History 4372 Dr. Paul Hart
Mexican American History Office: 222 Taylor-Murphy
Hours: W 10-2 and T,TH by appointment
Phone: 245-2067; email: ph18@txstate.edu
Course description:
This course will introduce you to Mexican American history by tracing the contou
rs of the
social, political and cultural history of Mexican Americans and Mexican immigrants in the
"American Southwest," especially Texas and California. We will concentrate on
the period from 1848 to the present, but will also look at Mexican history for a
background to the cultural heritage of Mexican Americans. Our discussions of the twentieth
century Mexican American experience will be integrated with broader themes in America,
such as the intersections between race, class, and gender a
nd the controversies involved
in the development of a multiethnic, multilingual society. By the end of the course we
should have learned something about how Mexican Americans and American society have helped
shape each other over time.
So, within this context the goals of this course are to:
Required Reading:
Anglos and Mexicans in the Making of Texas, 1836-1986, by David Montejano.
The Tortilla Curtain, by T. Coraghessan Boyle.
Relevant essays and documents to be distributed du ring the course of the semester.
Montejano’s book will serve as the text for the class. Boyle’s book is a novel that we will read in the second half of the semester and about which you will be asked to write a short critique.
Required Writing:
There will be two main writing assignments during the semester. One will be a two and one
half page critical review (about 625 words) of The Tortilla Curtain. This is a review, not
a report and we will go over the difference and
my expectations regarding this assignment
in class.
You will write a research paper in this class. Don’t panic. This may turn out to be the part of the class you enjoy the most. The end result will be a fifteen to twenty page paper that incorporates your particular findings with a general historical background of the Mexican American experience in Texas. Details of the project will be outlined in class and I will provide you with a written description of the assignment and the guideli nes during week 2. You will make a brief oral presentation of your findings to the class.
In addition to these two writing assignments there will be two exams: a mid-term and a final. The exams will cover the lecture and discussion materials and the chapters assigned from Montejano’s book as well as the additional readings. The tests will be made up of short essay and identification questions.
Grades:
Your grade will be determined as follows:
Book Review: 15%
Research Paper: 40%
Tests: 20% each
Class participation: 5%
General Policies: Please read all materials by the appointed time. The readings will be discussed in class and your participation will enhance the class for you, me, and the other students, but only if you’re actually prepared. You will get more out of the class if you read and participate. You can only participate if you’re there, so attend class as 5% of your grade is based on our discussions.
I al so encourage you to come visit during office hours. If your schedule does not allow you to come by during the established times I will be glad to make other arrangements. The history department also has a well- equipped computer lab for your use.
If you have a question just ask. If you do not feel like asking in class, come see me in my office.
If you need special accommodations let me know at the beginning of the semester and we will make the necessary arrangements.
Finally, don’t try and turn work in late. It will not be accepted unless there is some kind of documented medical emergency. In the case of an excused absence from an exam, all make-ups will be given at the end of the semester at a time arranged by the professor.
Lectures and Readings:
Week 1: General introduction (introduction to Montejano)
Week 2: The Pre-Columbian Past and the Spanish Colonial Period (chap 1)
Week 3: Early Independent Mexico 1821-1846, and another colonization (chap 2)
Week 4: The U.S. invasion (chap 3)
Week 5: Becoming Mexican American (chap 4)
Week 6: The Mexican Revolution (chap 5)
Week 7: Immigration, creating community and facing reaction (chap 6)
Week 8: The Great Depression and repatriation (chap 7 and 8) (start Tortilla Curtain)
Week 9: World War II overseas and at home (9-11)
Week 10: The Cold War, new opportunities, old problems
Week 11: Vietnam, Th e Civil Rights Movement, cultural nationalism and Chicano activism (chap 12)
Week 12: Continuity and change; Illegal immigration, pan-Latino identity and transnationalism (chap 13)
Week 13: Contemporary Issues, Affirmative action, English only, bilingual education,
Week 14: Class presentations
Week 15: Review
Final: To be administered at the time and place set by the University.