Latin American and Latino Studies
32 Merrill College
(831) 459-4284
http://lals.ucsc.edu
Lower-Division Courses
1. Introduction to Latin American and Latino Studies. F,WInterdisciplinary introduction presenting the elements for studying Latin American politics and economics, culture, and society as well as the dynamics of Latino communities in the U.S. Special attention paid to issues of colonialism, human rights, U.S. foreign policy toward Latin America, racism, capitalist globalization, migration, to emerging political and economic shifts in the Americas, and to new local and transnational efforts for social change on the part of Latin America's peoples and Latinos in the U.S. (General Education Code(s): ER.) The Staff
5. Introduction to Human Rights and Social Justice. S
Introduces human rights as a way to study social justice. Students gain an understanding of interdisciplinary approaches to human rights as a theory, legally, and as a basis for global social movements. (General Education Code(s): PE-H.) S. Falcon
20. Latino Politics. *
Offers a domestic (U.S.) and transnational approach to Latino politics, focusing on the five largest Latino groups: Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans, Salvadorans, and Guatemalans. Issues addressed include Latino electoral participation, Latino public opinion, migrant political incorporation, and transnationalism among others. (General Education Code(s): ER.) A. Felix
30. Social Movements in Latin America. *
Examines contemporary social movements in Latin America, especially those that arose from popular response to different forms of social exclusion and to authoritarian political systems. Explores a variety of popular movements, their successes and setbacks, including rural and urban uprisings, native nations and their descendants, women, labor, human rights, and transnational movements. (General Education Code(s): CC.) J. Taft
32. Citizens, Denizens, Aliens. *
Explores theories and practices of citizenship with a focus on how institutions, such as the immigration apparatus, school, and prison, produce and shape inclusion, marginalization, exclusion, and mobility and how social actors envision and enact home and belonging. (Formerly course 132). (General Education Code(s): PR-E.) C. Ramirez
40. Latinos and Labor. *
Explores the historical, social, economic, and political dynamics of inequality, stratification, and segmentation that shape the occupational pathways and workplace conditions of Latinos in the United States. Students learn about the structures, policies, and ideologies that influence Latinos' working lives as well as how individuals experience their work in a variety of sectors. (Formerly Latinos, Work, and Organizing.) (General Education Code(s): ER.) The Staff
45. Intersections of Race, Class, and Gender. *
Introduces theories of race, class, and gender which shape understandings about racial/ethnic issues in the United States. With particular attention to the experiences of U.S. racial/ethnic groups, including Latinas/os, African Americans, Asian Americans, and Native Americans, this course draws from interdisciplinary research to address how race, class, and gender are also crosscutting dynamics. (Formerly Race, Class, Gender.) (General Education Code(s): ER.) The Staff
50. Transnational Feminist Organizing in the Americas. *
Explores key aspects of transnational feminist organizing in the Americas, including transnational feminist theories and feminist activism in Latin America and the Caribbean. Discusses how women from throughout the Americas region organize politically and socially across gender, race, ethnicity, sexuality, and nationality. (General Education Code(s): CC.) S. Falcon
60. Latin American Childhoods. *
Introduces research on childhood in contemporary Latin America. Explores discourses about Latin American children, the regional institutions shaping children's lives, and how children experience and negotiate these larger social forces. (General Education Code(s): CC.) J. Taft
70. Cinema and Social Change in Cuba. *
Examines selected feature-length films and documentaries produced after the Revolution of 1959 as a venue to study social change in Cuba. Cinema is used as artifact to document and critique social change. Topics include: the role of art and artist in Revolution, literacy campaign, changing gender relations, dissident sexualities, racial politics, and others. (General Education Code(s): IM.) The Staff
80D. Political Change in Mexico. *
Reviews broad trends in contemporary Mexican politics against the backdrop of long-term historical, social, and economic change throughout the 20th century, analyzing how power is both wielded from above and created from below. The course covers national politics, grassroots movements for social change and democratization, environmental challenges, indigenous movements, the media, and the politics of immigration and North American integration. (General Education Code(s): CC.) The Staff
80E. Latin American Philosophy. S
Is there a general school of philosophy endemic to Latin America? Would it have to appeal to quintessential Western philosophical questions regarding knowledge, values, and reality? If not, why not, and would it then still count as philosophy? What difference do ethnic and national diversity, as well as strong political and social inequality, make to the development of philosophical questions and frameworks? Course explores a variety of historically situated Latin American thinkers who investigate ethnic identity, gender, and socio-political inequality and liberation, and historical memory, and who have also made important contributions to mainstream analytical and continental philosophy. (Also offered as Philosophy 80E. Students cannot receive credit for both courses.) R. Winther
80F. Latinos in the U.S.: A Comparative Perspective. F
Analyzes the Latino experience in the U.S. with a special focus on strategies for economic and social empowerment. Stresses the multiplicity of the U.S. Latino community, drawing comparative lessons from Cuban-American, Puerto Rican, Chicano/Mexicano, and Central American patterns of economic participation and political mobilization. (General Education Code(s): ER.) The Staff
80H. Comparative Latina/o Histories. *
Designed to survey recent works in the field of Latina and Latino histories, with particular emphasis on historiographical approaches and topics in the field. Readings are chosen to expose a selection of the varied histories and cultures of Latina/os in the U.S., and focus primarily on Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, and Cubans. (General Education Code(s): CC.) G. Arredondo
80J. Race, Nation, and War. *
Evaluates the relationship between processes of racial formation, war, and nationalism in Latin America. Case studies range from the wars of independence to more recent forms of transnational violence. Students engage historical and anthropological perspectives and critiques of modernity. (General Education Code(s): ER.) C. Rivas
80P. Environment and Society in Latin America. *
Examines the implications of environmental degradation and resource extraction for economic growth and social inequality in Latin America. Course focuses on the connections between race, ethnicity, power, poverty, and environmental problems. (Formerly Energy, Society, and Ecology in Latin America.) (General Education Code(s): PE-E.) The Staff
80S. Sexualities and Genders in Latin American and Latina/o Studies. *
Introduction to issues and themes surrounding sexualities and genders within Latin American and Latina/o studies. Provides background in the basic theoretical and historical frameworks of gender and its relationship to sexuality. In addition to cross-border perspectives, course also examines how gender and sexuality are structured and experienced through other social categories. Enrollment limited to 80. (General Education Code(s): CC.) The Staff
80X. Central American Peoples and Cultures. *
Examines contemporary societies and peoples of Central America considering how, in recent decades, media, history, war, cultural production, and migration have shaped Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica both as individual nations and as a region. (General Education Code(s): CC.) C. Rivas
90. Contemporary Brazil. F
Introduces issues affecting contemporary Brazilian society and culture, such as the legacy of slavery and persisting social, racial, and gender inequities. Analyses of how different representations of Brazil sustain distinctive national projects, which, in turn, attribute specific meanings to blackness, whiteness, masculinity, femininity, and upper- and lower-class identities. (General Education Code(s): ER.) P. Pinho
95. Undergraduate Research Seminar (2 credits). F,W
Seminar for undergraduates participating in the Cultivamos Excelencia program supporting the development of students as researchers and active participants in academic communities; including lectures on disciplinary methods by participating faculty, work-in-progress sessions for mentors and student researchers, and workshops on formulating research questions, developing a research plan, writing a research paper, and professional development. Enrollment is by instructor permission. The Staff
Upper-Division Courses
100. Concepts and Theories in Latin American and Latina/o Studies. FInterdisciplinary exploration of transnational migrations; social inequalities; collective action and social movements; and cultural productions, products, or imaginaries. Examines how transnational migration and hemispheric integration are transforming Latin American studies and Chicana/o-Latina/o studies. Explores the influence of neoliberalism and globalization, especially the intersection of critical analysis and social-justice praxis. Completion of course 1 highly recommended. (Formerly course 10, Bridging Latin American and Latina/o Studies) Enrollment is restricted to sophomores, juniors, and seniors. (General Education Code(s): ER.) S. Patel
100A. Social Science Analytics. W
Compares diverse analytical strategies and builds practical research skills in the field of Latin American and Latino studies. (Formerly Politics and Society: Concepts and Methods.) Two-credit course 100L writing lab highly recommended. Prerequisite(s): course 100 and satisfaction of the Entry Level Writing and Composition requirements. Enrollment is restricted to sophomore, junior, and senior Latin American and Latino studies majors, minors, and combined majors or by permission. J. Taft
100B. Cultural Theory in the Americas. S
Focuses on transnational, regional, and local features of Latina/o and Latin American cultural production and artistic expression: how culture is shaped by historical, social, and political forces; how cultural and artistic practices shape the social world; and how culture is produced in an interconnected, postindustrial, and globalized economy. (Formerly Culture and Society: Culture in a Global Context.) Prerequisite(s): courses 100 and satisfaction of the Entry Level Writing and Composition requirements. Enrollment is restricted to sophomore, junior, and senior Latin American and Latino studies majors, minors, and combined majors. P. Pinho
112. Immigration and Assimilation. *
Examines immigration to U.S. from colonial era to present with special emphasis on issues of citizenship, social identities, and social membership. (Formerly American Studies 112.) (General Education Code(s): ER.) C. Ramirez
115. Mexico-United States Migration. *
Overview of Mexico-United States migration in historical and contemporary context. Focuses on Mexican experiences of racialization, deportability, second-class citizenship, and transnationalism--the cross-border networks, institutions, activities, loyalties, and identities by which Mexican migrants orchestrate their lives across international borders. Enrollment is restricted to sophomores, juniors and seniors. The Staff
122. Media and Nationalism. F
Evaluates the links between media and the production of national identities in Latin America. Focuses on theories of nationalism, media, and globalization to examine the production of national histories and representations. Enrollment is restricted to juniors and seniors. Enrollment limited to 48. C. Rivas
124. Brazilian Cinema. *
Surveys films by and/or about women from Brazil, drawing a picture of contemporary Brazilian cinema through the angle of gender in its articulation with sexuality, race, class, ethnicity, national identity, and other key concepts, while offering a visual and critical introduction to Brazilian culture. (General Education Code(s): IM.) The Staff
127. Genero, Nacion Y Modernidad En El Cine. *
Taught in Spanish. Examines the relationship between cinema, gender, the nation, and modernity. Focusing on films by key women filmmakers in Latino and Latin America, the seminar examines their engagement with identity, cultural imaginaries, coloniality, sexuality, and gender. Enrollment is restricted to Latin American and Latino studies majors, minors and combined majors. The Staff
128. Latino Media in the U.S. *
Explores the history and practice of Latino media in the U.S. with an emphasis on work created by, for, with, and about Latino constituencies. Course highlights the role that media plays in struggles for social change, political enfranchisement, creative self-expression, and cultural development. Course content varies with instructor. (Also offered as Oakes College 128. Students cannot receive credit for both courses.) Enrollment limited to 39. (General Education Code(s): IM.) The Staff
130. Expresiones cuirs de Género y Sexualidad en el cine Latinoamericano. *
Examines cinematic manifestations of dissident sexualities, as well as dissident expressions of gender and family in Latin American culture. Taught in Spanish. Enrollment is restricted to juniors and seniors. The Staff
131. Latino Literatures: Assimilation and Assimilability. *
Explores assimilation and assimilability in the United States, especially as related to the education and languages of Latinos, via literary forms, such as the memoir, novel, essay, short fiction, film, and/or poetry. (Meets the methods requirement in Latin America and Latino studies.) (General Education Code(s): TA.) C. Ramirez
136. Tourism, Culture, and Identity. *
Interdisciplinary study of tourism in Latin America and its interconnections with culture, power, and identity. Examines contemporary trends of tourism (ethnic tourism, diaspora tourism, sex tourism, and "favela tours") and explores how regional, national, and transnational identities shape and are shaped by tourism. Enrollment is restricted to juniors and seniors. P. Pinho
143. Race and Ethnicity. W
Race and ethnicity have been--and continue to be--powerful forces shaping the U.S. experience. This course examines a range of conceptual approaches and monographic studies grounded in the history of the U.S. The readings provide various criteria for studying and understanding these phenomena. The course problematizes "race" by asking what the readings tell us about "race-making" and the reproduction of racial ideologies in specific historical contexts. Similarly, "ethnicity" is treated as a historically specific social construct. (Meets the methods requirement in Latin America and Latino studies.) (General Education Code(s): ER.) The Staff
143J. Global Political Economy. F
Analyzes the global, social, economic, and political forces that shape transnational, national, and regional societal formations and consequently the entire environment for social change. Examines the evolution of revolutionary struggle and its origins within and impact upon the evolving capitalist system. The Staff
144. Mexicana/Chicana Histories. *
Explores current historical and theoretical writings on the lived experiences of Chicanas and Mexicana women in U.S. history. Themes include domination/resistance politics, (re)presentations, contestation, social reproduction, identity and difference. Meets the methods requirement in Latin America and Latino studies. (General Education Code(s): TA.) G. Arredondo
145. Grassroots Social Change in Latin America. *
Focuses on the analysis of collective action by underrepresented groups in Latin America. Concepts and issues include political participation and impact, gender, ethnicity and race, class, the environment, religion, non-governmental organizations, and social capital. Prerequisite(s): any two Latin American and Latino studies courses or permission of instructor; open to graduate students. Enrollment limited to 40. (General Education Code(s): CC.) The Staff
150. Afro-Latinos/as: Social, Cultural, and Political Dimensions. *
Explores the lives of African descendants in the Americas, including the Caribbean. Students learn about the settlement patterns of Afro-Latinos/as and Afro-Latin Americans in the region and the ways in which African descendants negotiate their multiple identities and broaden racial frameworks in the United States and Latin America. (General Education Code(s): ER.) S. Falcon
152. Consumer Cultures Between the Americas. W
Examines the circuits of media, commodities, and migration connecting the Americas in an age of globalization. Issues of states, transnational markets, social relations, and cultural representations addressed. Relationship between consumption, nationalism, and globalization is considered critically. (Meets the methods requirement in Latin America and Latino studies.) (General Education Code(s): CC.) C. Rivas
155. Latin American and Latino Youth Movements. *
Examines the histories, structures, and practices of Latin American and Latino youth movements. Analyzes the patterns, themes, and differences of social movements using primary documents. Addresses the dynamics of age, generation, race, ethnicity, and nation. Uses youth activism to explore questions relevant to the study of contemporary social movements in the Americas. J. Taft
156. Human Rights and Transnational Justice in the Americas. *
Provides students with an introduction to the emerging scholarly field of transnational justice. Examines transitional justice in a broad sense and through elected case studies. Prerequisite(s): course 1. Enrollment is restricted to junior and senior Latin American and Latino studies majors, minors, and combined majors. (General Education Code(s): CC.) S. Falcon
158. Latin American Political Economy. S
Explores and applies basic tools of Latin American political economy to map the evolution of the region's main patterns of economic growth and accompanying social structures across past centuries. Reviews the effects of neoliberal capitalist globalization on contemporary Latin America, resistance to destructive consequences, and the nature of emerging alternatives. F. Leiva
165. Contemporary Peru. *
Explores contemporary issues facing Peru by addressing the formation of the state and the country's troubled history with political and state violence. Students learn about Peru's multicultural/racial population and about ongoing conflicts and hopes for the country today. (General Education Code(s): CC.) S. Falcon
169. South America: History, Society, and Culture. W
Examines the southernmost region of South America, commonly referred to as the "Southern Cone," exploring the historical trajectories of Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay, and southern Brazil, from independence through the end of the 20th century. J. Erbig
170. Indigenous Struggles in the Americas. S
Focuses on the way Natives of First Peoples have interacted voluntarily and involuntarily with nonindigenous cultures. Examines their perspectives, thoughts, frustrations, and successes. Touches on land issues and examines the way current indigenous cultures of Latin America face and adapt to social change. Focuses mainly on the Andes, lowland Amazon, Mesoamerica, and other areas. (General Education Code(s): CC.) J. Erbig
171. Brazil in Black and White. F
Taught in Portuguese. Examines blackness and whiteness in Brazil through the lens of the intersectionality of race, gender, and class identities. Topics include: national narratives of racial democracy, racism, black activism, and the emerging studies of whiteness in Brazil. (General Education Code(s): ER.) P. Pinho
172. Visualizing Human Rights. F
Explores how visual artists take up the subject of human rights in response to urgent challenges facing Latina/o and Latin American communities across the Americas. Examines the imprint of film and media arts reshaping human-rights discourse. Considers persistent themes in Latina/o representation, including colonialism and state terrorism; self-representation and the rights of collectives (racial, ethnic, and sexual groups); social and economic rights. (Meets the methods requirement in Latin America and Latino studies.) S. Falcon
175. Migration, Gender, and Health. *
Through an interdisciplinary, cross-border approach, examines complex nature of Latino health in relation to migration and how women and men experience health problems differently. Examines how health problems are created by economic and social conditions, how migrants experience access to care, and how agencies can design culturally sensitive programs. (General Education Code(s): ER.) The Staff
178. Gender, Transnationalism, and Globalization. S
Focuses on the impact of globalization and transnationalism on gender relations in the Americas. Examines gender and power in the context of neoliberalism, modernity, the nation, social movements, and activism. Explores local and transnational constructions of gender, and the intersection of gender with race, ethnicity, class, and sexuality. Enrollment limited to 40. (General Education Code(s): ER.) S. Patel
180. Borders: Real and Imagined. *
Situates "The Border" historically and within the context of U.S. imperialism. Examines the formalization of political "borders," methods of enforcement, and intra-group conflicts. Examines the varied experiences of colonialism and immigration between Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Native Americans, and Cubans. Explores how the tools of "The Border" and "Borderlands" are being used to untangle the roles of race prejudice and sexual and gender discrimination. (Meets the methods requirement in Latin America and Latino studies.) (General Education Code(s): TA.) S. Patel
186. Field Research Methods. *
Introduction to field research methods that consider theory, methodological challenges, and epistemology in conducting research. Explains the research process, including designing research questions, interview instruments, concepts maps, and methods of data collection, and data analysis. (Meets the methods requirement in Latin America and Latino studies.) (Also offered as Sociology 186. Students cannot receive credit for both courses.) Prerequisite(s): course 100, and 100A or 100W. Enrollment is restricted to junior and senior Latin American and Latino studies majors, minors, and combined majors and Sociology majors. S. Falcon
190. Internship. F,W,S
Internships with campus or community organizations sponsored and evaluated by a Latin American and Latino studies faculty member. Students write an analytical paper or produce another major work agreed upon by student, faculty supervisor, and internship sponsor; sponsor must also provide review of experience. Students submit petition to sponsoring agency. May be repeated for credit. The Staff
190F. Internship (2 credits). F,W,S
Internships with campus or community organizations sponsored and evaluated by a faculty member from Latin American and Latino studies. Students write a short (8-page) descriptive paper or produce another work agreed upon by student and faculty supervisor. Students submit petition to sponsoring agency. May be repeated for credit. The Staff
194C. Criminalizing the Poor. *
Examines neoliberal discourses related to poverty that have become more critical of the poor over time, including reforms to social welfare, criminal justice, and immigration, and the ways in which the poor struggle to survive and contest neoliberalism. Enrollment is restricted to junior and senior Latin American and Latino studies majors and minors; and combined majors with global economics, sociology, literature, and politics. Enrollment limited to 25. (General Education Code(s): ER.) The Staff
194G. Chile: Social and Political Change. *
Taught in Spanish. Analysis of Chilean politics and society from the election of Salvador Allende in 1970 to the present. Particular emphasis is given to understanding the different forces, internal as well as external, that broke the Chilean tradition of democratic rule in 1973, and to the current configuration. Enrollment is restricted to junior and senior Latin American and Latino studies majors, minors, and combined majors. Enrollment limited to 25. (General Education Code(s): CC.) F. Leiva
194H. Central America and the United States. *
This senior seminar focuses on the connections between Central America and the United States. Covers Central American history, the political and economic relations between the isthmus and the United States, and Central American media and literature. (Formerly Central American Political Relations with the U.S.) Prerequisite(s): satisfaction of the Entry Level Writing and Composition requirements. Enrollment is restricted to junior and senior Latin American and Latino studies majors, minors, and combined majors. Enrollment limited to 25. C. Rivas
194M. Twentieth-Century Revolutions. *
Treatment of 20th-century Latin American revolutions from Zapata to the Zapatistas. Focuses on the causes and consequences of revolutions rather than on their narrative histories. Enrollment is restricted to junior and senior Latin American and Latino studies majors, minors, and combined majors. Enrollment limited to 25. (General Education Code(s): CC.) G. Arredondo
194Q. Globalization in the Americas. *
Introduces multiple dimensions of globalization by reviewing key theories and frameworks in order to understand development, social inequalities, trade agreements, multilateral institutions, and the future of globalization studies. Enrollment is restricted to junior, and senior Latin American and Latino studies majors, minors, and combined majors. Enrollment limited to 25. (General Education Code(s): CC.) S. Falcon
194R. Violencia Cotidiana en las Americas. F
Senior seminar taught in Spanish. Engages a critical study of violence, social relations, and everyday life in contemporary Latin America. Focuses on the relationship between narratives and acts of violence, and the constitution and social effects of these representations. Requires proficiency in Spanish (written and spoken), and advanced reading knowledge of Spanish. Enrollment is restricted to junior and senior Latin American and Latino studies majors, minors, and combined majors. Enrollment limited to 25. C. Rivas
194T. Youth and Citizenship. *
Explores multiple and contested meanings of "youth" and "citizenship"; how youth, civic, and political identities are imagined, produced and negotiated in social and cultural locations; and how different versions of Latina/o youth citizenship are promoted and articulated by social and political institutions. Enrollment is restricted to junior and senior Latin American and Latino studies majors, minors, and combined majors during priority enrollment only. J. Taft
194U. Political Violence in Mexico. *
Focuses on rural and urban case studies of state repression in post-revolutionary Mexico. Examines how political violence was a preferred method of governance by Mexico's autocratic rulers throughout the 20th century. Enrollment is restricted to juniors and seniors. Enrollment limited to 25. The Staff
194V. Comparative Migration Histories in the Americas. *
Traces major historical patterns of migration and related processes in the Americas over the past two centuries. Covers the social, cultural, political, and economic factors that drive and shape the movements of people and considers the ways migration has impacted the sending, transit, and receiving societies. Over the quarter, students come to understand major historical forces of migration that inform our contemporary world, including citizenship, urbanization, identity formations, globalization, and neoliberalism. Enrollment is restricted to seniors. Enrollment limited to 25. G. Arredondo
194X. Extractivism and Socio-Environmental Conflicts in the Americas. W
Explores, in-depth, how local communities, transnational capital, and state participate in conflicts anchored in extractive sectors, for example, mining, agro-exports, and so on. Through digital-based, case-study research, students identify and explore the logics of action, strategic interests, and the rhetoric of the principal protagonists in socio-ecological conflicts. Enrollment is restricted to juniors and seniors. F. Leiva
195B. Senior Project. F,W,S
Senior thesis writing under direction of major adviser. Students submit petition to sponsoring agency. May be repeated for credit. The Staff
195C. Senior Project. F,W,S
Senior thesis writing under direction of major adviser. Students submit petition to sponsoring agency. May be repeated for credit. The Staff
198. Field Study. F,W,S
Off-campus study in Latin America, the Caribbean, or nonlocal Spanish-speaking community in the U.S. Nature of proposed study/project to be discussed with sponsoring instructor(s) before undertaking field study; credit toward major (maximum of three courses per quarter) conferred upon completion of all stipulated requirements. Students submit petition to sponsoring agency. May be repeated for credit. The Staff
198F. Independent Field Study (2 credits). F,W,S
Individual studies undertaken off-campus. Students submit petition to sponsoring agency. May be repeated for credit. The Staff
199. Tutorial. F,W,S
Supervised directed reading; weekly or biweekly meetings with instructor. Final paper or examination required. Students submit petition to sponsoring agency. May be repeated for credit. The Staff
199F. Tutorial (2 credits). F,W,S
Supervised research and writing of an expanded paper, completed in conjunction with requisite writing for an upper-division course taken for credit in the major. Students submit petition to sponsoring agency. May be repeated for credit. The Staff
Graduate Courses
200. Bridging Latin American and Latina/o Studies. FExplores social, cultural, economic, and political changes that connect Latin America and U.S. Latina/o communities. The objective of this interdisciplinary team-taught course is to bridge previously distinct research approaches of Latin American and Latina/o studies to better understand processes that link peoples and ideas across borders as well as help students to conceptually and methodologically identify and design new objects of study and revisit traditional approaches. Core requirement for students pursuing the Parenthetical Notation in Latin American and Latino studies. Enrollment is restricted to graduate students. S. Falcon
200A. Power and Society. W
Assesses key concepts organized around questions of power in contemporary Latina/o and Latin American interdisciplinary intellectual thought in the social sciences. Emphasis is on understanding power in relation to transnationalism and the department's substantive themes. Enrollment is restricted to graduate students. Enrollment limited to 15. F. Leiva
200B. Theories of Culture in the Americas. S
Introduces foundational theories and problems organized around questions of culture and epistemology; emphasizes developing interdisciplinary, humanities-based interpretive and analytic skills for understanding how culture is conceptualized; draws from critical social and cultural theories. Enrollment is restricted to graduate students. Enrollment limited to 15. P. Pinho
201. Research in Praxis: Epistemology, Ontology, and Ethics. *
Problematizes the construction of research approaches in the interdisciplinary field of Latin American and Latino studies, and provides training in particular approaches in the social sciences and humanities so students may engage in innovative, transnational research. Enrollment is restricted to graduate students. Enrollment limited to 15. C. Ramirez
202. Latin/o American Spaces and Modernity. W
Students engage and discuss texts that examine the relationship between space, narratives, and ideas of the modern nation, along with critical studies that highlight the social effects of imaginaries and representations. Enrollment is restricted to graduate students. Enrollment limited to 15. C. Rivas
203. Latin American Social Movements. W
Grounds students in the social science literature on Latin American social movements, integrating anthropological, sociological, and political science approaches to the field. Enrollment is restricted to graduate students. Enrollment limited to 15. J. Taft
204. Migration, Borders, and Borderlands. *
Explores concepts and approaches related to migration; the multiple types of borders that migrants transcend--geopolitical, social, cultural, or interpersonal; and borderland formations constructed in relation to bodies in motion. Enrollment is restricted to graduate students. Enrollment limited to 15. The Staff
205. Comparative Mobilities. S
Brings together comparative studies of physical and social mobility with a focus on race, migration, and citizenship. Both an articulation and study of comparison, course is organized around three components: comparative borders; comparative migration; and comparative ethnic studies. The questions animating it include: What happens when different histories, places, and peoples are compared? How and why do scholars in the humanities and humanistic social sciences compare? What are the strengths and challenges of a comparative approach? Enrollment is restricted to graduate students. Enrollment limited to 15. C. Ramirez
206. Queer Cuba. *
Seminar that engages social, political, and cultural histories of homosexuality in Cuba, focusing on LGBT ostracism and activism after 1959, with particular attention to the social and economic impact of the developments of the USSR on Cuba's LGBT population. Enrollment is restricted to graduate students. Enrollment limited to 15. The Staff
207. Youth Cultures, Global Capitalism, and Social Change. *
Introduces intellectual histories of youth studies scholarship in the context of Latin American and Latino studies; explores young people's lived experiences of racialized capitalism and globalization; and addresses various forms of youth "resistance" and the relationship between youth cultures, politics, and social change. Enrollment is restricted graduate students. Enrollment limited to 15. J. Taft
208. Politics of Childhood and Youth. F
Explores how narratives about children, teens, youth, and students are imbued with political significance, and the ways young people are actively engaged in political practices. Considers how representations and lived experiences of youth can serve to reproduce and/or challenge inequalities. Enrollment is restricted to graduate students. Enrollment limited to 15. J. Taft
210. Latina Feminisms: Theory and Practice. *
Through an interdisciplinary approach, explores Latina feminist social theory and scholarly practice—especially in representation and interpretation of Latina experiences. Examining key texts at different historical junctures, charts how Latinas of varied ethnic, class, sexual, or racialized social locations have constructed oppositional and/or relational theories and alternative epistemologies or political scholarly interventions and, in the process, have problematized borders, identities, cultural expressions, and coalitions. Enrollment is restricted to graduate students. The Staff
211. Paradigms of Race/Color, Sexuality, and Culture in Latin America. *
Explores foundational texts by Latin American intellectuals that have served to construct and sustain continental, regional, national, and transnational cartographies of identities and the search for lo americano. Examines race/color, sexuality, and culture by tracing their narrative and conceptual (trans)formations in the region and its diaspora. Most texts are read in the original language of publication. Enrollment is restricted to graduate students. Enrollment limited to 15. The Staff
212. Latina/o Ethnographic Practice. *
Explores the social construction of Latino cultures in their varied regional, national-ethic, and gendered contexts. Examines how culture, as a dynamic process constructed with a historical context of hierarchical relations of group power, is interrelated to the structural subordination of Latinos. Focuses on how power relations create a context for the creation of specific Latino cultural expressions and processes. Enrollment is restricted to graduate students. The Staff
215. Latina Cultural Studies: Culture, Power, and Coloniality. *
Examines the theories and practices informing the field of Latina cultural studies in the Americas. For students pursuing the Designated Emphasis in Latin American and Latino studies and students with interest in theories of coloniality of power, decolonialism, intercultural and transnational feminist methodologies. (Formerly Latina Cultural Studies: Transborder Feminist Imaginaries.) Enrollment is restricted to graduate students. The Staff
220. Transnational Civil Society: Limits and Possibilities. *
Analyzes social, civic, and political actors that come together across borders to constitute transnational civil society, drawing from political sociology, political economy, comparative politics, and anthropology to address collective identity formation, collective action, institutional impacts, and political cultures. Enrollment is restricted to graduate students. The Staff
225. Race in the Americas. *
Considers historical moments in the development of "race" in the Americas to understand how "race" is given meaning and actualized through practices, beliefs, and behaviors. Interrogates theories and racial dynamics in the 19th through 21st centuries to reveal interconnections with constructions of gender and nation. Enrollment is restricted to graduate students. Enrollment limited to 15. G. Arredondo
240. Culture and Politics of Human Rights. *
Examines cultural, philosophical, and political foundations for human rights and provides students with critical grounding in the major theoretical debates over conceptualizations of human rights in the Americas. Addresses the role of feminist activism and jurisprudence in the expansion of human rights since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Addresses challenges of accommodating gender rights, collective rights, and social and economic rights within international human rights framework. (Also offered as Feminist Studies 240. Students cannot receive credit for both courses.) Enrollment is restricted to graduate students. S. Falcon
242. Globalization, Transnationalism, and Gender in the Américas. *
Explores how globalization, transnationalism, and the social construction of gender are interrelated, contingent, and subject to human agency and resistance. Examines particular configurations of globalization, transnationalism, and gender through the Américas and their implications for race, space, work, social movements, migration, and construction of collective memory. Enrollment is restricted to graduate students. The Staff
243. Comparative Methods. *
Introduces the comparative method in social science. Trains students in the use of this method by examining how scholars have used it to compare across national governments, subnational units, public policies, organizations, social movements, and transnational collective action. (Also offered as Politics 243. Students cannot receive credit for both courses.) Enrollment is restricted to graduate students. Enrollment limited to 15. K. Eaton, J. Fox
244. Digital Mapping and Human Geographies. W
Explores the utility of geographical information systems (GIS) for social science research. This course has three components: critical discussions of spatial analysis in published research, training in GIS software, and the application of digital mapping to students' research projects. Enrollment is restricted to graduate students. J. Erbig
245. Epistemologies of the South. *
Examines efforts by intellectuals from the Global South, mainly Latin America, to cast off the political, cultural, and epistemological notions imposed by European colonialism and preserved today through the practices of Western/Eurocentric knowledge, to forge their own "epistemologies of the South." Enrollment is restricted to graduate students. Enrollment limited to 15. F. Leiva
292. LALS Graduate Colloquim (2 credits). F,W,S
Required for all LALS graduate students in residence, colloquium includes a mix of activities aimed at supporting the development of graduate students as teachers, researchers, and active participants in academic communities. Includes lectures by distinguished speakers, work-in-progress sessions for both faculty and graduate student research, pedagogical theory and practice seminars, and professional development workshops. Enollment is restricted to graduate students. Enrollment limited to 21. May be repeated for credit. J. Taft
297. Independent Study. F,W,S
Students submit a reading course proposal to a department faculty member who supervises independent study in the field. Faculty and student jointly agree upon reading list. Students expected to meet regularly with faculty to discuss readings. This independent study must focus on a subject not covered by current UCSC graduate curriculum. Students submit petition to sponsoring agency. Enrollment restricted to graduate students. May be repeated for credit. The Staff
299. Thesis Research. F,W,S
Enrollment restricted to graduate students and permission of instructor. Students submit petition to sponsoring agency. May be repeated for credit. The Staff
Revised: 07/15/18
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