AMST 30308 - Rebel Youth in Latino/a America

Institution:

University of Notre Dame

Subject:

American Studies

Description:

This course will explore the history of youth and youth movements of Latino descent in the United States during the 20th century with particular emphasis on the historical evolution of two representative communities: Mexican Americans in the South West and Puerto Ricans in New York. How was youth discovered and defined as an age group in these two ¿communities¿? More specifically, what did it mean to be a ¿pelona¿ or a ¿flapper¿ of Mexican descent during the roaring 1920s, a ``pachuco¿ in East Los Angeles during WWII, a ¿rebel without a cause¿ of Puerto Rican descent in postwar New York, a young Chicano/a or a young Mexican American during the 1960s and 1970s, a young Nuyorican or a member of the Young Lords Movement in Spanish Harlem in the same turbulent period, a so-called ¿cholo¿ in the streets of San Antonio and Los Angeles during the 1980s, or a Latino/a hip-hop artist in the Bronx and Miami during the 1990s? Did young people construct these identities and/or labels different in any way or fashion, as the media, the state, the conservative right, the left, or the cultural industry? Moreover, what were some of the social and political consequences that negative as well as positive perceptions of Latino/a youth had on mainstream America? Finally, how did young people of Latin American descent organize politically to challenge `labels¿ imposed on them from above, shape their respective identities from below, and improve their local communities? Were they successful in achieving their goals; if so, how? To answer these broad historical questions, students will be asked to critically evaluate theoretical approaches to the study of youth, learn the history of Latino/as in the United States, explore the political thought of various youth movements, and examine different aesthetic expressions of Latino/a youth. In addition, students will be required to analyze relevant primary sources, including political manifestoes, memoirs, newspapers accounts, photographs, television images, documentaries, and films. The course will conclude with a brief exploration of youth culture in the United States today with particular emphasis on media representations of Latino/a youth produced in commercial Hollywood films, MTV videos, and Television shows.

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.nd.edu

Phone Number:

(574) 631-5000

Regional Accreditation:

North Central Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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