Latin.x.o.a.@:i.d. & entities

This is 200-level cross-disciplinary course
explores the history, cultures and contemporary
dynamics of Latinx communities, especially in
greater L.A., aimed at both self-identifying
Latinx and others. We begin with some canonical
examples of Latinx cultural migrations to the US
mainstream - whether individuals, discourses or
goods (Desi Arnaz; Junipero Serra and the
California missions; magic mushrooms, etc.), which
reveal the elasticity and the deformations of
assimilative processes. We continue with the
history of organized Latinx labor, culminating in
the achievements of César Chávez and the National
Farm Workers Association in the 1960s, followed by
the emergence of Chicano and Chicana protest
movements for civil and cultural rights in the
1970s. In a more granular focus, we delve into
urban history case studies through the Los Angeles
cities of El Monte / South El Monte. We then
consider how sociological issues are articulated
in the creative arts including Judy Baca's "The
Great Wall of Los Angeles" murals, Luis Valdez'
play and
film, Zoot Suit, and Latinx rap sounds of the
1990s and beyond. The course then explores the
remarkable concentration of anti-Latinx racism
under U.S. President Trump and the humanitarian
crisis of migrants at the U.S. southern border.
The final section considers performance,
"artivism" and youth and LGBTQ + cultural
testimonio, with a focus on Cal Arts Latinx grads.
These include the Mexican performance artist
Guillermo Gómez-Peña, whose "La Pocha Nostra"
troupe uses a body-based pedagogy to decompose
gender, ethnic and geographic borders, East L.A.
writer Caribbean Fragoza, whose short stories
blend the fantastic with barrio oral history, and
L.A.-based salvadoreña, Beatriz Cortez, a sculptor
and multimedia artist with a focus on
homelessness, forced migration and indigenous
models. Assessment methods include quizzes on
weekly key terms and concepts from the readings,
short answer responses, written summaries of
readings and oral debates. The final project is a
presentation on a Latinx community org which
exemplifies the course's focus on the interface of
mobilization and creativity. The project can be
done by small-group or individually.