The American Southwest, roughly the US-Mexico border area from Texas to California, is a political, economic, and cultural crossroads. We will investigate interactions between Native Americans and Spanish colonists beginning in the sixteenth century, emerging US economic and political control during the nineteenth century, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, land dispossession, the Mexican Revolution, immigration, civil rights, and twentieth century demography. We will also discuss the borderlands as a literary and symbolic concept.
All textbooks are available for purchase at the college bookstore.
Regular attendance and thoughtful, prepared, courteous participation in classroom discussion are critical features of the class. Due to the small size of the class and because it meets only once a week, attendance and preparation are very important. Please be prepared to discuss the readings on the assigned date. The weekly reaction papers should describe the main arguments of the assigned readings, relate the readings to broader themes of the course, and suggest questions to be discussed during the class period. These papers are due by noon each Wednesday.