Santa Ana College: Humanities & Social Sciences

Survey of Chicano Literature– Spring 2018

Santa Ana College inspires, transforms, and empowers a diverse community of learners.

 

Instructor: Cristina Acevedo                                              

Email: acevedo_cristina@sac.edu

Ticket:   48534

Tuesday/Thursday 11:50AM - 1:15PM, D - Dunlap Hall, Room D-103

Office Hours: By appointment

Required Texts and Materials: (You must bring all required materials to every class.)

• Mexican American Literature A Portable Anthology by Dagoberto Glib ISBN: 978-1-319-02108-5
• Chicano Movement for Beginners by Maceo Montoya ISBN: 978-1-939994-64-6
• Zoot Suit and Other Plays by Luis Valdez ISBN: 978-1-55885-048-4
• The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henríquez ISBN: 978-0-345-80640-6

 

Course Description:

Examines American literature by and about Chicanos. Emphasizes the relationships between various works and the Chicanos’ place in American society/culture. Prerequisite: English 101 or English 101H with a minimum grade of C

Student Learning Objectives:

• ​Students will be able to identify major authors, works, and themes of Chicano literature and will demonstrate an understanding of the historical and social background of Chicano literature.
  
  
• Students will consider form, literary conventions, and various critical theories to analyze Chicano literature from multiple genres.
  
  
• Students will produce college-level academic writing that demonstrates literal comprehension of texts, critical analysis, ethical use of primary and secondary sources, and correct MLA format and documentation.

 

Requirements:

• Attendance and Participation: Because we will be doing numerous writing exercises, group work, and reading discussions in class, your attendance is required.  More than two absences, habitual tardiness, or lack of preparation will result in a lower final grade.  You may not make up in-class work missed due to unexcused absences, so make sure you are in class.  I strongly suggest you exchange phone numbers and email address with other classmates to ensure that you will always be able to get the assignments.  If you miss a class, please do not ask me if you missed anything; assume that you did.  Also, do not ask me what you missed because I will not lecture twice. 

 

• Journals: Throughout the semester, you will turn in 6 typed, one-page (this is 23 lines in MLA Format) journals. The journal topics and guidelines are stated on the course schedule. 

 

• Quizzes: Throughout the semester, you will take 7 quizzes, which reflect the reading assignments and lecture materials. Quizzes are administered through Canvas with specific dates shown in the schedule below. If you do not complete it by the time designated you will not be able to make it up and will receive a zero.

 

• Writing Assignments: Aside from journals and in-class freewrites, you will write two out-of-class essays.

 

**YOU MUST TURN IN ALL ESSAYS TO PASS THIS CLASS**

• Peer Review: Prior to turning in your final drafts for out-of-class essays, you will have the opportunity to exchange ideas and receive feedback during peer review.  On the day of peer review, you will bring four copies of your rough draft to class to share with your assigned group.  Peer review is a mandatory in-class assignment.  If you are not here for peer review or you do not have four copies of your rough draft, regardless of the reason, your final essay grade will be lowered one full letter grade.  Peer review may not be made up and you must bring AT LEAST a page and a half of written material. If you fail to reach this minimum you will not receive full credit for the peer review assignment.

• Learning Center: You are required to complete 3 visits to the learning center throughout the semester. I will give you specific instructions for this assignment during the first week of class. Each Learning Center visit is worth 5 points.
• Midterm/Final: Midterm and Final will be done on the dates indicated on the schedule. For the Midterm and Final, students are required to bring a large blue book, two pens, and white out. Students will need these items in order to take the Midterm and Final.

 

Late Policy:

All assignments are due within the first fifteen minutes of class.  Any assignment submitted after fifteen minutes will be considered late.  I do not accept assignments via email, so please do not send them to me.  Talk to me if you are having trouble turning in an assignment. You will be allowed to turn in ONE assignment late. The assignment must be submitted the next class session following the original due date.

 

Revision Policy:

After I return your graded essay 1, you will have the opportunity to revise and resubmit it to regain up to 10% of the possible points. Revised essays must be stapled in this order: Original with my comments on the bottom; Revised version in the middle with all changes highlighted, and on top a typed up paragraph explaining what you changed and why, as well as, what did you learn while making the revisions.

(Note: this assignment is optional and not available for essay 2)

Extra Credit Opportunity:

There will be opportunities to gain extra credit throughout the semester. You will be able to collect these points if you have turned in all essays and journals.

Academic Honesty/Plagiarism

Students are expected to abide by ethical standards in preparing and presenting material which demonstrates their level of knowledge and which is used to determine grades. Such standards are founded on basic concepts of integrity and honesty. These include, but are not limited to, the following areas:

1. Students shall not plagiarize, which is defined as:
   1. stealing or passing off as one's own the ideas or words of another,
   2. using a creative production without crediting the source.

 

The following cases constitute plagiarism:

• paraphrasing published material without acknowledging the source,
• making significant use of an idea or a particular arrangement of ideas, e.g., outlines,
• writing a paper after consultation with persons who provide suitable ideas and incorporating these ideas into the paper without acknowledgment,
• submitting under one's own name term papers or other reports which have been prepared by others.

2. Students shall not cheat, which is defined as:

• using notes, aids, or the help of other students on tests or exams in ways other than those expressly permitted by the teacher,
• misreporting or altering the data in laboratory or research projects involving the collection of data.

3. Students shall not furnish materials or information in order to enable another student to plagiarize or cheat.

Instructors may deal with academic dishonesty in one or more of the following ways:

• Assign an appropriate academic penalty such as an oral reprimand or point reduction. 
• Assign an “F” on all or part of a particular paper, project, or exam. 
• Report to the appropriate administrators, with notification of same to the student(s), for disciplinary action by the College.  Such a report will be accompanied by supporting evidence and documentation.

 

Classroom Etiquette

1. Classroom Environment: Because so much of the work that you do this semester in class will be cooperative, working with your classmates in group or paired activities, or with me in whole class discussions, it is crucial that the classroom be a place of mutual respect. Please be courteous and respectful in all interactions.  Students who are unable/unwilling to be respectful of others will be counseled.  In severe situations, these students will be reported to the dean and dropped from the course. 
2. It is a campus-wide policy that no food or drink should be consumed in any of the classrooms. We will observe that policy in our class.  Water bottles that can be re-sealed are permitted in the room.
3. Turn off all cell phones. Cell phones should be out of sight, preferably in your backpack or purse.
4. Texting in class will not be tolerated. If I see you texting your attendance for that day will not be counted and you will be asked to leave the class.

If you are asked to leave the class for any behavioral offense, you will be reported to the Dean of Instruction for further counseling and/or disciplinary action.

5. Please remove all headphones and any other electronic paraphernalia that will interfere with your ability to concentrate on the course material or class activities.

 

Disabled Student Program and Services:

Students with verifiable disabilities who want to request academic accommodations are responsible for identifying themselves to the instructors and Disabled Students Programs and Services (DSPS).  To arrange for accommodations, contact DSPS in the Village-203, or by phone (714) 564-6264, TTY (714) 564-6284. It is the disabled student’s responsibility to contact the course instructor at the beginning of the semester to discuss potential plans when classroom evacuations are necessary.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Important Dates

Term   Spring 2018

Start Date

05 February 2018

End Date

03 June 2018

Last Day to Add (add code required)

18 February 2018

Last Drop Date with 'W'

06 May 2018

Last Drop Date without 'W'

19 February 2018

Last Date to get Refund

18 February 2018

 

 

Friends / Class Contacts

Name                                           Telephone                                           E-mail

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grading Scale

Participation & Attendance 45 points	4.5 %	45
Journals 6 x 10 points each	6 %	60
Blogs 5 x 10 points each	5 %	50
Learning Center DLAs 3x 5 points each	1.5 %	15
Quizzes 7 x 10 points each	7 %	70
Peer Review 3 x 10 points each	3%	30
Cultural Project	5 %	50
Chicano/Chicana Project	5 %	50
Novel Project	10 %	100
Film Work	3%	30
Chicano Book Project	10 %	100
Essays 2 x 100 points each	20 %	200
Midterm 100 points	10 %	100
Final Exam 100 points	10 %	100
TOTAL	100%	1000

In order to pass this class, you MUST take the Final Exam

Grading scale will be as follows:         A: 100-90 B: 89-80 C: 79-70 D: 69-60 F: 59 and below

 

It is your responsibility to keep track of your grade throughout the semester.  Use the chart below to record and calculate your grades.

 

Attendance/Participation _______ = _______ (45)

 

Journals ____+ ____ + ____ + ____+_____ +_____= _____ (60)

 

Blogs ____+ ____ + ____ + ____ +_____ = _____ (50)

 

DLAs _______ + _______ + _______    = _______ (15)

 

Quizzes ____+ ____ + ____ + ____ + ____ +_____+______ = _____ (70)

 

Peer Review _______ + _______ + _______  = _______ (30)

 

Cultural Project _____ = _____ (50)

 

Chicano/Chicana Project _______   = _______ (50)

 

Novel Project _______ = _______ (100)

 

Film Work _____+_____+______ = ______ (30)

 

Chicano Novel Project _____ = ______ (100)

 

Essays _______ + _______  = _______ (200)

 

Midterm _____ = _____ (100)

 

Final Exam _____ = _____ (100)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tentative Course Schedule: Spring 2018

Note: all readings should be completed prior to the day it is listed in the schedule, with the exception of the first day.

 

Week 1

Tuesday 2/6/18: Bienvenidos! (Welcome!) Read over the syllabus, take a tour, reading activity, class activity

 

Thursday 2/8/18: Writing Review, Essay Review, and Documentary (If there is time left over. If not please watch the documentary at home. It will be posted on Canvas) 

History: What is a Chicano? (Folklore Stories)

Week 2

Tuesday 2/13/18: CM: “What is a Chicano” Pages 3-16. MAL: “The Bullet Swallower” by Jovita Gonzáles page 11-17, “Stupid America & The Chicano Manifesto” page116-121

 

Thursday 2/15/18: CM: “What is a Chicano Pages 17-35. MAL “ASK A Mexican!” by Gustavo Arellano page 474- 489 (we will read this out loud in class. Please have your book in class.)

Homework: Blog 1 Please post a paragraph about yourself and a picture of yourself on Canvas. You can state your likes and dislikes, why you selected this course, pets, hobbies, goal, etc. You must respond to two other classmates as well as respond back to someone who posted on yours.

 

Week 3

Tuesday 2/20/18 CM: “Finding Inspiration” Pages 39-51, MAL: “Maestría” By Mario Suárez Page 26-31

Homework: Journal 1: Why does Gonzalo Pereda develop a strong attachment to the Killer? Support your response to the text.

Thursday 2/22/18: CM: “Finding Inspiration” Pages 52-63 MAL: “My Grandmother Smoked Cigars” by Sabine Ulibarrí pages 18-25

Homework: Quiz 1: Quiz will close at 11:59pm

 

 

Week 4

Tuesday 2/27/18: CM: “The Movements Spreads” Pages 67-84: MAL: “Bless Me, Ultima” by Rudolfo Anaya Page 162-171, “Curandera” by Carmen Tafolla Pages 191-193

 

Thursday 3/1/18: CM: “The Movements Spreads” Pages 84-101, MAL: “Maria de Covina” by Dagoberto Gilb Page 316-325

Homework Blog 2: In are first section, we have read about folklore, superstition, and spirts. In your blog, discuss a practice that can borderline as superstitious you or family practices. This can range from home remedies that you take or practice when one is sick to practices one does for good luck. For example, on New Years Eve when the clock strikes midnight Latinos will eat 12 grapes in order to assure health in the new year.  Respond to 2 other classmates and reply to a post someone posted on yours.

Lights Camera Action !( Yes Chicanos Can Act, Sing, Dance, And Paint)

Week 5

Tuesday 3/6/18: CM “Youth Mobilization” Pages 105-116, MAL: “Neighbors” by Helena Maria Viramontes Pages 291-306, “Always Running” by Luis Rodríguez page 329-332

Homework: Journal 2: Is Aura fully responsible for the tragedy at the end of the story? Support your stance on the argument by citing the text.

 

Thursday 3/8/18: CM “Youth Mobilization” Pages 117-128, MAL: “The Barrio” by Ernesto Galarza Page 121-130

Homework: Quiz 2: Quiz will close at 11:59pm

Week 6

Tuesday 3/13/18: Zoot Suit by Luis Valdez: Act 1 Pages 7-36, MAL: “Soledad Was a Girl’s Name” by Ricardo Sánchez page 107-111

Homework: Blog 3 On page 30 in Act 1 Scene 3 Pachuco States, “Forget the war overseas, carnal. Your war in is on the home front.  … The barrio needs you, carnal. Fight back! Stand up to them with some style. Show the world a Chicano has balls.” What exactly does that mean in today’s world? Is it still true that a Chicano must prove himself/herself in one’s own community? If so, in what sense? Please support your stance. You may use news articles, written articles, or testimony. Your blog should be a minimum of one paragraph. You must respond to two other classmates and reply to someone who posted on yours. 

 

Thursday 3/15/18: Zoot Suit by Luis Valdez: Act 1 Pages 37-64, MAL: “Say, Tush-Hog Convict” by Ricardo Sánchez Page 111-112

Homework Quiz 3: Quiz will close at 11:59pm

 

Week 7

Tuesday 3/20/18: Zoot Suit by Luis Valdez: Act 1 Pages 65-94, Peer Review. Bring 4 copies of your rough draft, a highlighter, a ruler, a green pen, and a pair of scissors.

 

Thursday 3/22/18: MAL: “The Revolt of the Cockroach People” By Oscar “Zeta” Acosta Page 131-143, “Chiro el Indio” By the Hernandez Brothers Pages 307- 314.

Homework: Journal 3: For this journal, select a short story we have read thus far and make a minimum six square comic of the story. The comic must have text and pictures.

 

Week 8

Tuesday 3/27/18:  Film

Homework Film Work 1 (done in class)

Homework: Blog 4: The terms Pocho (rotten fruit) Mojado (Wet) have come or will come up in our reading. The first term is toward those who can’t speak Spanish or do not practice any cultural customs. The second term is used for individual who can’t speak English or practice any American customs. Can someone truly call themselves a Chicano or an American if he/she can’t speak the language or follow the customs? Your response need to be a minimum of a paragraph. It needs to be supported by either texts assigned in this course or any form of secondary source. Respond to two other classmates as well as reply to someone who posted on your post.

 

Thursday 3/29/18: Midterm

Homework: Essay 1 Due

 

Week 9

Tuesday 4/3/18: Spring Break

Thursday 4/5/18: Spring Break

 

Excuse Me Men! (Chicano Women Have A Voice)

Week 10

Tuesday 4/10/18:CM: “Pathway to Change” Pages 131-156, MAL: “¡ Híjole! In the Darkness” By Denise Chávez Page 275-287 Film

Homework: Film Work 2 (Done in class)

 

Thursday 4/12/18: CM: “The Chicano Cultural Renaissance” Pages 159-187, Mal: “La Noche Buena” by Tomás Rivera Pages 145-150, “Tía Chucha” By Luis J. Rodríguez Pages 328-329

Homework: Quiz 4: Quiz will close at 11:59pm.

 

Week 11

Tuesday 4/17/18: MAL: “Woman Hollering Creek” by Sandra Cisneros Pages 264-274, “Saturday & A Marriage of Mutes” Page 261-262

Homework: Journal 4: What are the causes to Cleófilas’s isolation in Seguin? Support your claim by citing the text.

 

Thursday 4/19/18: MAL: “Mother Tongue” by Dmetria Martínez Pages 333-340, “Go Ahead, Ask Her & You Will Grow Old” by Angela De Hoyos Page 113-115

Homework: Quiz 5: Quiz will close at 11:59pm

Week 12

Tuesday 4/24/18: MAL: “Soy La Avon Lady” by Lorraine López Page 448-466

Homework: Chicano/Chicana Project

 

Thursday 4/26/18: MAL: “The Bride” by Christine Granados” Pages 467-473, “Tía Sofía” by Carmen Tafolla Page 189-191

Homework:  Chicano/Chicana Project

Homework: Blog 5: After reading this section, one can see that Chicanas live in the balance of the past and the future. They must be loving, faithful, feminine, caretakers, etc. With the Chicana movement, they can also be provider, leader, and sexual.  Is there still a struggle for Chicanas in particular to find an identity between the past and the present? Why or why not? Respond to two other classmates and reply to someone that posted on yours.

 

 

Identity: “Who am I? (Which side of the Cultural Wall do I belong?) 

Week 13

Tuesday 5/1/18 MAL: “Sometimes the Rain” by Benjamin Alire Saenz Pages 342-363, “Poem for the Young White Man Who Asked Me How I, an Intelligent, Well-Read Person Could Believe in the War” By Lorna Cervantes Page 225-226

Homework: Journal 5:  We have read a lot of poetry in this course thus far. For this journal, you will construct a poem of what makes up your identity. If you are stuck, you may use “Where I come from” to begin your stanza.

Thursday 5/3/18: MAL: “City of Night” by John Rechy Pages 51-61, “Immigrants in Our Own Land” By Jimmy Santiago Page 229-231

Homework: Quiz 6: Quiz will close at 11:59pm

 

Week 14

Tuesday 5/8/18: “The Book of the Unknown Americans” By Cristina Henríquez Pages 3-86

Homework: Novel Project

 

Thursday 5/10/18: “The Book of the Unknown Americans” By Cristina Henríquez Pages 87-174

Homework Novel Project, Quiz 7: Quiz will Close at 11:59 pm.  

 

Week 15

Tuesday 5/15/18: “The Book of the Unknown Americans” By Cristina Henríquez Pages 175-286/Film, Peer Review. Bring 4 copies of your rough draft, a highlighter, a ruler, a green pen, and a pair of scissors

Homework: Film Work 3 (done in class)

 

Thursday 5/17/18: MAL: “I Am Joaquín” by Rodolfo “Corky” Rodolfo Pages 63-76, “A Chicano Poem” by Lorena Cervantes Pages 227-228, Peer Review. Bring 4 copies of your rough draft, a highlighter, a ruler, a green pen, and a pair of scissors

 

 

Week 16

Tuesday 5/22/18: MAL: “Real Life Border Thriller” by Guillermo Gómez-Peña Page 965-371, “Elena & Now and The, America” by Pat Mora Page 288-290

Homework: Essay 2 Due

 

Thursday 5/24/18: Book Project Presentation

Homework: Journal 6: We read a lot in this course and we learned a lot about Chicano culture, struggle, identity, and strength. In your last journal, state what you enjoyed the most and why.

Week 17 

Tuesday 5/29/18: Book Project Presentation

 

Thursday 5/31/18: Final