Curriculum

Youth Voices in El Movimiento

and the Struggle for Racial Justice along the Front Range of the Rocky Mountain West

Courses

Digital Anthropology
Narrating Memory, History and Space
American Women’s History
Audio Documentary
Producing Video for Social Media
Social Movements
Popular Music and Social Justice
Audio Documentaries
Activist Media
Latino Cultures in the United States
Latinas/os/xs in American Society
Internship in Spanish

Curriculum Outcomes

Student attendance and participation in trips to historical sites, archives, and community locations.
Increase in number and value of contacts between partnering organizations.
Evidence of effective interviewing and evidence-gathering as measured by thoughtful answers to appropriate follow up questions, thought-provoking photography and image capture, and collection of material artifacts that offer insights into the events, period, and people in question.
Evidence that materials are selected from the overall corpus for inclusion in the History Colorado collection for public dissemination. Evidence of requests for public dissemination of materials.
Evidence of effective synthesis of primary and secondary sources into a contextually specific, coherent, and community-driven narrative.
Evidence of student participation in and reflection about travel experiences and interactions with the IRISE Community Scholar. Evidence of historical value for the community and region as determined by community partners.

Featured Courses

Course Taught By:
Dr. Carlos Jimenez Jr.
Course ID:
MFJS 2001
Meeting Times: Monday & Wednesday 12:00 - 1:50 PM
Course Description: This course provides participation
(1) storytelling/introductory videos, (2) informational videos to educate or train, (3) demonstration videos, and (4) review and testimonial videos. Of course, there are emergent uses of video all the time, with people experimenting with TikTok and Instagram Stories for a variety of purposes. The course is therefore organized with a focus on the complete production process: pre-production planning, production, and post-production (editing — focused on in-camera editing in this course). When you complete this course, the goal is for you to have a basic understanding of the process involved in video production, the skills necessary to Producing Video for Social Mediacomplete a production, and, most importantly, the critical understanding behind all decisions.
Course Taught By: Dr. Lina Reznicek-Parrado
Course ID: SPAN 3997
Meeting Times: Wednesday & Friday, 10:00 - 11:50 AM
Course Description: This course serves as curricular, intellectual, and professional support to a 10-week Spanish internship. Students will be matched to an internship with a community partner (private or public agency, institutional office, non-profit or community organizer) whose mission aligns with students’ professional aspirations in a variety of disciplines. Through the exploration of notions in critical service-learning, students will be given the opportunity to reflect upon their own positionality and its implications for issues in social justice, equity and linguistic diversity as they participate in an internship site. Students are expected to mobilize their linguistic skills in Spanish as part of the experience, and especially as part of their role in supporting community partners explore and understand better ways to serve Spanish-speaking communities across the Denver Metro area. Students will engage with readings, workshops, reflections and a portfolio that showcases their community-engaged work while furthering an understanding of the sociolinguistic implications of Spanish as a U.S. language which is spoken and used in a variety of communities across Denver. An end-of-term showcase will be expected as part of participation in this course. Internship hours will range between 7 and 10 weekly.
Prerequisites: SPAN 2200, SPAN 2250, or SPAN 2400
Course Taught By: Dr. Lina Reznicek-Parrado
Course ID: SPAN 2400
Meeting Times: Monday & Wednesday 2:00 - 3:50 PM
Course Description: Interdisciplinary study of Latino contemporary issues in the United States incorporating aspects of the distinct socio-historical, political, economic, and cultural dynamics that have contributed to the shaping, development and increasing prominence of Latino communities. Includes an examination of how Latino cultural forms and practices intersect with socio-historical, economic, and political forces as a framework for understanding the Mexicano/ Chicano, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Dominican and other Latino communities embedded in the very fabric of what constitutes the United States. Final project involves a critical look at the historical context of Spanish in Colorado based on notions from the course.
Descripción del curso: Este curso es una introducción y exploración crítica al perfil sociohistórico, sociopolítico y sociolingüístico de las comunidades latinas las cuales han contribuido al desarrollo y realidad sociodemográfica de Estados Unidos en el siglo XXI. Para entender tal realidad, se presentan las características sociohistóricas, socioculturales y lingüísticas de las comunidades hispanohablantes más representativas en los Estados Unidos: los mexicoamericanos, puertorriqueños, cubanoamericanos y centroamericanos. Como parte de la exploración crítica de este mismo tema, llevaremos a cabo un proyecto de servicio y colaboración con la comunidad a través de trabajo voluntario en varias agencias y organizaciones en Denver dedicadas al bienestar de diferentes comunidades hispanohablantes en la comunidad. Esta experiencia nos dará la oportunidad de examinar lo que no se ve explícitamente en el discurso político cuando se habla de las comunidades (inmigrantes) latinas, incluyendo la exploración de temas como la inclusión/exclusión lingüística, las políticas sociales en pro—o en contra—de las comunidades diversas, la xenofobia y otras realidades generales de esta comunidad—además de proporcionar un acercamiento a las experiencias reales (es decir, humanas) de los inmigrantes hispanohablantes en EE.UU.
Exploraremos entonces, las siguientes preguntas que guiarán nuestras discusiones:
¿Quiénes son los latinos en EE. UU.? ¿De qué manera el contexto sociohistórico, sociopolítico y sociolingüístico de los latinos en EE. UU. tiene implicaciones para la realidad y el futuro de nuestro país?
¿Cómo el conocimiento de la sociolingüística puede ayudarnos a generar posiciones críticas ante la contribución de las comunidades latinas en EE. UU?
Al completar este curso, los estudiantes podrán:
Describir el perfil sociohistórico, sociopolítico y sociolingüístico de las principales comunidades latinas en EE. UU.;
Analizar cómo las trayectorias migratorias afectan los patrones y perfiles demográficos de las comunidades latinas en EE. UU.;
Aplicar nociones de la sociolingüística para describir un contexto en particular, en este caso, las comunidades hispanohablantes de EE. UU;
Interactuar con miembros de comunidades latinas para desarrollar un conocimiento crítico de la realidad social, lingüística y política que afecta a inmigrantes latinos en EE. UU.; y
Expresarse a través del uso de un español académico a nivel escrito y oral.
Prerequisites: SPAN 2200, SPAN 2250, or SPAN 2400
Course Taught By: Dr. Elizabeth Escobedo
Course ID: HIST 2630, Cross listed with GWST 2630
Meeting Times: Tuesday & Thursday 10:00 - 11:50 AM
Course Description: This course is a survey of U.S. women's history from the colonial period to the present. It examines the social, cultural, economic, and political developments shaping American women's public and private roles over several centuries, in addition to the ways in which women gave meaning to their everyday lives. Particular attention is paid to the variety of women's experiences, with an emphasis on the interplay of race, class, ethnicity, and sexuality.
Prerequisites: No prerequisites.
Course Taught By: Dr. Esteban Gómez
Course ID: ANTH 3030
Meeting Times: Monday & Wednesday, 2:00 - 3:50 PM
Course Description: Digital Anthropology introduces students to computer technology used in anthropological research. Students study and then produce a number of digital products useful in the analysis and interpretation of museum collections, for archaeological mapping and research, and for the dissemination of anthropological knowledge online. This process covers the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for spatial analysis, three-dimensional imaging programs ranging in scale from broad landscape mapping to detailed digital artifact analysis. In addition, the use of geophysical methods for imaging what is below the surface allows students to produce images of what lies below the ground in archaeological contexts.
Prerequisites: No prerequisites.
Course Taught By: Dr. Hava Gordon
Course ID: SOCI 2719
Meeting Times: Tuesday & Thursday 12:00 - 1:50 PM
Course Description: The study of social movements is fundamentally the study of how and why groups collectively try to make social change. This course explores the following questions:
How do movements mobilize people?
Under what historical conditions are movements likely to emerge?
What makes a movement successful? What are reasons for a movement’s decline?
What kinds of strategies do different movements use to effect social change?
How and why do movement participants construct collective identities?
What is the relationship between movements and counter-movements?
In order to explore these theoretical questions, we will examine some of the historic watersheds of social movements in the U.S. (including labor, civil rights, and feminist struggles), their more contemporary manifestations, and other important contemporary movements such as global justice movements, racial justice and LGBTQI* movements. This course is designated as a service-learning course, which means that students will be examining the links between past and present racial justice organizing in Denver through community engaged learning.
Prerequisites: SOCI 1810: Understanding Social Life.