Puerto Rican/Latino Studies Sequence
The Puerto Rican/Latino Sequence of the Department of Africana and Puerto Rican/Latino Studies is geared towards a multidisciplinary pedagogical and philosophical approach which encompasses the study of Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Cuba specifically, and the rest of the Caribbean in a comparative perspective. We also engage in the study and analysis of the Puerto Rican diaspora to the U.S. The study of these areas is framed within the racial, historical, linguistic, religious, social and cultural context of syncretism that took place within the native Taíno population, the Spanish colonizers and African people brought in as slaves.
The courses in the Puerto Rican/Latino Sequence have been developed with the teachings and philosophy of famous Puerto Rican thinkers such as Eugenio María de Hostos, Ramón Emeterio Betances, Pedro Albizu Campos, Luisa Capetillo, and Julia de Burgos, in mind. Their exemplary lives constituted the social, political, historical and cultural paradigm in which Puerto Rican Studies is based.
Methodology
Our faculty use different methods to teach our courses. Following are some of the most frequently utilized:
- The lecture format;
- The analysis and interpretation of texts;
- The presentation and discussion of issues relevant to the content of the courses;
- The introduction to research methods;
- The utilization of audiovisual resources;
- The exploration of concepts related to the course content.
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Course Content
First of all our courses are arranged according to the following academic disciplines:
A) Literature: within the scope of this discipline our courses focus on two geographical areas (Puerto Rico and the Caribbean, and the United States) and are taught in two languages. These courses introduce the students to the historical periods, from colonial times to the present, significant in the development of Puerto Rican literature under Spanish hegemony as well as United States rule since 1898. Another aspect of the Puerto Rican sequence has been the study and analysis of Puerto Rican and Latino Literature written in the United States, in English. As such, we offer each semester a course titled "Latino Literature".
B) Culture: The curriculum in this area concentrates on the Taínos, African and Spanish influences in molding the Puerto Rican national culture and identity. Courses focusing on the arts, music, folklore and popular artistic expressions have been developed in this area.
C) History: In the history curriculum we focus on four principal areas of study. First, the colonial period, from the 15th to the 19th centuries, which emphasizes the colonization, African slavery, independence movements and the formation of political institutions and parties. Second, from the 19th century to present, which focuses on the study of imperialism, United States presence and political control of Puerto Rico, transformation of the Puerto Rican economy and the Americanization process. Our third area of study covers the economic history of Puerto Rico from the 19th century to the present. The last area of study centers on the origins, development and struggles of Puerto Rican political nationalism. Another area of study is the populist reformism of the 1940's and 50's.
D) Linguistics: This component of our curriculum exposes students, from introductory level to advance courses, to relationships among linguistic codes, and the social-political realities in Puerto Rican and African American speech communities in the United States as well as in English, French or Spanish speaking countries in the Caribbean.
E) Sociology: In this particular area of study our courses focus on the origins and development of Puerto Rican settlements in the United States; the characteristics of the different migratory movements; the racial experience of Puerto Ricans and other Latinos in the United States; and the social, political and educational advancement of Puerto Ricans in the United States.
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