POLS 359 Winter 2025 Syllabus

Course Overview:

This course provides a general survey of Latino/a/x Politics in the United States. As of July 2022, the Latino population is estimated to be 63.7 million people and Latinos comprise 19.1% of the national population. The purpose of the course is to learn about both the history of Latinos in the U.S. and the political processes they have taken part in. The course also grapples with various conceptualizations of Latino identity and intersections with race, ethnicity, class, gender, and national origin group. The course examines the “Latino Vote”, differences among Latino voters, and the impact of various groups of Latino voters on recent campaigns and elections. A significant segment of the course focuses on the policy process and examines the interaction of Latinos with other political actors and groups. For example, legislation aimed at immigrants and Latinos more broadly, such as Arizona’s SB1070 and the DREAM Act. The course includes topics such as social movements, political imagery, public opinion, and political representation. Finally, this course utilizes films, podcasts, political cartoons, and art related to various themes in the course.

Required Books & Course Materials: There are no required books for purchase in this course. All course readings and materials are available on Canvas.

Course Requirements:

This course is an upper division course with both lecture and section. Students are required to write two (5-7 pg.) papers, participate in section, and take a cumulative final exam.