Professor: Catalina de Onís

4.00 credits

CRN 16609: Tuesday & Thursday, 2:00-3:20pm @ CHA 301

Graduation Requirement:  This class will fulfill an Arts and Letters Colloquium and the HC 444H: US: Difference, Inequality, and Agency (US) cultural literacy requirement.  If a student already has completed an Arts and Letters Colloquium, this course will fulfill both of the following requirements: an Elective Colloquium and the US: Difference, Inequality, and Agency (US) cultural literacy requirement.

Latine Testimonios centers on experiences, narratives, and reflections that communicate embodied knowledges and relationships. This “theory in the flesh” can challenge oppressive systems and structures, while also creating interconnections among peoples who are disproportionately harmed by extractivist logics and practices (Moraga & Anzaldúa, 1981). In this course, we will respond to several questions, including: In what con/texts and how can testimonios and other autoethnographic creations support questioning and dismantling borders—both figurative and literal—as well as other damaging constructs? How do the studied testimonios and oral histories by Latine/x/a/o people call attention to societal harms and injustices, while also pointing to justice-oriented actions that value different ways of being, knowing, and communicating? How do the highlighted Latine/x/a/o communicators, including Indigenous and Black Latines, engage in alternative worldmaking committed to understanding intersectionality and organizing coalitionally? We will approach these guiding questions by examining a variety of expressive forms, including corridos, podcasts, and poems. Students who have lived experiences connected to the course topic are especially encouraged to enroll.