FYS 63 Rhetoric, Literacies, and Activism in Northeast Los Angeles
How do historically marginalized communities make meaning, survive, and resist dominant institutions through discourse? This first-year seminar approaches the study of language and literacy not as neutral skills, but as a culturally situated, embodied practice of power. Grounded in the field of cultural rhetorics, this class will explore how immigrant and second generation Americans in Los Angeles have challenged dominant structures, institutional racism, and systemic erasure. We will anchor our inquiry by focusing on communities in Northeast Los Angeles, exploring how they use art, music, and writing to resist dominant narratives about race, gender, and class. For example, we will engage with community archives and neighborhood field trips to learn about the rhetorical work of immigrant and second generation Americans.
Open only to first-year frosh.