Latino Studies

In 2010, Latinos comprised 16.3% of the U.S. population, and today, they are the largest racial/ethnic minority group in the United States. At 63%, the Mexican origin population is the largest subgroup, followed by Puerto Ricans (9%), Cubans (3.5%), Salvadorans (3.3%), and Dominicans (2.8%). 1 this course examines the heterogeneity of the Chicano/Latino experience in the United States. A major focus of this course understands the contemporary public policy issues and obstacles Chicano (a)/Latino (a) communities face within the U.S. and how these obstacles might be overcome. Topics to be discussed include: immigration policy and immigrant incorporation, assimilation, intersectionality (race, gender and class), identity construction, education, work, and interracial and intra-ethnic relations, to name a few. Throughout the course, we will consider the various ways that relations of class, race/ethnicity, gender, age, and citizenship intersect and affect Latinos? access to opportunity and equality.