Mexican American Studies, Minor
Program Description
Mexican American Studies (also known as Chicano Studies) is a multi-disciplinary concentration that exposes students to a wide range of topics relevant to the Mexican-American experience. This course of study offers students valuable insights and skills to complement most majors including Nursing, Business, Education, Social Sciences, Arts, and Humanities.
Minor
The Mexican American Studies Minor requires a minimum of 18 hours of designated coursework. Students who select this minor must consult with and have approval of the Mexican American Studies Coordinator or the Academic Advisor to establish a degree plan. This should be done prior to completing 6 semester hours of coursework listed for the program.
Student Learning Outcomes
1. Students have developed knowledge of major historical, political, literary, and artistic themes, topics, or concepts in Mexican American Studies. This includes demonstrating their awareness of Mexican American identities, language, civilization, and culture in the United States.
2. Students have been introduced to and worked with varieties of Spanish, English, and Indigenous languages that infuse the literature, art, politics, mythologies, and cultural values in the Mexican American tradition. This includes demonstrating awareness of the variety, complexity, and importance of multiple linguistic traditions and histories in shaping Mexican American identities, helping foster cultural insights and increase intercultural understanding.
Program Requirements:
To obtain a minor in Mexican American Studies, the student must complete the 18 semester hours required for the minor, 12 hours of which must be upper division courses. All courses are taught in English except for SPAN.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| Introduction | ||
| MXAS 1305 | Introduction to Mexican American Studies | 3 |
| Cultural/Historical | ||
| Select two of the following: | 6 | |
| Pre-Columbian Art of Mesoamerica | ||
| Modern Art of Mexico | ||
| Mexican American History | ||
| Mexican American Women's History | ||
| Mexican American Folklore | ||
| Linguistic/Literary | ||
| Select two of the following: | 6 | |
| Mexican American Literature | ||
| The Corrido: Reconstructing Histories and Latinex Narratives | ||
| Spanish for Heritage Speakers I | ||
| Spanish for Heritage Speakers II | ||
| Intermediate Spanish I | ||
| Intermediate Spanish II | ||
| Political/Social Science | ||
| POLS 2311 | Mexican American and Latinx Politics | 3 |
| or SOCI 3321 | Mexican American Women | |
| or PSYC 4332 | Cross-cultural Psychology | |
| Total Hours | 18 | |
Note:
Students may elect to count six hours from either their major towards the minor in Mexican American Studies or students may elect to count up to six hours from the college foreign language requirement (SPAN 2311 Intermediate Spanish I (3 sch)and SPAN 2312 Intermediate Spanish II (3 sch)).
Topics (4390) courses can be taken in any participating discipline as electives when the topics are appropriate and approved by the program coordinator.
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Courses
History Courses
HIST 1301 U.S. History to 1865
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
A survey of the political, social, economic, military, cultural and intellectual history of the United States from 1492 to 1865.
TCCNS: HIST 1301
HIST 1302 U.S. History Since 1865
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
A survey of the political, social, economic, military, cultural and intellectual history of the United States from 1865 to the present.
TCCNS: HIST 1302
HIST 2301 Texas History
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Spanish colonial period, Mexican statehood, independence, the development of the Republic, annexation and growth as a state.
TCCNS: HIST 2301
HIST 2311 Western Civilization I
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Survey of the cultures and civilizations of the Ancient Mediterranean world and the political, social, economic, military, cultural, and intellectual influences shaping the emergence and development of Europe to 1500.
TCCNS: HIST 2311
HIST 2312 Western Civilization II
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
A survey of the political, social, economic, military, cultural, and intellectual development of Europe from 1500 to the present.
TCCNS: HIST 2312
HIST 2321 World History to 1500
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
This course offers a survey of the history of the world from the emergence of human cultures through the 15th century. The course examines major cultural regions of the world with a focus on their development and their cross-regional interactions.
HIST 2322 World History Since 1500
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
examines major global issues over the past 500 years. Topics may include European expansion and colonialism, the integration of the Americans into world economic systems, changes in science and technology, decolonization, and modern environmental problems. This course will help students understand historical events within a global framework.
HIST 3301 History of World Religions
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Surveys the key beliefs, practices, rituals, figures, and historical developments of the world's major religious traditions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and New Age religions. Gives particular attention to their encounter with modernity and their complicated place in today's global, diverse, post-modern world.
HIST 3303 Colonial Latin America
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
An overview of Latin American history from pre-Columbian times until Independence.
HIST 3304 Modern Latin America
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
A study of the major political, economic and cultural processes that marked the development of modern Latin America.
HIST 3307 The Ancient World
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
This course examines the ancient history of the human race. It begins with the evolution of Homo sapiens in Africa and continues through approximately the 4th century CE. Topics examined include the formation of cultures, societies, states, and empires around the world including those in Egypt, Southwest Asia, India, China, and the Mediterranean.
HIST 3315 Europe 1750-1815
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Explores the processes which contributes to the establishment of a new political, economic, and social order in Europe. The course includes an in-depth focus upon the causes and consequences of the French Revolution as well as an examination of the European response to Napoleon.
HIST 3316 Colonial North America
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Covers early North American history from pre-contact through 1763, with a focus on the territory that would eventually become the United States. Examines the varieties of colonial worlds created by Europeans and native peoples, the nature and impact of European colonization, the development of slave societies, the emergence of regional economies and modern culture, the consolidation of European empires in the early and mid-18th century, and the imperial wars that finally set the stage for the coming of the American Revolution.
HIST 3317 Europe 1815-1914
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
The evolution of European industrial society from the Congress of Vienna to the outbreak of World War I. Themes include changes in the nature of work and family life, urbanization, and the emergence and growth of liberalism, socialism, nationalism, and romanticism as competing ideologies.
HIST 3318 The American Revolution
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Covers the history of the American Revolution from the end of the Seven Years’ War in 1763 to the ratification on the new federal constitution in 1789. Covers the political and social history of the independence movement, the Declaration of Independence, the military, social, and indigenous history of the Revolutionary War, and the making of the Constitution.
HIST 3319 Europe 1914 to the Present
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Political, social, economic and cultural developments since 1914: includes the impact of World War I, the Russian Revolution, Fascism, the origins of the Cold War, the tension between European unification and growing ethnic tensions and the dissolution of the Soviet empire.
HIST 3320 Colonial and Revolutionary U.S.
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Traces regional economic, social, and political change in the Americas from 1607 to the end of the Revolution.
HIST 3321 The Early American Republic
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
This course examines American history from the end of the revolutionary war to 1850. Political, economic, and social issues including, but not limited to, the creation of the Constitution, the development of the first and second party systems, the market revolution, antebellum reform, the Old South, and westward expansion.
HIST 3323 Civil War and Reconstruction
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Background and causes of the Civil War; military, political, diplomatic, and economic developments during the War; Reconstruction and post?war adjustments.
HIST 3324 U.S. Gilded Age and Progressive Era
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
An examination of the dramatic period when the United States definitively settled the remaining portions of the continent and decisively moved towards becoming an industrial, urban nation with world-wide economic and political influence.
HIST 3325 Emergence of Modern U.S.
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Study of American life from World War I through World War II. Topics include America's rise to a world power, the social, cultural, and political effects of corporate enterprise, urbanization, and immigration, women's suffrage, the Twenties, and the New Deal.
HIST 3326 U.S. Since 2nd World War
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
A study of American life and development as a world power since World War II.
HIST 3335 The U.S. Urban Experience
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
A general survey of the social, cultural, and political history of the American city, with particular emphasis on Corpus Christi and the ways our city illustrates these larger trends.
HIST 3340 Modern Asia
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
This course will examine Asia from 1600 to the present. Topics include politics, the nation state, colonialism, empire, war, nationalism, the Cold War and revolution, all in a historical context.
HIST 3345 Environmental History and Environmental Justice
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Explores how the environment has shaped society and the ways in which humans, in turn, have shaped nature throughout American history. Also focuses on environmental justice and injustices along the Gulf Coast. Public history component.
HIST 3350 Dictators and Dirty Wars in Latin America
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Explores the rise of dictatorships and military regimes in twentieth century Latin America. Focuses on human rights struggles and popular movements in Mexico, Central America and the Southern Cone.
HIST 3360 Introduction to Museum Studies
3 Semester Credit Hours (1.5 Lecture Hours)
In this cross-disciplinary class, students of history, sciences, the arts, and more will be introduced to the different departments of a museum and gain experience in programming, exhibits, research, public engagement, and other various aspects of museum management through their participation in a real working museum (Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History).
HIST 3370 Introduction to Public History
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
A Project-centered class that examines public history practices and debates, including the changing field over time, the relationship between history and memory, and the interpretive and sometimes controversial nature of historical sites and exhibits. Students will also learn methods and practices of museums, archives, oral history, digital history, and more. Includes community-engaged learning, workshops, local field trips.
HIST 3373 Oral History and Podcasting
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
A project-based course designed to teach students oral history, audio recording, and editing. Topics include oral history theory and methods, the role of testimony and memory in constructing historical narratives, interview techniques, archival practices, and the technical aspects of audio production, audio storytelling, and podcasting.
HIST 3385 The Art and Practice of History
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Introduces students to the most significant historiographical problems that face historians, focusing on recent and current controversies that have shaken the profession and been the subject of public and political debate. Provides examples of how historians think about and do history.
HIST 4320 U.S. Cultural Experience
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Explores ways that the myriad groups who have made up American society from the colonial period to the "information age" understood and expressed themselves and related to each other. (The chronological scope of this course may vary.)
HIST 4327 U.S. Modern Popular Culture
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
The historical development of modern popular culture—including television, movies, fiction, newspapers, music and consumption—and its effect on the structure and experience of U.S. society and work from the nineteenth century to the present.
HIST 4335 The Military and United States History
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
The development of U.S. military strategy and policy from the Colonial Wars through Vietnam.
HIST 4336 Mexican American History
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Spanish and Mesoamerican backgrounds, conquest and mestizaje, settlement of Aztlán, interaction with Anglo-Americans, 20th century immigration, urbanization, identity, the Chicano Movement, and Mexican American organizational/political development.
HIST 4337 United States Women's History
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Themes include transformations in the notion of womanhood and of sexual differences, changes in the structure, function, and concept of "family" and "household," and historical factors that have shaped women's role in the work force and public life.
HIST 4340 European Women's History
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Study of the experiences of European women from the 18th to the 20th centuries. Also addresses the role that gender has played in the development of modern European societies. Some topics covered are women and the French Revolution, gender and class in industrial Europe, feminism and suffrage, and women and fashion.
HIST 4342 The Holocaust
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Examines the Holocaust by exploring the role of racism and anti-Semitism, the rise of Nazi policies, Jewish responses and resistance to them, deportation and genocide, the role of war, and the aftermath and memory of an event "beyond human imagination."
HIST 4345 European Thought and Culture, 1750-present
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Survey of the major European intellectual and cultural movements from the Enlightenment to the present. Broader than a traditional course in intellectual history, special attention will be given to the emergence and development of the concepts of "modernity" and the challenges of "postmodernism."
HIST 4346 The Search for Modern China: From 1600 to the Present
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
This course surveys modern Chinese history from the late Ming dynasty to the present, with an emphasis on the late 19th and 20th centuries. Topics include empire, colonialism, nationalism, the nation state, modernization, revolution and the Cold War, all in a historical context.
HIST 4347 The History of Sexuality in the West
3 Semester Credit Hours
This course will examine how ideas about sexuality as well as sexual practices and identities have evolved over time and in different places; how the categories of homosexuality and heterosexuality were created and how they have been perceived. The course will focus on the 19th and 20th centuries in Europe and the United States, and address the themes of gender, body, race, class, image, representation, and the law.
HIST 4349 Transnational Histories of Asia and the Pacific
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Explores the transnational relations of Asia and the Pacific with the West from the 19th century to the present day. Themes include colonialism and imperialism, diaspora and migration, labor and economy, war and displacement. Topics include the Opium Wars, Immigration and Exclusion, Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima, Military War Brides, Third World Radicalism, Transnational Adoption Complex, and Environmentalism and Globalization.
HIST 4350 Narratives of World War II in the Pacific
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Examines how the relations between history, memory, and contemporary politics in post-WWII U.S. and Asia-Pacific have shaped the meaning of various contentious issues related to the Pacific War-such as war origins and responsibility, atrocities, racism, reparations, and nationalism-in textbooks, monuments, literature, art, films, political debates, exhibits, commemorative events, and scholarly works in different social and temporal contexts.
HIST 4352 Mexican American Women's History
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Examines the broad political, economic, social, and cultural trends in the lives of Mexican American women since 1848.
HIST 4374 Mexico: the National Period
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Traces economic, social, and political change in Mexico from independence to the present.
HIST 4375 Cold War Kids: Youth in Modern Latin America
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
An examination of the experiences of Latin American youth in modern Latin America. Special emphasis on the role of young people in the revolutions and rebellions that marked the Cold War period.
HIST 4385 Historical Research and Writing
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
The study and writing of history, with emphasis on historical analysis, research, and writing. Designed as the capstone course for history majors and prospective social science teachers. This course will feature a senior research paper, and should be taken during the student's final year of undergraduate study.
HIST 4390 Topics in History
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Study of significant periods, countries, regions, or themes in history. May be repeated when topics vary.
HIST 4396 Directed Individual Study
1-3 Semester Credit Hours
See College description.
HIST 4398 Applied Experience
3 Semester Credit Hours
See College description.
HIST 4399 Internship
3 Semester Credit Hours
Best practices and methods in digital archives, museums, and /or public history through field work at a local organization or museum. Offered on application. Repeatable up to 6 hours.
Spanish Courses
SPAN 1100 Introduction to Service Learning
1 Semester Credit Hour
This is a one-credit course in which students in Spanish 1311 or 1312 may enroll and participate. This service learning course aims to promote collaborative learning between college students learning Spanish and people in the community. Available upon application. Repeatable up to 2 hours.
SPAN 1311 Spanish I
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Introduction to listening, speaking, reading and writing skills within a Spanish cultural framework. For students without previous knowledge of the language. (Language laboratory required. One hour per week.) *A lab fee is required for these courses.
SPAN 1312 Spanish II
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Continued practice in listening, speaking, reading and writing skills within a Spanish cultural framework. (Language laboratory required. One hour per week.) A lab fee is required for these courses.
SPAN 2311 Intermediate Spanish I
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
A course designed for students at the beginning intermediate level to further the acquisition of reading, writing, listening and speaking skills, and their application in a variety of professional environments within a Spanish cultural framework. Counts towards the Foreign Language requirement in Spanish. Next course in sequence: SPAN 2312 or 2315.
TCCNS: SPAN 2311
SPAN 2312 Intermediate Spanish II
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
A course designed for students at the intermediate level to further the acquisition of reading, writing, listening and speaking skills, and their application in a variety of professional environments within a Spanish cultural framework. Counts towards the Foreign Language requirement in Spanish. Next course in sequence: Any SPAN 3000 or 4000 level course. Recommended courses: SPAN 3302, SPAN 3303, SPAN 3312 and/or SPAN 3315.
TCCNS: SPAN 2312
SPAN 2313 Spanish for Heritage Speakers I
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
An introductory course designed for bilingual students who wish to enhance their linguistic skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing). This course will focus on the cultural and historical aspects related to the heritage Spanish speaker.
TCCNS: SPAN 2313
SPAN 2315 Spanish for Heritage Speakers II
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
This course is designed to guide Spanish heritage language learners, as well as advanced learners of Spanish, in the development of their oral proficiency, written communication, and grammatical accuracy while exploring different cultural aspects from the Spanish-speaking world. It is highly recommended for students who have taken SPAN 2313 and/or who are transitioning into upper-division Spanish courses.
SPAN 2316 Spanish for the Professions
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
The course stresses Spanish for the professions to enhance communication skills and cultural knowledge that will help to serve the South Texas Spanish-speaking population as well as to conduct interactions with Spanish speakers and/or businesses throughout the United States and the world.
Prerequisite: SPAN 2312.
SPAN 2317 Introduction to the Cultures of the Spanish Speaking Peoples
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
A survey course designed for students with an interest in the variety of cultures of the Spanish-Speaking Peoples. We will learn about the complex histories that shaped the Spanish-Speaking World(s) and explore and critically analyze different cultural artifacts, such as architecture, literature, painting, sculpture and film. Conducted in English, unless otherwise specified. This course may be used to satisfy the university core curriculum in Language, Philosophy, and Culture.
SPAN 3302 Spanish Composition
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
A course designed to develop analytical perspectives in literary criticism and to strengthen reading and writing skills in Spanish through intensive reading of Spanish, Spanish American, and Chicano fiction.
SPAN 3303 Spanish Conversation
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
A course designed to strengthen the student's oral proficiency in the language through selected readings, videos and oral presentations.
SPAN 3311 Spanish Phonetics
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
A course designed to study the production and discrimination of the Spanish sound system with a general overview of the geographical and social distribution of phonemic and allophonic variants.
SPAN 3312 Spanish Grammar
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
The course will serve to expand vocabulary, further develop writing skills; understand, apply, and use Spanish grammatical structures, and communicate more accurately in written and oral Spanish within a Hispanic cultural context.
SPAN 3313 Introduction to Translation
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
This course is an introduction to the theory, methods and practice of English to Spanish and Spanish to English translation of general texts from different fields. Challenges related to culture and language, as well as professional ethics will be examined.
SPAN 3315 Civilizations of the Spanish-Speaking World
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
This course has been designed to provide a general overview of the historical, sociocultural and political experience of peoples from the Spanish-Speaking world, both from Spain and Spanish America.
SPAN 3317 Introduction to Hispanic Linguistics
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
This course introduces the study of language, the main subfields of Hispanic linguistics, and their application to other sciences.
SPAN 3320 Introduction to Spanish Literature
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
A critical approach to the study of Spanish literature from the Middle Ages through the present. Representative works of Spanish literature are studied within their larger European context. It is highly recommended that students take any of the following before taking this course: SPAN 2313, 2315, 3302, 3303 have advanced proficiency or faculty permit. Conducted in Spanish, unless otherwise stated.
SPAN 3325 Introduction to Latin American Literature
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
A critical approach to the study of Latin American literature from the Pre-Columbian Period through the present. Selected readings in all literary genres, major themes, writers, and literary movements will be studied with a wide Latin American context. It is highly recommended that students take any of the following before taking this course: SPAN 2313, 2315, 3302, 3303, have advanced proficiency or faculty permit. Conducted in Spanish, unless otherwise stated.
SPAN 4100 Service Learning
1 Semester Credit Hour
This is a one-credit course designed specifically for students who are preparing themselves to serve the community using their Spanish language skills. Students in this course will familiarize themselves with the methodology of a particular field (heritage language teaching, translation, interpreting, etc) to be able to interact and serve Spanish-speaking individuals in the community. Available upon application. Repeatable up to 3 hours.
SPAN 4322 Medical, Scientific and Technical Translation
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
An advanced course in translation concentrating on medical, scientific and technical translation. The course is designed to extend student's knowledge of translation theory and consolidate their skills in specialized translation.
SPAN 4327 Methods in Foreign Language Instruction
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
This course is designed to study the current methods in foreign languages, their application in maximizing language proficiency, and the role of the students' culture and language during the learning process.
SPAN 4390 Topics in Spanish
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Study of specialized topics in language or literature. These courses may also be designed to develop terminology and overall Spanish proficiency regarding specific professions: Business, Medical, Criminal Justice, Sociology, etc. May be repeated when topics vary.
SPAN 4396 Directed Individual Study
1-3 Semester Credit Hours (1-3 Lecture Hours)
See College description.
SPAN 4398 Applied Experience
3 Semester Credit Hours
A practical work experience related to the Spanish area and related careers. It is intended to provide an opportunity for a student to gain first-hand experience in an unfamiliar field. Consequently, Applied Experience credit may not be granted for a student's regular work assignment or for previous work experience. Registration is by application. The application must include a clearly written description of the duties and responsibilities involved in the Applied Experience project, and be signed by the student, the on-site supervisor, and the faculty supervisor. Completed applications must be received in the Dean's Office by the last class day of the semester preceding intended registration. This course is graded "credit" or "no credit." No more than three semester hours of Applied Experience credit may be counted toward the baccalaureate degree. Undergraduate Applied Experience course will include no less than one hundred hours and no more than 150 hours of work experience per semester.
SPAN 4421 Business, Commercial, and Legal Translation
4 Semester Credit Hours (4 Lecture Hours)
An advanced course in translation concentrating on business, commercial and legal texts. The course is designed to extend student's knowledge of translation theory and consolidate their skills in specialized translation.