SPAN 308: History And Culture Of Aztlan
Covers the story of indigenous peoples of the southwestern United States: Aztlan, the Spanish colonial period, the Mexican period, and the acquisition and settlement by the United States. Seeks the exposition of indigenous and Hispanic historical and cultural foundations of the region and the confluence with other Asian and European influences.
Instructor: Adrian Andrade
Instructor: Adrian Andrade
Course Narrative
Before taking this course I felt like I had a solid understanding of the history and culture of Mexico. As a Mexican-American student I felt as though I didn’t know as much about the history of Mexican-Americans in the United States. Throughout my education I had only been marginally exposed to the history of Mexican-Americans in the United States, especially in the Southwest. Given that Latinos, particularly those of Mexican descent, make up one of the fastest growing demographic groups in the region I felt as though learning more about this topic would be beneficial to both my academic and personal growth. This course fulfilled Major Learning Outcome 3: Literary and Cultural Knowledge.
The course explores the colonization of the American Southwest by Spain. One of my first projects was a brief presentation on Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, the man considered to be the first European to set foot in what is now California. The course focused on the settlement of three distinct areas by the Spanish: California, Texas, and New Mexico. The significant geographical variances between these three regions gave rise to a different set of circumstances which would shape the culture of the first Europeans to settle there. After the Spanish conquest we learned about the effects of the Mexican Independence movement and how a lack of administrative attention led to the expansion of the United Stated under the guise of Manifest Destiny. A major part of the course focused on the role of Mexican Americans during the 20th Century, especially the contributions of the community in the two world wars and the rise of the Chicano movement. During this time, I began to look more closely at the motivation behind this movement and the fight for social justice that is still very much alive to this day.
This course was taught as an online class. This format allowed for more flexibility but it also posed a particular set of problems especially when communicating with the professor and other students. All in all, this class prepared me to deal with the sharing of information in an almost exclusively electronic academic setting.
The course explores the colonization of the American Southwest by Spain. One of my first projects was a brief presentation on Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, the man considered to be the first European to set foot in what is now California. The course focused on the settlement of three distinct areas by the Spanish: California, Texas, and New Mexico. The significant geographical variances between these three regions gave rise to a different set of circumstances which would shape the culture of the first Europeans to settle there. After the Spanish conquest we learned about the effects of the Mexican Independence movement and how a lack of administrative attention led to the expansion of the United Stated under the guise of Manifest Destiny. A major part of the course focused on the role of Mexican Americans during the 20th Century, especially the contributions of the community in the two world wars and the rise of the Chicano movement. During this time, I began to look more closely at the motivation behind this movement and the fight for social justice that is still very much alive to this day.
This course was taught as an online class. This format allowed for more flexibility but it also posed a particular set of problems especially when communicating with the professor and other students. All in all, this class prepared me to deal with the sharing of information in an almost exclusively electronic academic setting.
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