mexican culture and how has it changed in the United States? Describe the macho elements in mariachi music in the United States. Is the charro a sexual symbol for Mexican masculine aesthetics and sensuality? What gender struggles have women musicians encountered within the male-dominated mariachi world? How does the introduction of higher women’s voices change the character of the art form and the overall sound?
(13434) Wednesday September 22, 2010: Charreada
Read: (Nájera-Ramírez) “Mounting Traditions: The Origin and Evolution of La Escaramuza Charra” Pp. 207-223 in Cantú and Nájera-Ramírez’s Chicana Traditions: Continuity and Change
Discussion Leader:
View: Charreada
Vocabulary: charro, escaramuza, machismo, Las Adelitas, traje/sombrero
Questions and Notes: Describe sportsmanship and identity in la charreada including gender conflicts, roping events, competitions, history, and contemporary meaning. In what ways is Mexican charreada similar to and different from American rodeo in the United States? Describe the various riding and lasso competitions taking place in contemporary charreada and other music, dance, food, clothes, and cultural
Week Six: Musica Tejana (12992) Tuesday September 28, 2010
(13434) Monday September 27, 2010: Tejano Music
Due: “Music” (6 points) Pp. 14-49 in Tatum Chicano Popular Culture: Que Habla el Pueblo. Answer Discussion Questions on p. 48 (1/2 point each response) and submit your responses typed (single spaced) w/ name and id# on left hand corner.
Read: (Broyles-González) “Ranchera Music(s) and the Legendary Lydia Mendoza: Performing Social Location and Relations” Pp. 183-206 in Cantú and Nájera-Ramírez’s Chicana Traditions: Continuity and Change
Discussion Leader:
View: Songs of the Homeland
Vocabulary: accordion, bajo sexto, Beto Villa, Lydia Mendoza, Little Joe Hernandez, “Las Nubes”, Sunny (Ozuna) and the Sunglows, Carlos Santana, conjunto/norteño, orquesta tipica, R & B, rock ‘n’ roll, Country Western, Flaco Jimenez, Narcisso Martinez, Valerio Longorio, polka
Notes: Tejano music is a broad genre consisting of several styles including conjunto, orquesta, R & B, Country Western and Mariachi. Be able to identify the most important musical instruments, musicians, and singers for each expression. Why is regional identity so pronounced in Texas and how is Tejano music and dance unique from other Chicana/o arts we have studied thusfar? How does conjunto music function as a symbol for the Mexican working class? Who is the father of conjunto music and orquesta tejana? Who added lyrics to the instrumental polka? What popular American music program did Sunny Ozuna appear on following his rock and roll hit tune and who was the host of the show? Discuss Little Joe Hernandez’s hit “Las Nubes” as an anthem for Texas Farm Workers.
Recommended Activity: Check out a local concert by a Chicano rock band like El Chicano, Tierra, Los Lobos, or War or attend a nueva onda (new wave) Latin Rock group like Ozomatli or Quetzal. Be able to describe the bands sound and use of indigenous, acoustic, and electronic instruments, Spanish, English, and bilingual language, and use of Chicano symbolism and political activism.
(13434) Wednesday September 29, 2010: Selena
Due: Artistic Event report and critique #1.
Read: (Vargas) “Cruzando Frontejas: Remapping Selena’s Tejano Music “Crossover”” Pp. 224-236 in Cantú and Nájera-Ramírez’s Chicana Traditions: Continuity and Change.
Discussion Leader:
Vocabulary: A.B. Quintanilla, Kumbia Kings, Los Dinos, Chris Perez, Jennifer Lopez, Barrio Boyz, Los Lobos, Selena Quintanilla-Perez, Flaco Jimenez, Mingo Saldivar
View: Selena Remembered
Notes and Questions: Discuss the erotic elements in Selena’s musical performances and videos as a Latina pop star including choreography, singing style, songs, fashion, visual images, and hair. Describe the high points of Selena’s musical career and identify at least 3 of her greatest hits. How did Tejano music become popular and stylized following the 1980s and MTV? How have Chicana/o musical tastes, dance, and aesthetics changed since the 1990s?
Week Seven Children’s Games and Song and So Cal Pop Music and Rock ‘n’ Roll (12992) Tuesday October 5, 2010
(13434) Monday October 4, 2010: El Chicano
(Espinoza) “Tanto Tiempo Disfrutamos . . .: Revisiting the Gender and Sexual Politics of Chicana/o Youth Culture in East Los Angeles in the 1960s” Pp. 89-106 in Gaspar de Alba’s Velvet Barrios: Popular Culture and Chicana/o Sexualities.
Discussion Leader:
Listen: Sabor a Mi
Vocabulary: Sabor a Mi, bolero, El Chicano, Ersi Arvizu
Notes and Questions: Discuss the importance of language in cultural politics and community maintenance for Chicanas/os. What does Espinoza mean when she refers to “Sabor a Mi” as an unofficial anthem for East L.A. Chicanos?
Finish: Selena Remembered
Recommended Activity: Ask an older family member or Spanish-speaking person to play a traditional oral Spanish language game and teach it to a child. Consider the values, morals, and ethics being taught and the cultural significance and meaning within the game. How does the game’s lessons and values compare with today’s playstation, Nintendo, and Gameboys? What values do drinking games promote?
Wednesday October 6, 2010 Children's Games and Music Masterclass
Read: (Herrera-Sobek) “Danger! Children at Play: Patriarchal Ideology and the Construction of Gender in Spanish-Language Hispanic/Chicano Children’s Songs and Games” Pp. 81-99 in Cantú and Nájera-Ramírez’s Chicana Traditions: Continuity and Change
Discussion Leader:
Notes and Questions: How do children’s games, toys, and nursery rhymes teach gender roles, cultural identity, language, and moral values?
Don gato, Los diez Perritos, Naranja Dulce, Arroz con Leche, Matarile, rile, ro, La Roña, Loteria, Hilitos, Hilitos de oro, la Vieja Ines, listones,
Sing: la Rana, Las Mańanitas, Cielito Lindo, El Rey, Y Volver. All students are invited to participate in the music workshop regardless of talent or ability. Copies of music should be downloaded along with translations. Students will learn musical fundamentals regarding singing including: posture, breathing, phrasing, pronunciation, expression, and style.
Week Eight Chicano Rap, Hip-Hop, and Legend (12992) Tuesday October 12, 2020
(13434) Monday October 11, 2010 Chicano Rap and Hip-Hop
(Rodríguez) “The Verse of the Godfather: Signifying Family and Nationalism in Chicano Rap and Hip-Hop Culture Pp. 107-124 in Gaspar de Alba’s Velvet Barrios: Popular Culture and Chicana/o Sexualities
Discussion Leader:
(Rodríguez) "Queering the Homeboy Aesthetic" Pp. 127-137 in Aztlán: A Journal of Chicano Studies 31:2 (Fall 2006) (on-reserve).
Discussion Leader:
Study Questions: Discuss the bilingual lyrics in Chicana/o rap music and describe the themes, messages, and important artists. What kinds of social problems, political struggles, and community issues are articulated in Latina/o Hip Hop music? What problem does Rodriguez have with Kid Frost’s definition of familia? Should certain artists be censored or should youth be discouraged from listening to certain types of rap music or artists? Describe the Homeboy Aesthetic and the Homoerotic art of Hector Silva?
Vocabulary: Chicano2da Bone, Lighter Shade of Brown, Kid Frost, cumbia, Hip Hop/Rap, La Raza, family, barrio, techno cumbia, reggaetón, cholo, queer vato, Hector Silva, Deadlee (Good Soldier II).
Listen: Kid Frost, Lighter Shade of Brown
View: Deadlee "Good Soldier II"
Recommended Activity: Ask older Latinas/os or relatives to tell you the legend of La Llorona and pay attention to the way the story is told. Is there a difference in the way the story is told when performed by different genders? What are the important details emphasized in the story and how does it change in an urban setting?
Wednesday October 13, 2010: Exam 1 Music and Dance (20 questions multiple choice) Bring laptop computer
Week Nine Legends, Zoot Suit, Baseball, and Dodgers (12992) October 19, 2010
(13434) Monday October 18, 2010: La Llorona and Teatro
Read: (Pérez) “Lost in the Cinematic Landscape: Chicanas as Lloronas in Contemporary Film” Pp. 229-250 in Gaspar de Alba’s Velvet Barrios: Popular Culture and Chicana/o Sexualities
Discussion Leader:
(Pérez) “Caminando con La Llorona: Traditional and Contemporary Narratives” Pp. 100-116 in Cantú and Nájera-Ramírez’s Chicana Traditions: Continuity and Change
Discussion Leader:
Vocabulary: la llorona, el Kookoóee, acto, mito, leyenda, maquiladora, Gregory Nava, John Sayles, Allison Anders, David Lynch cuento dicho chiste
Study Questions: Explain the difference between myth and legend? What are the common elements in the legend of la Llorona? How does Perez distinguish between traditional and contemporary narratives?
View: Zoot Suit
Recommended activities: Check out some of the Chicana/o movies discussed in the Tatum assignment or in the Velvet Barrios textbook. Discuss the use of stereotypes, language, humor, and themes.
Wednesday October 20, 2010: Read: (Madrid) “In Search of the Authentic Pachuco: an Interpretive Essay” Pp. 17-40 in Gaspar de Alba’s Velvet Barrios: Popular Culture and Chicana/o Sexualities.
Discussion Leader:
(Avila) “Revisiting the Chavez Ravine: Baseball, Urban Renewal, and the Gendered Civic Culture of Postwar Los Angeles” Pp. 125-140 in Gaspar de Alba’s Velvet Barrios: Popular Culture and Chicana/o Sexualities.
Discussion Leader:
Study Questions: What types of written documents and official records does Madrid examine in order to arrive at his conclusions regarding Pachucos? What role did journalism have in constructing a legendary image of the Pachuco? Discuss the city condemnation of the Chavez Ravine in bringing the Dodgers to Los Angeles. Describe the popularity of baseball in the barrio and the Dodgers as a cultural symbol for Los Angeles.
Vocabulary: Pachuco/a, LAPD, Zoot Suit Riots, drapes, gabachos, bolillos, gringos, pocho, caló, Sleepy Lagoon, Chavez Ravine, Dodger Stadium, la causa
View: Zoot Suit Riots
Week Ten: Film, Folk Beliefs and Healing (12929) Tuesday October 26, 2010
(13434) Monday October 25, 2010: Curanderismo and Cinema
Due: “Cinema” (8 points) Pp. 50-88 in Tatum Chicano Popular Culture: Que Habla el Pueblo. Answer Discussion Questions on p. 87 1-12 (1/2 point for each response) and Pp. 126-133 answer Discussion Questions on p. 151 4-5 (2 points) and submit your responses typed (single spaced) w/ name and id# on left hand corner. Following completion of assignment, check out a Chicana/o flick with your classmates which may be used as a cultural event report.
Read: (Vidaurri) “Las Que Menos Quería el Niño: Women of the Fidencista Movement” Pp. 133-142 in Cantú and Nájera-Ramírez’s Chicana Traditions: Continuity and Change.
Discussion Leader:
Study Questions: Discuss the influence of Niño Fidencio and the grassroots movement of blending folk Catholicism and traditional medicine.
Vocabulary: curanderismo: yerbero/a, sobador/a, partera, and huesero/a, materias, movimiento feminil
Finish: Zoot Suit
Wednesday October 27, 2010 Mexican Christianity
(Broyles-González) “Indianizing Catholicism: Chicana/India/Mexicana Indigenous Spiritual Practices in Our Image” Pp. 117-132 in Cantú and Nájera-Ramírez’s Chicana Traditions: Continuity and Change
Discussion Leader:
Read on e-reserve: Amalia Mesa Bains “Domesticana: The Sensibility of Chicana Rasquache” in Distant Relations/Cercancias Distantes. ed. by Trisha Ziff. Santa Monica: Smart Art Press
Discussion Leader:
Study Questions: How are Christian elements such as the cross, trinity, Jesus mixed or integrated into Native American beliefs and spirituality? Describe the Yaqui Waehma and the various symbols used within the ritual and what does Broyles-González mean by disimulo?
Vocabulary: Waehma, disimulo, bulto, retablo, rezador, sabíla, bendicíon, santas animas, mandas, promesas, Santa Teresa de Cabora, dichos,
View: Day of the Dead
Week Eleven: Media (12992) Tuesday November 2, 2010
(13434) Monday, November 1, 2010 Dia de los Muertos-
(Lucero) “Art of the Santera” Pp. 35-55 in Cantú and Nájera-Ramírez’s Chicana Traditions: Continuity and Change
Discussion Leader:
Read: (Alcalá) “A Chicana Hagiography for the Twenty-first Century: Ana Castillo’s Locas Santas” Pp. 3- 16 in Gaspar de Alba’s Velvet Barrios: Popular Culture and Chicana/o Sexualities
Discussion Leader:
Handout: Like Una Virgen
Vocabulary: Jesús Malverde, Santa Librada, Doña Sebastain, colcha, reredos, Milagros, ex-votos
Notes and Questions: Compare and contrast bultos, reredos, and retablos. How is the santero/a tradition changing throughout the Southwest Borderlands? Does a sacred object intended for private or public devotion lose its religious integrity when sold for profit?
View: Finish Day of the Dead
Visual Arts Groups: Altars, Masks, Day of the Dead art, and Nichos
Food Groups: Pan de Muerto, Champurrado
Wednesday November 3, 2010 Chicana/o Media
Recommended Activity: Listen to the Art Laboe oldies/dedications show and consider the life experiences of the callers into his show. What can you tell about Art Laboe’s audience in terms of class, language, race, and residence. Read La Opinion Spanish language newspaper and compare it with the LA Times. Watch current telenovela, news programs, or deportes on Univision or Telemundo. Critique Spanish language press in terms of representation, stereotypes, and news interests. How does it differ from English language media. How has media changed in the last ten years?
Due: “Newspaper, Radio, Television” Pp. 89-117 in Tatum Chicano Popular Culture: Que Habla el Pueblo. Answer Discussion Questions on p. 116 and submit your responses typed (single spaced) w/ name and id# on left hand corner.
Read: (Valdez) “Pensamiento Serpentino” & “Introduction to Chicano Theater” in Early Works, Actos, Bernabe, Pensamiento Serpentino. (1995) Houston: Arte Publico Press.
Discussion Leaders:
Dramatic Reading: The Militants
Study Questions and Notes: How does Valdez distinguish between acto and mito? What is the title and theme of the surviving Prehispanic ritual drama existing in the Americas discussed by Valdez? Discuss Valdez’s Pensamiento Serpentino and explain his Chicano approach to theater of reality. What is the point Valdez is trying to make using the concept IN LAK’ECH? What are the important symbols of the Chicano movement as presented in The Militants? Why did both Chicanos miss the larger point of the revolution? Characterize Dr. Bolillo and his political persuasion.
Week Twelve: Teatro Campesino (12992) Tuesday November 9, 2020
Monday November 8, 2010 : Teatro Campesino Masterclass
Dramatic Reading: Las Dos Caras del Patroncito
Dramatic Reading: Los Huelguistas
Dramatic Reading: La Conquista de Mexico (A Puppet Show)
Vocabulary: Pensamiento Serpentino IN LAK’ ECH colonization mestizaje acto/mito An nochipa tlaltipac: zan achica ye nican Popol Vuh El Rabinal Achi La Muerte, Hernan Cortes Ce Akatl La Malinche Moctezuma Cuauhtemoc Quetzalcoatl Tenochtitlan Fray Bartolo Teomama Cempoala Cholula coatlique el Quinto Sol
Study Questions and Notes: Discuss the humorous and comic elements in Las Dos Caras del Patroncito. Discuss the indigenous elements in Luis Valdez’s La Conquista de Mexico.
Wednesday November 10, 2010 Teatro Masterclass
Recommended Activity: Check out a local Chicano or Latin American art gallery and take note of important works, artists, color, and imagery. What kinds of art works did you see (water colors, dibujo (drawing), tatuaje) and discuss the museum. Take a tour of Los Angeles murals and describe themes, imagery, symbolism, political and historical struggles. Check out local or on-campus murals. What symbols are used and how do they represent la raza in Chicana/o murals throughout the region? Is graffiti and tagging a form of political protest or vandalism? Work on event reports.
Due: Artistic Event report and critique.
Dramatic Reading: Los Vendidos
Dramatic Reading: Soldado Razo
Vocabulary: Pachuco Revolutionario Farmworker Mexican American Vietnam War. Pancho Villa Emiliano Zapata Mexican Revolution 1910-1917 Viva la Raza Hijos de la Chingada!
Notes and Questions: Discuss the humorous elements and comedy in Los Vendidos. Discuss the tragic elements in Soldado Razo and does it speak to today’s war on terror?
Week Thirteen Teatro and Performance Art (12992) Tuesday November 16, 2010
(13434) Monday November 15, 2010: Queer LGBT Teatro and Performance
(Gutiérrez) “Deconstructing the Mythical Homeland: Mexico in Contemporary Chicana Performance” Pp. 63-74 in Gaspar de Alba’s Velvet Barrios: Popular Culture and Chicana/o Sexualities
Discussion Leader:
(Marrero)“Out of the Fringe: Desire and Homosexuality in the 1990s Latino Theater” Pp. 283-294 in Gaspar de Alba’s Velvet Barrios: Popular Culture and Chicana/o Sexualities.
Discussion Leader:
(Figueroa) “Resisting Beauty and Real Women Have Curves” Pp. 265-282 in Gaspar de Alba’s Velvet Barrios: Popular Culture and Chicana/o Sexualities.
Discussion Leader:
Vocabulary: Luis Alfaro, Monica Palacios, Pedro Monge-Rafuls, Nao Bustamante, Coco Fusco, Cherrie Morraga, Guillermo Gomez-Pena, la Migra U.S. Border Patrol, plot, story, narrative (horizontal and dialectical)
Study Questions: How has Latino Theater engaged sexuality issues since the 1990s and what are and have been the prominent themes and plots? Describe the works of Culture Clash and Guillermo Gomez Pena. How do these performers use humor, satire, irony as resistance and as protest expressing important political ideas and counterhegemony? Discuss body image in Real Women Have Curves and the racialization and gendering of Mexican women in the play.
View: Real Women Have Curves
Wednesday November 17, 2010 : Body Art and Tatuaje
Report #2 Due
Recommended Activity: Attend a local car club dance and/or low rider show and describe the various cars, girls, and aesthetics. What symbols are used on the cars and how do they compare to Chicana/o murals throughout the region? Is graffiti and tagging a form of political protest or vandalism?
Reading: (Madrigal) “Los Borrados: A Chicano Quest for Identity in a Post-Apocalyptic Culturally Defunct Hispanic Utopia (A Reinterpretive Chicano Comic)” Pp. 331-321 in Gaspar de Alba’s Velvet Barrios: Popular Culture and Chicana/o Sexualities
Read: (Marianna Nunn) “Goldie Garcia: La Reina de South Broadway y Rasquache” Pp. 237-250 in Cantú and Nájera-Ramírez’s Chicana Traditions: Continuity and Change
Discussion Leader:
Read on e-reserve:“Rasquachismo: A Chicano Sensibility” in Chicano Aesthetics: Rasquachismo, 5-8. Catalog. Phoenix: MARS [Movimiento Artistico del Río Salado], 1989.
Discussion Leader:
Read: (Sandoval) “Cruising Through Low Rider Culture: Chicana/o Identity in the Marketing of Low Rider Magazine” Pp. 179-198 in Gaspar de Alba’s Velvet Barrios: Popular Culture and Chicana/o Sexualities
Discussion Leader:
(Rodríguez) “A Poverty of Relations: On Not “Making Familia from Scratch,” but Scratching Familia” Pp. 75-88 in Gaspar de Alba’s Velvet Barrios: Popular Culture and Chicana/o Sexualities
Discussion Leader:
Vocabulary: Great Salsa Wars Hispania OTM’s Los Borrados
Notes and Questions: What key cultural symbols are used in Chicana/o tatuaje? What does tatuaje share in common with graffiti, murals, spiritual art, and other visual expression we have studied thusfar? Describe various forms of body piercing and other ornamentation (i.e. shaving, cosmetics, plastic surgical enhancements, tattoos, etc.,etc.,) and explain the meaning and attitudes regarding this national counter-cultural expression. How do Chicana/o artists use body ornamentation and other forms of visual art to make political statements and protests? Is Low Rider magazine demeaning to Chicanas and how does it portray Chicano culture and urban barrio life within the United States? What idealized images do popular celebrities like Thalia put forth for Latinas and Chicanas? Are these images realistic and healthy
Vocabulary: tatuaje, piercing, graffiti, Goldie Garcia Rasquachismo ephemera nichos altares papel picado, murals, altars, calaveras, piñatas, tatuaje, chalk drawing, fotonovelas, Murals, Harry Gamboa Jr. Esther Hernandez pachuco, Chicano Movement Low Rider magazine Latina Magazine chola/o, Car Clubs tatuaje piercing Moderna Magazinelow riders, joyeria, santero/a, graffiti, drawing, pintura, sculpture, calendario,
Skin Flix: Student Body Art, Tatuaje, Ornamentation (*possible nudity and adult content)
Tour: Dept. of Chicana/o Studies Murals.
Week Fourteen Chicana/o Visual Arts (12992) Tuesday November 16, 2010
(13434) Monday November 15, 2010: Muralism
Due “Art, Celebrations, and Other Popular Traditions” (6 points) Pp. 153-191 in Tatum Chicano Popular Culture: Que Habla el Pueblo. Answer Discussion Questions on p. 189 (1-8 = ½ point each response 9-10 additional 1 point for each response upon completion of 1-8) and submit your responses typed (single spaced) w/ name and id# on left hand corner.
Recommended Activists: Take a day trip to Chicano Park in San Diego and experience the murals firsthand. Take photographs and describe the use of colors, themes, symbols, and Barrio Logan.
Read on e- Reserve: Tomas Ybarra-Frausto’s “The Chicano Movement/The Movement of Chicano Art” in Exhibiting Cultures: the Poetics and Politics of Museum Display. ed. By Ivan Karp and Steven D. Lavine. @1992 Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press (on reserve).
Discussion Leader:
View: Chicano Park
Vocabulary: Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco, David Alfaro Siquieros, Frida Kahlo, Magical realism, muralism, Chicano Park, Los Tres Grandes
Questions: Chicano Park is located in which San Diego Barrio? Describe the historical context surrounding the communities resistance and how the muralists sought inspiration. Describe the use of magical realism in Chicano muralism. When is Chicano Park day celebrated?
Wednesday November 17, 2010 Border Consciousness and Cultural Schizophrenia
Recommended Activity: Check out a Latino stand up comedian or comedy club and discuss the use of stereotypes, humor, and comedy.
Read: (Gaspar de Alba) “Rights of Passage: From Cultural Schizophrenia to Border Consciousness in Cheech Marín’s Born in East L.A.” Pp. 199-214 in Gaspar de Alba’s Velvet Barrios: Popular Culture and Chicana/o Sexualities.
Discussion Leader:
Note: One of the most interesting features in Cheech and Chong movies is the use of ethnic stereotypes which are ascribed to everyone and all ethnic groups. Discuss uses of language, humor, and comedy in Born in East L.A.! What does Gaspar de Alba mean by Cultural Schizophrenia and Border Consciousness? Research this popular comedy pair’s individual biographies and artistic careers including what they are they doing now?
View: Born in East L.A.
Vocabulary: Cheech Marin, Tommy Chong, Paul Rodriguez, slapstick , INS, la Migra, U.S.Border Patrol, Border Consciousness, Cultural Schizophrenia
Week Fifteen Humor and Visual Arts (12992) Tuesday November 23, 2010
(13434) Monday November 22, 2010
Finish: Born in East LA
Wednesday November 24, 2009: Thanksgiving Holiday (no class meeting)
Week Sixteen: Visual Art Projects (12929) Tuesday November 30, 2010
(13434) Monday November 29, 2010
Course Evaluations
Art Show and Tell
Wednesday December 1, 2010 Latino Kings of Comedy
Week Seventeen Food and Test Review (12929) December 7, 2010
(13434) Monday December 6, 2010 Food:
Culinary Arts: pozole, enchildadas, aguas frescas, salsa and chips
(13434) Wednesday December 8, 2010
Review for Final Exam
Final Exams:
12992 December 14, 2010 5:30-7:30 JR 118
13434 December 13, 2010 3:00-5:00 SH 198