Catalog Description

Hours: 54 lecture
Description: Students survey the history of the Mexican people in the United States from 1848 to the present time. The content includes a discussion of the United States War with Mexico, the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo and the subsequent incorporation of Mexicans and other Latinos into the United States. Emphasis is placed on the politics of race, its origin in the colonial process and its impact on the historical development of a Mexican American and Latino ethnic identity in the United States. (CSU, UC)

Course Student Learning Outcomes

  • CSLO #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.\\n
  • CSLO #2: Apply theory and knowledge produced by Chicana/o 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.\\n
  • CSLO #3: 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 Chicana/o communities.\\n

Effective Term

Fall 2026

Course Type

Credit - Degree-applicable

Contact Hours

54

Outside of Class Hours

108

Total Student Learning Hours

162

Course Objectives

  1. Assess the writing of various aspects of United States history from a Chicano paradigm. Identify the Chicana/o historical literature and how notions of ethnicity and identity impact historical perspectives. 
  2. Analyze the complexities of U.S./Mexican foreign policies in the years leading up to the 1846 War and how the goals of American expansionism were met in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. 
  3. Interpret the articles of the Treaty that address new Mexican populations in the United States after 1848 and discuss how these provisions resulted in the political and economic decline of Mexican communities in the Southwest. 
  4. Compare and contrast the decline and/or loss of land and political power in Mexican communities across the Southwest with new strategies for resistance and cultural survival. 
  5. Identify and explain how the relationships between land loss and labor, and immigration and labor, began to define the economic roles Mexican Americans would assume in the growth and development of 20th century U.S. industrial and economic global power. 
  6. Utilize the theories of political generations, immigration and ethnic identity to discuss the evolution of Mexican American identity in the U.S. while defining terms like Chicano/Latino/La Raza.  
  7. Examine the first wave of Mexican immigration to the U.S. 
  8. Discuss the first largest second generation Mexican American population in the United States and the impact of World War II on the identity of this group. 
  9. Compare and contrast the strategies of the Chicano generation with those of the Mexican American generation. 
  10. Assess the contributions of key leaders and organizations that emerged in this time period. 
  11. Discuss contemporary demographics and changing identities within Chicano/Latino communities. 
  12. Relate past efforts of the Chicano community to achieve equal rights in the United States with current strategies to achieve social, political and economic justice. 
  13. Compare and contrast immigration movements from Mexico and Central America as it relates to United States intervention and policies. 

General Education Information

  • Approved College Associate Degree GE Applicability
    • AA/AS - Social and Behavioral Sciences
  • CSU GE Applicability (Recommended-requires CSU approval)
    • Cal-GETC Applicability (Recommended - Requires External Approval)
      • Cal-GETC 4 - Social and Behavioral Sciences
    • IGETC Applicability (Recommended-requires CSU/UC approval)

      Articulation Information

      • CSU Transferable
      • UC Transferable

      Methods of Evaluation

      • Essay Examinations
        • Example: Write an essay that discusses the key ideas of the semester. Include your readings, films, lectures, and discussion to explain your ideas. Answer the following questions: (You do not have to answer each question in any particular order. You just need to address each question in a wellorganized essay. {Introduction, Body, and Conclusion}) 1. Explain how Chicana/o communities have responded to socio-historical events in the 20th century and discuss their significance. 2. Discuss how these socio-historical events have shaped the contemporary conditions of Chicana/o communities. 3. Explain how such conditions assist in understanding the historical conditions of returning college students.
      • Objective Examinations
        • Example: Through a multiple choice and short answer examination, students will demonstrate their retention of information regarding the historical timeline of Mexican Americans and Chicana/os in the United States. Questions will include the key factors in the U.S./Mexican War, Treaty of Gaudalupe Hidalgo, and the Chicano Movement.

      Repeatable

      No

      Methods of Instruction

      • Lecture/Discussion
      • Distance Learning

      Lecture:

      1. Instructor will provide lecture and documentary critiques that analyze the civil rights and social justice movements within the Chicano Community. Instructor will give a discussion question, and students will work in groups to answer the question and report back to the rest of the class.

      Distance Learning

      1. Following an online lecture about the Bracero Program, students will post their personal reflection for discussion.

      Typical Out of Class Assignments

      Reading Assignments

      Students will read textbooks and assigned readings to evaluate, critique and delineate the diversity of histories within the Chicano/Latino/La Raza communities.

      Writing, Problem Solving or Performance

      After viewing "Harvest of Empire", students will identify and describe the relationship between the United States and recent histories of immigration from Latin America.

      Other (Term projects, research papers, portfolios, etc.)

      Required Materials

      • Mexicanos: A History of Mexicans in the United States
        • Author: Manuel Gonzales
        • Publisher: Indiana
        • Publication Date: June 2019
        • Text Edition: 3
        • Classic Textbook?: Yes
        • OER Link:
        • OER:
      • Occupied America: A History of Chicanos
        • Author: Rodolfo Acuna
        • Publisher: Pearson
        • Publication Date: April 2019
        • Text Edition: 9
        • Classic Textbook?: Yes
        • OER Link:
        • OER:
      • Harvest of Empires: A History of Latinos in America
        • Author: Juan Gonzales
        • Publisher: Penguin
        • Publication Date: June 2022
        • Text Edition: 2
        • Classic Textbook?:
        • OER Link:
        • OER:
      • Viva La Raza: A History of Chicano Identity and Resistance
        • Author: Yolanda Alaniz and Megan Cornish
        • Publisher: Red Letter Press
        • Publication Date: May 2008
        • Text Edition:
        • Classic Textbook?:
        • OER Link:
        • OER:

      Other materials and-or supplies required of students that contribute to the cost of the course.