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The social construction of sex and gender: Examination of the power of the media, church, schools, etc. to influence and shape notions of masculinity and femininity. Identify and Discuss the social structures contributing to gender formation 

The contemporary status of Chicanas and Latinas as working-class women of color. Identify the intersectionality of race, class, and gender in relationship to the marginalized status of Chicanas/Latinas. Analyze the contemporary status of Chicanas and Latinas as working-class women of color. 

Chicana feminist theory and discourse. Identify and discuss the basic tenets of Chicana feminism. Utilize a Chicana feminist framework in assessing the “lived experiences” of Chicanas/Latinas. Analyze the work and research of renown Chicana scholars (i.e., Castillo, Anzaldua, and Moraga). 

Chicana awareness and activism: The historical contributions of women of Mexican ancestry to the struggle for social equality. Recognize Chicana agency as a form of transformative resistance. Relate Chicana activism to past and present social and political movements. Compare and contrast the Chicana Feminist Movement to that of the Chicano Movement and the American Women’s Movement, from the 1960s/70s to the present. 

Chicanas in the arts: Review of Chicana art (literary, visual, and audio) as a form of self and social expression. Identify the works of leading Chicana artists and assess their social, political, and cultural significance.

The role of Chicana archetypes within the Mexican/Chicano community. Reconceptualize cultural and historical allegories from a Chicana feminist standpoint. Analyze popular Mexican legends and myths (i.e., La Llorona, La Malinche, and La Virgen de Guadalupe), and their significance to the Mexican/Chicano culture. Assess storytelling/counter-storytelling as forms of hegemony and resistance. 

Patriarchal practices and beliefs within the church. Relate Catholicism to gender and cultural norms. Evaluate the impact of the Spanish Catholic Church on the historical development of the Mexican/Chicano culture, including analysis of Liberation Theology. 

Determine the manners in which 'machismo' manifest itself within the Chicano/Mexican culture in comparison/contrast to the dominant culture. Analyze the societal attitudes and beliefs commonly held towards women in general and Chicanas/Latinas in particular. Analyze the historical development of machismo/sexism within existing social structures. 

Class and labor: Review the social economic status of Chicanas/Latinas. Contextualize Chicana labor and class in a global, transnational economy. Critique the societal structures contributing to class differences in the US and abroad/internationally. 

Crimes against women. The risk factors contributing to sexual and physical violence and models of education. 

Chicana/Latina health and healthcare. Cultural factors contributing to the general well-being (physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual) of Chicanas/Latinas.

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1 - Analyze and articulate concepts such as race and racism, racialization, ethnicity, equity, ethno-centrism, eurocentrism, white supremacy, self-determination, liberation, decolonization, sovereignty, imperialism, settler colonialism, and anti-racism as analyzed in any one or more of the following: Latina and Latino American (Chicana/o) Studies.

2 - Critically analyze the intersection of race and racism as they relate to class, gender, sexuality, religion, spirituality, national origin, immigration status, ability, tribal citizenship, sovereignty, language, and/or age in Latina and Latino (Chicana/o) American communities.

3 - Apply theory and knowledge produced by Latina and Latino (Chicana/o) American communities to describe the critical events, histories, cultures, intellectual traditions, contributions, lived-experiences and social struggles of those groups with a particular emphasis on agency and group-affirmation.

4 - Analyze the societal factors contributing to the physical and sexual violence perpetrated against women. Identify violence intervention and prevention programs.

5 - Examine the cultural, social, and economic factors impacting Chicana/Latina health. Review teen pregnancy, folk healing, and health education programs.

May include:

Objective exams

Written assignments

Application exercises

 Research Project

Field Journal 

Oral Presentations

Reflection and discussion 

Small group activities

Out-of-class activities

Service learning

• Chicana Studies: An Introduction, Vol. 1 Solorzano,Torres and James Hernandez 01/01/2010
• Massacre of the Dreamers: Essays on Xicanisma Ana Castillo 01/01/2014
• Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza Gloria Anzaldua 01/01/2014
• Cherríe Moraga, Native Country of the Heart: A Memoir (2019)
• Michelle Cruz Gonzalez, The Spitboy Rule: Tales of a Xicana in a Female Punk Band (2016)
• ¡Chicana Power! Contested Histories of Feminism in the Chicano Movement by Maylei Blackwell, 2011
• Intersectional Chicana Feminisms Sitios y Lenguas by Aída Hurtado, 2020