The "New" Latinas/os/xs (undergrad)
While over 60% of Latinas/os/xs trace their ancestry to Mexico, a sizable share of Latinxs come from many other countries and contexts. Latinxs from other regions have been on the rise in recent years. Now, Salvadorans
make-up the third largest Latinx origin group, displacing the Cuban population, which for a very long time was the third largest community of Latinxs. Since 2010, Latinxs hailing from Venezuela, the Dominican Republic and Guatemala saw the fastest population growth. What are the experiences of these "New" Latinas/os/xs in the United States? Are they in fact “New" Latinx communities? How does race, gender, class, indigeneity, language, migration trajectory, and geography influence their lives, identities, and sociopolitical incorporation? How do these communities complicate our understanding of Latinxs in the U.S.? This class explores the trajectories of various communities many have called the "New” Latinas/os/xs. In doing so, the course surveys materials from various disciplines to arrive at an understanding of the realities of these diverse Latina/o/x communities.
Belonging, Immigration and Citizenship in the U.S. (undergrad)
This course explores the concepts of membership, belonging, immigration and citizenship in the U.S. context. In this course, we examine how individuals from various racial, ethnic, religious, immigrant and non-immigrant backgrounds have been defined as belonging or not belonging members of U.S. society historically, politically, socially and culturally. Given the multifaceted nature of the topics, the class draws from materials and knowledge in political science, sociology, history, public policy and the law. We pay particular attention to understanding the contours of American identity and the political impact of inclusion or exclusion specifically as it pertains to present-day debates about political engagement, political attitudes and immigration politics. We also examine theoretical and policy debates on the topics of immigration and citizenship and we evaluate the research that informs these debates. We investigate what citizenship means, why people migrate, the determinants of anti-immigrant sentiment, the politics of immigration control and immigrant inclusion.
Latino Policy Studies Seminar (undergrad)
This course is an advanced public policy and politics seminar. In this course, students investigate the policy priorities of the broader Latina/o/x community in the areas of immigration, labor, education, health, democracy and voting rights, criminal justice, among others. We cover advanced concepts in public policy and politics and explore policies that have had a widespread impact on the Latinx community. A large component of this course is student research on a policy area of their interest. To this aim, students examine and evaluate policies and policy implications impacting the Latinx community.
Latina/o/x Politics (undergrad and grad)
Latinas/os/xs encompass the largest ethnoracial minority group in the U.S. This course starts with an overview of the foundation of Latinx politics as an area of inquiry and how Latinas/os/xs emerged as a key political group. We explore classic and more recent debates on whether Latinxs are a cohesive group and interrogate the concept of Latinidad. The course also examines major themes in Latinx politics including pan-ethnic identity, national origin identities, social movements, political behavior, mobilization, partisanship, public opinion, religion, transnationalism, representation, and gender in Latinx politics. Lastly, the course considers future directions of the subfield and promising new avenues for research.
Social Science Methods in Latina/o/x Communities (undergrad)
How do we study the social world, its impact on people and people’s behaviors in society? This course delves into the conceptual foundations of quantitive social science research with world application on the Latina/o/x community. The goal of the course is to equip students with an understanding of the methods and tools that social scientists use to make sense of the world around us and specifically as it pertains to understanding the Latina/o/x experience in the United States. As part of this course, students learn about various quantitative research and reasoning skills. Students learn about descriptive statistics, measures of central tendency and variability, probability, statistical inference and hypothesis testing, and multivariate techniques including partial correlation and regression. Through in-class exercises and take-home methods (labs and problem sets) students learn how to craft research questions, identify appropriate methods to answer questions, develop hypotheses, test these, analyze data and present results on a relevant social science research question pertaining to the Latina/o/x community. Students also develop their own research project investigating their chosen question and apply the techniques learned throughout the semester. This course does not require any formal math background, but focus on the statistical reasoning and thinking used commonly in the social sciences. The course also introduce students to the R programming language.
Race and Ethnicity in U.S. politics (undergrad)
This course examines the central role that race and ethnicity play in U.S. Politics. This course surveys the literature in political science and related disciplines to understand how ethnoracial minorities and racialized groups shape, interact with and are impacted by politics in the United States. We focus on both the historical and contemporary political realities of African Americans, Latinas/os/xs, Asian Americans, Indigenous peoples and Muslim Americans. The goal of the course is to assess and evaluate the political constraints and opportunities of racial and ethnic groups in the U.S. Specifically, we examine how minority groups fare in electoral politics, political representation, political incorporation, public opinion and social movements. The course surveys materials to expose students to how race and ethnicity have drastically shaped citizenship, group membership, structural racism, racial hierarchies, racial attitudes and intergroup relations.
Research Seminar in Political Behavior (grad)
This seminar focuses on the most recent advances in the study of political behavior. We consider contemporary research that aims to make theoretical and empirical contributions to the study of political participation. We also consider promising new directions in political behavior research including, but not limited to, turnout, voting, protest and other contentious politics. Readings draw from political science and related disciplines and predominantly focus on political behavior in the American context. Course assumes familiarity with foundational work on public opinion and political participation. Class discussions and assignments focus on critically examining recently published research, as well as a constructive look at students’ individual work.