Latino New York :

Work, Identity, and Class

byrne first year seminar -- 1 credit, pass/fail, no sweat

spring 2017

work (ACTIVITY)    
noun [U]
an activity, such as a job, which a person uses physical or mental effort or do, usually for money

identity      
noun [C or U]
who a person is, or the qualities of a person or group which make them different from others

class (ECONOMIC GROUP)    
noun [C or U]
a group of people within society who have the same economic and social position

latino      
noun [C] plural Latinos MAINLY US
someone who lives in the US and who comes from or whose family comes from Latin America

new york

The greatest city in the world

description and contact

We will review my research on the history of Puerto Rican and other Latinos in NYC with work, union organizing, wages/poverty, identity, and participation in labor and civil rights movements from 1920-1990s. In a workshop/discussion format, we will study current research on the topic and learn about the challenges involved in conducting historical research. Topics such as analyzing census data and relating abstract concepts and cause/effect arguments to empirical materials will be discussed. We will read archival documents, newspaper and magazine articles, and oral histories in order to discover how these sources are used in the research process.

premises

reveal your assumptions

commit to learning as necessity and liberation

participate

express

goals

learn to be a student

unlearn assumptions

handle complexity and uncertainty

understand others

conceptualize historical inquiry and Latino studies

establish mentoring relationship

ask the right questions

learn about the Puerto Rican experience, research the Dominican experience, discuss relationship between them

structure

read four or five articles

study a few web pages

read a dozen one page documents

practice some research skills

write three one-page discussions

miss no classes

trip is obligatory

process

Feb 01       Latino arrivals: migration and the formation of communities [Reading #1]

Feb 08       Working class culture and solidarity, 1930s-1940s [Reading #2, short paper #1]

Feb 15       Latino workers during the 1950s [Reading #3; discuss documents]

Mar 1       Working class issues, anti poverty and civil rights in the 1960s [Reading #4, short paper #2]   

Mar 8       New Latinos and their labor and civil rights experiences, 1970s-1990s[Reading #5]

Apr  5       Researching Latinos in New York City [LAB and short report]

Apr 12 TBA

Apr 15     Trip to NYC