Latinx Literature Minor

Description. This minor examines U.S. Latinx authors writing in English and focuses on the four major U.S. Latinx groups – Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Dominican – as well as other significant U.S. Latinx populations – Colombian, Peruvian, Ecuadorian, Salvadoran, and Guatemalan. While applying literary criticism and taking an interdisciplinary approach, which may also include the study of music, religion, politics, film, and the visual arts, this minor provides a well–rounded understanding of the cultural elements that contribute to U.S. Latinx Literature. In addition, this minor will enable students to develop the critical reading and writing skills essential for graduate study and careers in the law, education, public policy, writing, and government. Among the broad issues this minor will address include the following: diaspora; bilingual aesthetics; street literature; criminal and social justice; border narratives, citizenship, and the law; experiences of exile; Afro–Latinidad; Latina feminisms; queer identities; orality; and ethnicity.

Learning Outcomes. Students will:

• Explain and analyze Latinx literature and its role in expanding the American literary canon.
• Synthesize and incorporate dominant theoretical and historical perspectives on Latinx literature.
• Evaluate principal concepts in Latinx literature including identity, race, nationalism, diaspora, bilingualism, class, and gender.
• Analyze multiple ways Latinx literature addresses issues related to immigration, national borders, citizenship, crime, incarceration, law enforcement, and the justice system.
• Discuss Latinx cultural production, with an emphasis on literature, and an interdisciplinary awareness of film, music, and visual art.
• Read texts closely and critically through oral and written products and acquire writing competence in literary argumentation using textual evidence and critical sources.

Rationale. The minor will expose students to a dynamic body of literature that, for the past fifty years, has gained national prominence and international acclaim. Latinx writers, poets, essayists, journalists, and playwrights have won major literary awards including the Pulitzer Prize in literature, drama, and poetry. U.S. Latinx writers come from varying racial, cultural, and geographic locations. These diverse backgrounds give birth to a rich literature whose expressive range and sensibilities significantly enlarge the field of American literature. As with all literature classes, Latino literature classes will help develop student mastery of analytical reading, interpretation, and effective rhetorical skills. As one part of John Jay’s overall rigorous curriculum, the LatinxLiterature minor will help students develop effective written communication skills as well as formulate nuanced perspectives on cultural diversity that are necessary for success in personal and professional endeavors.

Credits required. 18

Minor coordinator. Professors Richard Perez, English Department, (646.557.4408, [e-mail]) and Belinda Rincon, English and Latin American and Latinx Studies Departments, (212.237.8750, [e-mail])

Requirements. A maximum of two courses can overlap with a student’s major, other minor or program.

Additional information: Students who started the minor in September 2022 or after must follow the curriculum listed here. For students who enrolled prior to that date, please see the Undergraduate Bulletin 2021-2022 for the older curricular requirements.

PART ONE. Foundation Course

Select one

LLS 143	Introduction to Latinx Literature	3
LIT 265	Foundations of U.S. Latinx Literature	3

Advisor’s recommendation: LLS 143 is part of the Flexible Core: U.S. Experience in Its Diversity area and LIT 265 is part of the College Option: Justice Core I (200-level transfer seminar) areas of the College’s Gen Ed Program.

Total Credit Hours: 3

PART TWO. 100- and 200-Level Electives

Select two courses

LIT 267	Latinx Horror and Gothic in Literature and Film	3
LIT 268	Latinx Graphic Novel	3
LLS 270	Afro-Latinx Literature	3
LLS 273	Latinx Film and Media	3

Advisor’s recommendation. These course fulfill the Individual and Society or the U.S. Experience in its Diversity areas of the Flexible Core in the Gen Ed program.

Total Credit Hours: 6

PART THREE. 300- and 400-Level Electives

Select three courses

LIT 357	Latinx Street Literature	3
LIT 383	Gender and Sexuality in U.S. Latinx Literature	3
LIT 409	Seminar in U.S. Latinx Literature	3
LLS 362	Entangled Tongues: Bilingualism in U.S. Latinx Literature	3
LLS 363	Il-Legal Subjects: U.S. Latinx Literature and the Law	3
LLS 364	Ethical Strains in U.S. Latinx Literature	3

Total Credit Hours: 9

Total Credit Hours: 18