The University of Texas at El Paso HISTORY 3309 (34301) - Mexican American History Maymester 2015 (May 18- May 29, 2015) Monday through Friday a.m to p.m Liberal Arts 101 Course description Professor: Dr Yolanda Chávez Leyva Office: Liberal Arts 320 915-747-5508 yleyva@utep.edu Office hours by appointment This course explores the history of Mexican origin people in the United States We will focus especially on issues of identity and community While much of the course will concentrate on the period following the U.S.-Mexico War, we will also look at earlier eras and their influence on Mexican Americans Themes and topics will include identity, voluntary and involuntary incorporation into the United States, immigration and migration, resistance and accommodation, as well as political and economic participation Throughout the course, we will use the concepts of ethnicity, race, class, and gender to explore the diversity found within Mexican American history Hunger strikers, El Paso Photo courtesy of La Mujer Obrera The course is organized around “generations,” groups whose worldviews are shaped by the same historical events We’ll look at the origin generation, the immigrant generation, the Mexican American generation, and the Chicano generation We will contemplate what we would call the current generation The course requires both significant reading and writing throughout the mini-mester Although one of the major goals of the class is to familiarize you with the specifics of Mexican American history, there is an important secondary goal to help you to develop your analytical and critical skills What is history and what are its functions? How can you use specific historical evidence to argue a point? How can you get your point across, clearly and convincingly, orally and in writing? May 11, 2015 I have attempted to be as detailed as possible in this syllabus so that my expectations are clear to you If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me You are responsible for all the information provided in this syllabus so take the time to read it A note about Maymester: As you may know, Maymester courses are very concentrated and if you get behind one day, that is the equivalent of getting behind almost a week in a regular semester It is critical that you keep up with the readings and assignments and that you attend class every day Children in El Segundo Barrio, El Paso Photo courtesy of El Paso Public Library, Otis Aultman Collection Learning objectives Students will become acquainted with the major historical processes and events that shaped the Mexican origin community in the United States Students will be able to compare and contrast the economic, political, and social situations of different political generations of Mexican origin people Students will be able to synthesize information from lectures, videos, and readings into a coherent historical narrative Students will gain practice in participating in and leading book discussions Students will gain experience in identifying the thesis and main arguments of historical works Required reading – please bring your books to class each day Vargas, Crucible of Struggle (2011) Vargas, Major Problems in Mexican American History Course requirements and grading The final course grade will be based on the following: Attendance & participation (10 points per day) 80 Daily in-class written reflections (10 points per day) 80 Primary source analysis (10 points per day) 80 Short essays (two worth 100 points each) 200 Final essay 200 Healer Teresita Urrea, El Paso, 1896 Total 640 Grading scale: A 580- 640 B 510-579 C 450-509 D 380-449 F 379 and below Course assignments Reflections: We will begin each day (promptly) with an in-class written reflection assignment based on the previous day’s lectures and reading It will be graded on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis Satisfactory gets you all the points Unsatisfactory gets you no points Short essays: Twice during Maymester, you will have a 750 word take home essay based on the lectures, readings and films The essays must be typed, double-spaced, edited and proofread and should use New Times Roman 12 point font Type your name in the upper right hand corner of the front page and staple the pages together The essays will be due at the beginning of class Late papers will have points deducted Primary source analysis: Every day you will submit a primary source analysis of 1-3 primary documents from Major Problems in Mexican American History I will assign the documents to you They will be typed, proofread, in New Times Roman 12 point font Type your name in the upper right hand corner of the front page and staple the pages together if you have more than one page You will find the format at the end of this syllabus Final essay: The final essay must be at least 1,250 words and should follow the same instructions are above Attendance and participation: Please be in class promptly at and feel free to ask questions Please not text or use your cell phone in class Do not have side conversations with other students You will use your computer only to take notes (or look up something for the class at my request) Texting, surfing the web and chatting during class will reduce your attendance and participation grade Drop policy It is your responsibility to contact me if you want to drop the class I will not automatically drop students If you decide to drop the class, you must take steps to so Do not depend on my dropping you Remember the deadline for dropping with an automatic W is May 22 The instructor determines a grade of F or W If you are having difficulty in class, I urge you to discuss it with me Please, for your own sake, not "disappear" for days at a time, then come in and ask me what you can to catch-up This never works The best policy is to keep open communication with me if you are experiencing problems I am generally a nice person I don’t bite Attendance Attendance is mandatory You cannot miss even a day of class during Maymester because the class is so compressed You are responsible for all information given in class whether you are present or not Missing class will affect both your attendance grade and your discussion grade Brown Berets, East LA Blackboard The syllabus, Power Points and assignments will be available on Blackboard, which you will have access to beginning May 18, 2015 I will also upload related material Please not email me through Blackboard Center for Accommodations and Support Services If you believe that you may have a disability and need an accommodation, please contact the Center for Accommodations and Support Services (CASS) at 747-5148 or at dss@utep.edu or go to Room 106 Union East Building Academic integrity Academic honesty is a critical component of your university experience It is one of the ingredients, which gives true value to your university degree I expect any work turned in for this class to be your own Copying or representing the published or unpublished work of others (including that of other students) as your own constitutes plagiarism and cheating This includes using authors’ phrases or sentences without proper citation This is not acceptable in this class As a violation of university policy, any cheating or plagiarism will be dealt with through the policies of the University of Texas at El Paso You may certainly work with other students in study groups but you must turn in your own work Academic dishonesty is prohibited and is considered a violation of the UTEP Handbook of Operating Procedures It includes, but is not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, and collusion Cheating may involve copying from or providing information to another student, possessing unauthorized materials during a test, or falsifying research data on laboratory reports Plagiarism occurs when someone intentionally or knowingly represents the words or ideas of another person's as ones' own In addition, collusion involves collaborating with another person to commit any academically dishonest act Any act of academic dishonesty attempted by a UTEP student is unacceptable and will not be tolerated Violations will be taken seriously and will be referred to the Dean of Students Office for possible disciplinary action Students may be suspended or expelled from UTEP for such actions Academic dishonesty is an assault upon the basic integrity and meaning of a University Cheating, plagiarism, and collusion in dishonest activities are serious acts which erode the University’s educational and research roles and cheapen the learning experience not only for the perpetrators, but also for the entire community It is expected that UTEP students will understand and subscribe to the ideal of academic integrity and that they will be willing to bear individual responsibility for their work Materials (written or otherwise) submitted to fulfill academic requirements must represent a student’s own efforts Any act of academic dishonesty attempted by a UTEP student is unacceptable and will not be tolerated Violations will be referred to the Dean of Students Office for possible disciplinary action Students may be suspended or expelled from UTEP for such actions Taking Precautions Avoid procrastination Get to know your professors as well as their expectations regarding collaboration and citation Find a tutor to help with difficult classes Physically distance yourself from others when taking exams Do not loan completed assignments to other students Refuse to help students who cheat Use a handbook as a reference for how to appropriately cite sources Become familiar with the UTEP policies and procedures related to academic dishonesty Partido Liberal Mexicano label 1911 How to spend five hours a day together in peace One of my most serious expectations in any class is mutual respect As a learning community, respect between students and between instructor and students is essential I will treat each of you with the same consideration and respect, which I expect of each of you Treating you respectfully means that I will come to class prepared I expect the same of you You will be able to participate fully in the class only if you are fully prepared Treating you respectfully means that I will respect your views even though they may be different from mine Differing views are not only an acceptable part of a learning community, they are an essential element If you disagree with me, feel free to question and discuss your disagreement However, remember, I will expect you to back it up any argument with evidence Finally, for three hours a week, you will receive my full attention Again, I expect the same Please not carry on conversations, read other class materials or newspapers, or fall asleep in class! Please not come to class late or leave early without checking with me first I will not hesitate to point out this unacceptable behavior to you (In extreme cases, I have asked students to leave the classroom because of their disruptive behavior.) In return, I’ll work hard to my part to make this class a valuable learning experience You will you’ll have to your part a well! Lecture and discussion schedule (subject to change) Our daily schedules will follow this schedule (more or less) 9-10:30 Daily reflections & lecture 10:30-10:45 break 10:45- 12 Film or primary document discussion from Major Issues 12-12:15 break 12:15- 1:15 p.m Lecture 1:15-2 p.m class discussion of essays in Major Problems May 18 Introduction Read Crucible, “Preface” through “A Note on Terminology” May 19 Mexico Profundo Discuss Crucible, chapter Read Major Problems, chapter May 20 Spanish colonization Discuss Crucible, chapters 2-3 Read Major Problems, chapter 2-3 May 21 The origin generation Discuss Crucible, chapters 4-5 Read Major Problems, chapters 4-5 First essay due by 8a.m / Turn in at the beginning of class May 22 Work day First essay due by 8a.m / Email to yleyva@utep.edu by p.m with subject heading: HISTORY 3309 First Essay May 25- Memorial Day/ UTEP closed May 26 The Mexican immigrant generation Discuss Crucible, chapters 6-7 Read Major Problems, chapter 6-7 May 27 The Mexican American generation Discuss Crucible, chapters 8-9 Read Major Problems, chapter 8-9 Second essay due by a.m / Turn in at the beginning of class May 28 The Mexican American generation Discuss Crucible, chapter 10 Read Major Problems, chapter 10 May 29 The Chicano Generation Discuss Crucible, chapters 11, 12, 13 Read Major Problems, chapter 11, 12, 13 May 30- Final essay must be emailed to professor by 11 a.m on this day Email with the subject heading “History 3309 final essay” and email to yleyva@utep.edu Note that this is a Saturday Make sure you receive a confirmation email from me that I have received it HISTORY 3309 ESSAYS GRADING RUBRIC FOR ESSAYS MAYMESTER 2015 Scoring Options: 2: needs more work 3: adequate 4: good, solidly completed 5: very strong, excellent Criteria Score and Additional Comments Title: Does the title give you a sense of what the paper is about? Introduction: Does the introduction clearly describe the topic, argument, parameters, significance, and plan? Thesis: Is the thesis clear? Are you making a clear point? Evidence: Is your argument backed up by enough primary-source evidence? How well is this evidence utilized? Analysis: Does the paper more than describe the information gathered? How effective are the points made? Organization and flow: Does the organization of the paper add or detract from the argument? Are there gaps, mistakes, or other distractions? Conclusion: Does the conclusion pull things together and sum up the argument, without undue repetition Language conventions: How would you rate the paper’s clarity, grammar, and spelling? HISTORY 3309- MAYMESTER 2015 PRIMARY DOCUMENT ANALYSIS DR LEYVA For this assignment, you will read primary documents in Zaragoza Vargas’ Major Problems in Mexican American History and analyze them This will provide you important insight into how historians use primary documents to write history Please type your assignment in New Times Roman 12 point font Type your name in the upper right hand corner of the front page and staple the pages together if you have more than one You don’t have to write paragraphs for this assignment Answer the questions below in full sentences (Thanks to Dr Brad Cartwright for allowing me to use this assignment that he developed.) Who created the source and why? When was the source created? What is the source about and why is it significant? Who was the intended audience? Was it meant to be public or private? What biases might have influenced the source? 10 ... subject heading ? ?History 3309 final essay” and email to yleyva@utep.edu Note that this is a Saturday Make sure you receive a confirmation email from me that I have received it HISTORY 3309 ESSAYS... spelling? HISTORY 3309- MAYMESTER 2015 PRIMARY DOCUMENT ANALYSIS DR LEYVA For this assignment, you will read primary documents in Zaragoza Vargas’ Major Problems in Mexican American History and... 22 Work day First essay due by 8a.m / Email to yleyva@utep.edu by p.m with subject heading: HISTORY 3309 First Essay May 25- Memorial Day/ UTEP closed May 26 The Mexican immigrant generation Discuss