C LIT 496: Special Studies

Representations of the U.S.-Mexico border region, and of U.S.-Mexican-Central American relations, through analysis of eight key films, a political analysis of US-Mexican relations, a short novel about the drug cartels, an anthology of new short fiction and poetry from the Texas-U.S. border, and two chronicles, one about the sharp increase in violence in Mexico over the past decade, and the other about migration from Central America through Mexico to the United States. We will examine the evolving discourses of migration, globalization, and human rights, from a variety of national, cultural and political perspectives. Students will write two short analytical essays, take three quizzes, and keep a reading and film viewing journal, in addition to participating actively in class discussions.Texts: Jorge Castañeda, Ex-Mex: From Migrants to Immigrants (The New Press, 2009); Alfredo Corchado. Midnight in Mexico: A Reporter’s Journey through a Country?s Descent into Darkness (Penguin Books, 2014); Juan Pablo Villalobos. Down the Rabbit Hole. Trans. Rosalind Harvey (FSG Originals, 2012); Oscar Martínez, The Beast: Riding the Rails and Dodging Narcos on the Migrant Trail (Verso, 2014); and Brandon D. Shuler, ed, New Border Voices (Texas A & M, 2014). Films: The Other Side of Immigration (2010), A Better Life (2011), La cosecha / The Harvest (2012), Un día sin mexicanos / A Day Without a Mexican (2004), Traspatio (2010), El infierno (2012), Which Way Home (2011), and Sleep Dealer (2009).