AFPRS 102 Latino Communities (Spring 2003)
This class will use Blackboard
in conjunction with the main course web page located here at ERES.
The growing proportion of Latinos in the US population
constitutes one of the most dramatic demographic shifts in American
history. According to the 2000 Census, Latinos are more than 35 millions
and represent 12.5% of the population. The number of this "ethnic
minority" is increasing faster than any other group and they
are in the process of surpassing African-Americans as the largest
minority. Yet many citizens often possess slight knowledge about the
Latinos.
The objective of this course is to provide students
with the tools and academic resources needed for a better understanding
of the Latinos’ social, political, and economic realities in
a multi-racial and culturally heterogeneous society. The class looks
into specific cultural, economic, and political issues concerning
the diversity of Latino ethnic communities living in New York, and
in other places in the United States. The class will survey major
contributions in the field from a multi-disciplinary social sciences
perspective. We will examine each of the selected writings in their
own terms, highlighting how these works unfold diverse aspects of
the class themes. The class’s focus is on critical comparisons
on how these bodies of scholarship address similar questions and concerns.
