C LIT 357 A: Literature and Film

Although people of Mexican descent have inhabited in the U. S. for centuries, it has been only during the last four decades that Chicanas and Chicanos have significantly asserted their presence through a sustained process of cultural revival and vindication. This process has involved diverse artistic media. Notable among these media are literature and film. Using these same vehicles, however, other groups have also attempted to depict Chicanos, at times sympathetically, at times pejoratively. In the main, this course will conduct an historical overview of the Chicano experience through film. Nonetheless, a critical examination of the portrayal and self-portrayal of Chicanos in film and selected works of narrative fiction will be the nucleus of the course. Students are expected to view all films, read the assigned materials, and participate actively in class discussions. Students enrolled in SPAN 332 will write the assigned essays in Spanish; those enrolled in CL 357 and CHSTU 332 can write them either in English or Spanish.