AMST 30172 - The U.S.-Mexico Border in the American Imagination

Institution:

University of Notre Dame

Subject:

American Studies

Description:

The U.S.-Mexico border has been a hotly contested social and political space since it took its current shape in the mid-nineteenth century. Today, the border remains the source of contentious debates in the United States - from proposed amnesty for undocumented workers and unprecedented activism for migrants' rights to those who argue for a 700-mile fence to physically divide the two nations - even as Latinos have become America's largest minority group. This course will unpack these varied (and often contradictory) meanings of the border, paying particular attention to the history of representations of Mexico and "Mexicanness" in the United States and their impact upon foreign policy, political organizing, and cultural relations. Our approach will be interdisciplinary, drawing on methods and texts from history, sociology, film studies, critical race theory, cultural studies, and ethnic studies. Together we will read texts as varied as Gloria Anzaldua's Borderlands/La Frontera and Steven Soderberg's Traffic.

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

The Course Profile information is provided and updated by third parties including the respective institutions. While the institutions are able to update their information at any time, the information is not independently validated, and no party associated with this website can accept responsibility for its accuracy.