Download Chabot College

Chabot College
Fall 2006
Course Outline for History 22
MEXICAN AMERICAN HISTORY AND CULTURE
Catalog Description:
22- Mexican American History and Culture
3 units
A survey of Mexican American history from pre-Columbian period through the present. Special
emphasis on Mexican Americans’ role in the political, economic, social and geographic
development in the United States. Major topics include European colonization, native cultures
and slavery, the U. S. – Mexican War, World War I and World War II, industrialization,
immigration and labor, and the Civil Rights Movement. This course includes analysis of the U. S.
Constitution, Supreme Court Rulings, and California state and local government issues related to
the rights of Mexican Americans. 3 hours.
[Typical contact hours: 52.5]
Prerequisite Skills:
None.
Expected Outcomes for Students:
Upon completion of the course, the student should be able to:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
discuss the diverse pre-Columbian indigenous peoples and their cultures that
developed in Mesoamerica and influenced Native cultures within the present borders of
the United States;
identify the major periods in Mexican American history including the pre-Columbian,
Spanish Colonial, Mexican and American;
discuss and explain the impact of La Conquista on the economic, social and political
development of the 15th century;
identify the impact of religious conquest on the Americas;
explain the geographical, political and economic impact of Manifest Destiny on the
Southwest region;
explain the fusion of Mexican and Anglo-American cultural patterns which contributed to
the cultural development of the United States to present;
identify the contributions of Mexican American women to the economic development of
the United States;
explain the impact of Manifest Destiny and the California Constitution on Mexican
Americans;
identify geographical and boundary changes after the U. S. – Mexican War;
discuss the economic transformation of the Southwest due to federal water development
projects;
discuss the political and economic impact of early 20th century such as WWI, WWII on
the political and economic advancement of Mexican Americans;
evaluate the California State Constitution and state legislation which have had a
significant impact on Mexican Americans and other ethnic groups;
compare the United States Constitution in the 20th century regarding the Civil Rights of
Mexican Americans and other minority groups;
discuss California legislation that has curtailed rights of immigrant groups;
Expected Outcomes for Students (Cont’d):
15.
16.
17.
18.
compare the impact of civil rights Supreme Court decisions in the 20 th century on
Mexican Americans and other minorities;
trace the development of labor movements in the Southwest;
explain the impact of the Mexican Revolution and other social movements on Mexican
immigration and labor;
describe nativism and discrimination of ethnic minorities
Chabot College
Course Outline for History 22, Page 2
Fall 2006
Course Content:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
Study of Mesoamerican Indian Civilizations and their complex social
Development.
The Spanish Conquest (La Conquista) of the Americas and its impact on both Native and
European Cultures.
Introduction of Spanish colonial culture and political system in the Americas.
The rise of the Mestizo people in Mexico.
The founding of the Missions, Presidios and Pueblos in the Southwest.
Mexican Independence, Nationalism and its political and economic impact on Texas,
California and New Mexico.
The Texas Revolt and loss of Mexican territory.
Impact of the U. S. – Mexican War on geographic expansion, slavery and statehood for
newly acquired territories.
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo of 1848 and its impact on the development of
California’s political and capitalistic economy based on American model.
The California Gold Rush, the Foreign Miners’ Tax and the California Land Act of 1851.
Study of the Doctrine of Manifest Destiny and Westward Expansion. Racial, economic
and religious implications.
California Statehood, the Constitution and its impact on Mexicans, and other ethnic
groups.
Mexican Americans participation in the development of the first California Constitution.
Rise of capitalism to replace California Spanish pastoral economy and its impact on
Mexican citizens.
Immigration and labor movements from 1850 to 1920s. The First Bracero Program.
The 1929 Depression and its negative impact on Mexican Americans. The Repatriation of
American citizens.
World War II and the Bracero Program.
World War II, the G. I. Bill and economic/poltical advancement.
Nativism, Patriotism and the Sleepy Lagoon/Zoot Suit Riots of the 1940s.
Viet Nam and the social order
Cesar Chavez and the Farm Labor Movement
Study of Mendez vs. Westminster and other landmark cases regarding civil rights and
school desegregation in the 20th century.
The G. I. Forum and League of United Latin Americans quest for assimilation.
Operation Wetback and the undocumented in the 1950s.
Mexican Americans, Democracy and the Viva Kennedy Clubs
Evaluation of the constitution and its impact on the rights of Mexican Americans and
other minorities in the political area with emphasis on the rise of ethnic politics and voting
rights in California and Texas.
The Chicano Power Movement and its legacy.
Era of conservatism. Backlash against immigrants. California Propositions to eliminate
health and education benefits to undocumented. Pressure to end Affirmative Action.
Issues of Mexicanization of U. S. Culture. General view of population trends, culture,
language and immigration in the 20th century.
The Border and its political and geographic policy implications for Mexican Americans.
Methods of Presentation:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Lectures-discussion
Films with discussion
Power Point presentation
Study questions
Chabot College
Course Outline for History 22, Page 3
Fall 2006
Assignments and Methods of Evaluating Student Progress:
1.
2.
Typical Assignments
a.
Write a 10-page paper on a topic such as Westward Expansion and its
Social, political and economic impact on Native Americans and Mexican in the
1800s.
b.
Research with your group on civil rights issues such as segregation and
affirmative action legislation affecting Mexican Americans and other minority
groups.
c.
Take a field trip to two Spanish Missions and prepare to discuss issues of
Spanish and Indian colonial relations.
d.
Trace the territorial expansion of the U. S. on a map.
Methods of Evaluating Student Progress
a.
Exams and quizzes
b.
Student Reports
c.
Ten page paper or special project
d.
Final exam
Textbooks(s) (Typical):
Occupied America. A History of Chicanos, Rodolfo Acuna, Longman Publications, 2004.
From Indians to Chicanos, James Vigil, Waveland Press, 2002.
Out of Many, John Mack Faragher, Prentice Hall, 2004.
Major Problems in California History, Sucheng Chan and Spencer Olin, Houghton-Mifflin, 1997.
Major Problems in Mexican American History, Zaragosa Vargas, Houghton-Mifflin, 1999.
A Different Mirror: History of Multicultural America, Ronald Takaki, Little, Brown and Company,
1993.
Mexican American Labor, 1790 – 1990, Juan Gomez-Quinones, University of New Mexico Press,
1994.
Roots of Chicano Politics, 1600-1940, Juan Gomez-Quinones, University of New Mexico Press,
Albuquerque,1994.
Special Student Materials:
None.
tf:/Word/Hist22.doc
Revised: 11/01/05