Mexican American Studies (MAS)

MAS 2013. Introduction to Chicana/x/o Studies. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours. (TCCN = HUMA 1305)

An introduction to the field of Chicana/x/o studies from its inception to the present. Chicana/x/o studies and scholarship are explored through multidisciplinary concepts, theories, and methodologies, providing differing interpretations of Chicana, Chicanx/e, and Chicano experiences in the United States. May be applied toward the Core Curriculum requirement in Language, Philosophy and Culture. Course Fee: LRC1 $12; LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81; DL01 $75.

MAS 2023. Latina/x/o Cultural Expressions. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours. (TCCN = HUMA 1311)

An introductory overview of Latina/x/o visual, performance, literary, pop culture, and other forms of cultural production, with attention to Indigenous and Afro-Latina/x/o expressions in Mexican American, Caribbean, Central American, and South American diasporic communities in the United States. May be applied toward the Core Curriculum requirement in Creative Arts. (Same as BBL 2023. Credit cannot be earned for both MAS 2023 and BBL 2023.) Course Fee: DL01 $75; LRC1 $12; LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.

MAS 2043. Selena: A Mexican American Identity and Experience. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.

This course examines how the life and career of Selena Quintanilla-la Reina de Tejano music-embodies the historical trajectory of the Mexican American identity and experience in Texas. As exemplified by a line from the biopic about her life, "We gotta prove to the Mexicans how Mexican we are, and we gotta prove to the Americans how American we are. We gotta be more Mexican than the Mexicans and more American than the Americans, both at the same time." Selena's rise to fame will be contextualized by addressing how systemic oppression and intersectionality impact the Mexican American experience. In particular, the course will emphasize how race/ethnicity, gender, class, sexuality, and citizenship function as axes of marginalization, as well as how sociohistorical, economic, and political factors converge to shape a Mexican American group identity in Texas, the Southwest and the United States. Course Fees: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81; DL01 $75.

MAS 2053. Mexican American Music Performance Practicum: MAS Corazon de San Antonio. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.

An ensemble course open to all students by audition. May be repeated for credit.  This course is for advanced performers with previous experience. It will focus on refining on-stage performance technique and style. It also examines the historical development of Mexican American/Chicanx Music, its cross-cultural interactions and influences, and its role as an integral part of Mexican American society, culture, education, and economy. Repertoire will vary from semester-to-semester, ranging from: Mariachi, Conjunto, Tejano, Chicano/a/x Hip Hop, and modern fusion, and will incorporate each ensemble’s respective instrumentation. Course fees: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.

MAS 2063. Latinx Songwriting. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.

Designed to give an overview of Latinx songwriting styles and techniques. Course suitable for anyone, whether interested in songwriting as an art form or contemplating a career in music. Topics include the importance of song in the Latinx music industry and culture, the relationship of words to music, study of song forms including but not limited to those found in Latin Pop, American Pop, and Mexican Corridos, Boleros, and Rancheras. The course will include an introduction to song demo production using home studio digital audio workstations (DAW), Garage Band, and Logic Pro, and touch upon music publishing and other song-related fields. Course fees: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.

MAS 2073. Chicanx Music Methods and Pedagogy. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.

An introduction course focused on creating an aligned, culturally relevant, Mexican American music performance curriculum. Course offers methods and pedagogical tools for teaching Mexican American music, ensemble types, and students. The course introduces best practices, instrumentation of traditional Mexican American ensembles, and how to navigate the public-school system to implement culturally inclusive music programs in schools and communities. Course fees: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.

MAS 3003. Chicana/o/x Music. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.

Designed to examine Mexican American experience at the borders where the cultural form of music becomes a way of expressing cultural contact, tension, conflict as well as accommodation and resistance. Music becomes a site of excavating issues of inheritance as well as understanding the dynamics of creative expression. Course reflects historical and social contexts to engage the cultural production of the genres and themes of music found in Mexican American communities. (Formerly titled Musical Mestizaje.) Course Fees: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81; DL01 $75.

MAS 3013. Chicana/x Queer Communities, Identities and Theories. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.

This course examines the interdisciplinary field of Chicana/x gender and sexuality studies and explores concepts of identity, belonging, and contributions to culture and society through an intersectional lens. Topics may include language, migration, history, health, family, and kinship. Course Fee: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.

MAS 3033. Mexican Americans in the Southwest. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.

Historical foundations of the United States–Mexico biculturalism in the Southwest. An examination of the historical forces that created and shaped the Mexican American people as a bicultural community. Attention is given to Mexican American contributions in arts, economics, literature, and politics. (Same as BBL 3033. Credit cannot be earned for both MAS 3033 and BBL 3033.) Generally offered: Fall, Spring. Course Fees: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81; DL01 $75.

MAS 3053. Global Blackness and Afro-Latinidad. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.

This course offers a survey of the African Diaspora from a cultural perspective exploring the ways African descendent peoples in the Americas have created Black selves, community, and struggle through transnational imagination and action. The role of Afro-Latinidad, Black social movements, culture, music, and the arts will be considered in terms of how they have come to shape the African Diaspora as an evolving space of Black social making and moving. Same as AAS 3023 and WGSS 3023. Credit can only be earned for one of the following: AAS 3023, WGSS 3023, or MAS 3053. Course Fee: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.

MAS 3063. Historical Legacies of Educational Justice. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.

This course presents key texts central to the study of Chicanas/xs/os in education. It examines the historical legacies and contemporary experiences of children and youth in U.S. schools and community struggles for change. The course will present various theoretical perspectives that problematize the pervasive history of educational inequality. Special attention will be given to the pervasive history of segregation, tracking, language oppression, assimilationist ideologies and practices, and the current struggles for educational justice in Chicana/x/o schools and communities. (Formerly MAS 3023. Same as BBL 3063. Credit can be earned for only one of the following: BBL 3063, MAS 3023, or MAS 3063.) Course Fee: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.

MAS 3113. Latina/x/o Music Production and Industry. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.

An introduction to audio-visual techniques and skills used in producing and distributing Latina/x/o music, including audio-visual recording, digital platforms, radio, and podcasts. The course explores potential career opportunities in Latina/x/o Music Production and Industry, introduces learners to current industry software and equipment, and how to market and launch audio-visual products via digital platforms, CD, vinyl, and cassette formats. The class is project-based, and students will learn through real-world applications (meaningful and relevant to areas of interest); the projects completed in this class are tangible pieces that can be included as examples of significant work managed in professional portfolios and on résumés. Students of all disciplines and areas of interest are encouraged to enroll. Course Fee: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.

MAS 3123. Mexican American Culture. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.

A survey of Mexican American cultural distinctiveness in the areas of biculturalism, cultural production, and social organization. Topics may include family and kinship, folklore, health, language, music, and religion. (Same as BBL 3123. Credit cannot be earned for both BBL 3123 and MAS 3123.) Generally offered: Fall, Spring, Summer. Course Fees: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81; DL01 $75.

MAS 3423. Mexican American Foodways: Recipes for Justice, Health, and Liberation. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.

This course introduces students to the study of Mexican American foodways and sovereignty movements through theoretical concepts and methodologies in Chicana/x/o Studies, Latina/x/o Studies, Indigenous Studies, and food studies. This course also centers community knowledge and efforts of community-based spaces to restore cultural knowledge and promote food justice. Readings, lectures, films, group discussions, active class participation, and community events are central features of this course. Course fees: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.

MAS 3433. An Introduction to Critical Race Theory (CRT). (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.

This course is an introduction to Critical Race Theory (CRT), a theory used to study racial inequity. In this course, students will learn the foundational tenets of CRT, its major theoretical constructs, and its methodological approaches. They will also explore various strands, such as TribalCrit, LatCrit, AsianCrit, and DisCrit. They will consider its utility and limitations while applying it to their own understanding of racial injustice. (Same as AAS 3433. Credit cannot be earned for both AAS 3433 and MAS 3433.).

MAS 3883. Black and Brown Latinx Music Ensemble. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.

Ensemble specializing in Afro-Latinx and all genres of Mexican American music. Open to all students by audition/may be repeated for credit. Course focuses on refining performance technique and style, examines the historical development of Afro-Latinx and Mexican American music genres, their cross-cultural interactions and influences in their migration into the US, and music as an integral part of Latinx/Chicanx society, culture, education, and economy. Repertoire will vary from semester to semester. All instruments and voices are welcome to audition. Repertoire will vary depending on the instructor and ensemble instrumentation. This is a performing ensemble. Rehearsal and performance/concert participation is required. (Same as AAS 3883. Credit cannot be earned for both AAS 3883 and MAS 3883.) Course Fee: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.

MAS 4013. Si se puede! Latino Leadership, Activism and Organizing. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: MAS 2013. This course will examine theories of social justice, social change, leadership styles, and basic components required to organizing at the local level for creating meaningful social change. By studying the history and legacy of activism among Mexican American and other Latina/o/x communities, it provides students with the basic tools to become more effective leaders at the grassroots level. Course may include community engagement component as part of the coursework. Course Fees: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.

MAS 4023. Black and Brown Youth Resistance. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.

This course examines theories of youth resistance, and specifically the ways in which youth of color have and continue to resist, whether through organizing social justice movements, self-expression, and/or cultural production. Drawing from Critical Youth Studies, Ethnic Studies, and Women of Color feminisms, this course explores how youth as a whole, and youth of color specifically are socially constructed in the U.S. and the impact of these constructions of race, gender, sexuality, and age structurally on youth in terms of the policies that are created that impact their everyday lives. This course also explores the contributions youth of color have made and continue to make in society, not only through organizing but also through their everyday forms of resistance such as their behaviors, languaging, forms of self-expression, engagement with popular culture, and resulting cultural production. Same as AAS 4023, credit cannot be earned for both AAS 4023 and MAS 4023. Course fees: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.

MAS 4033. Women of Color Feminisms. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.

This course centers feminist epistemological contributions of Women of Color. As a result of their positionalities, Women of Color have developed their own organizations, printing presses, research approaches, and critical theories, and have contributed to social change. This course examines critical theories that make up Black, Chicana/x and Latina/x, Indigenous, and Asian/Asian American feminisms. Women of Color feminisms have advanced change through their scholarship, activism, community organizing, participation in mutual aid, cultural production, and critique of and resistance to coloniality in all of its forms. This course uses an intersectional approach to examining the contributions of Women of Color feminisms across disciplines to include, but not limited to, education, public health, popular culture, community organizing, policy, and cultural production. Same as AAS 4033 and WGSS 4033, credit cannot be earned for both AAS 4033, WGSS 4033, and MAS 4033. Course fees: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.

MAS 4043. Chicana/x Feminisms. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.

This course centers the development of Chicana/x Feminisms before, during, and after the Chicana/o/x Civil Rights Movement. Developed by Chicana/x mothers, activists, youth, community workers, academics, and artists. Chicana/x Feminisms reflects the embodied knowledges and resulting theories of Chicanas/x who live at the intersections of race, class, gender, and sexuality that provide them with the unique insight and strategies to advocate for social transformation within their communities and beyond. The course begins with an examination of the foundational scholars within Chicana/x Feminist Thought, surveys the various contributions Chicana/x feminisms has made to education, research, labor, cultural production, spirituality, and other areas, and extends to the present to explore the shifts and advancements within Chicana/x Feminist Thought since the Movement. Same as WGSS 4043, credit cannot be earned for both WGSS 4043 and MAS 4043. Course fees: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.

MAS 4083. Research Seminar in Mexican American Studies. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.

Provides students the opportunity to compare, contrast, and integrate social science theory and methods, and guides students in the conduct of sociocultural research in the Mexican American community. Emphasis will be given to qualitative and ethnographic methods and theory. (Formerly BBL 4083. Credit cannot be earned for both MAS 4083 and BBL 4083.) Generally offered: Spring. Course Fees: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81; DL01 $75.

MAS 4143. Black and Brown Latinas/xs in Music and Society. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.

A survey of the impact of Black and Brown women/femmes on US and global cultures and societies. The course will emphasize the stylistic and technical nuances and sound production from Black, Brown, and Afro-Latina/x/o diasporas. Examination of women, gender, and sexuality within Black and Brown sonic spaces and analysis of the global histories of the African, Indigenous, and Mexican diasporas through a sociopolitical lens. (Same as AAS 4143. Credit cannot be earned for both AAS 4143 and MAS 4143.) Course Fee: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.

MAS 4623. Chicana/x/o Art. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.

An in-depth study of the history and theory of Chicana/x/o art from the Chicano Movement to the present, with an emphasis on the tensions, iconography, and language that has shaped its conceptualization as an expression of cultural resistance, consciousness, and social change. This course will examine foundational texts in Chicana/x/o art and include classroom visits to arts centers that sustain community art practice.

MAS 4913. Independent Study. (0-0) 3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisites: Permission in writing (form available) from the instructor, the student’s advisor, the Program Coordinator or Department Chair, and Dean of the College in which the course is offered. Independent reading, research, discussion, and/or writing under the direction of a faculty member. May be repeated for credit, but not more than 6 semester credit hours of independent study, regardless of discipline, will apply to a bachelor’s degree. Course Fees: LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.

MAS 4931. Internship in Mexican American Studies. (0-0) 1 Credit Hour.

A supervised experience, relevant to the student’s program of study within selected community organizations and agencies. Must be taken on a credit/no-credit basis. Course Fee: STSH $10.27.

MAS 4932. Internship in Mexican American Studies. (0-0) 2 Credit Hours.

A supervised experience, relevant to the student’s program of study within selected community organizations and agencies. Must be taken on a credit/no-credit basis. Course Fee: STSH $20.54.

MAS 4933. Internship in Mexican American Studies. (0-0) 3 Credit Hours.

A supervised experience, relevant to the student’s program of study within selected community organizations and agencies. Must be taken on a credit/no-credit basis. Course Fee: STSH $30.81.

MAS 4953. Special Studies in Mexican American Studies. (3-0) 3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: Consent of instructor. An organized course offering the opportunity for specialized study not normally or not often available as part of the regular course offerings. Special Studies may be repeated for credit when the topics vary, but not more than 6 semester credit hours, regardless of discipline, will apply to a bachelor’s degree. To apply credit earned in MAS 4953 toward a minor, consent of the academic advisor is required. Generally offered: Fall, Spring. Course Fees: DL01 $75; LRH1 $20.54; STSH $30.81.

MAS 4993. Honors Thesis. (0-0) 3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisites: Enrollment limited to candidates for Honors in Mexican American Studies during their last two semesters; completion of honors examination and consent of the Honors College. Supervised research and preparation of an honors thesis. May be repeated once with thesis advisor’s approval. Course Fee: STSH $30.81.