Department of English

In this course, we will read autobiographical expressions by Latinas/os, aiming to examine the historical, material, and social conditions that often make these texts distinct from more familiar examples of the genre. We will keep a number of questions in mind as we read, including: What kinds of strategies do these writers employ in their attempts to assert authorial privilege? How do these texts negotiate the aim to fashion an individual identity on the one hand while evoking a collective experience on the other? How do cross-cultural and / or transnational influences manifest themselves (e.g. the influence of the Latin American "testimonio" form)? Authors will include Cleofas Jaramillo, Piri Thomas, Ernesto Galarza, Richard Rodriguez, Cherr�e Moraga, Judith Ortiz Cofer, and John Philip Santos.