Reference no: EM133372552
Assignment:
Whereas scholars maintain that the discipline of Chicana/o Studies began in 1492 or 1521 and 1848, in Our Sacred Maíz is Our Mother, Rodriguez (2014) argues that the seven-thousand-year-old story of sacred maíz or corn frames the history of the North American continent. Focusing on Indigeneity and belonging in this continent, Rodriguez demonstrates how Chicanas/os, like other Indigenous peoples, have been victims of (un)intentional erasure of their traditional cultures, languages, and histories (Gonzales, 2012; Rodriguez, 2014, 2016). Despite the colonial disruptions which have taken place against maíz based cultures in the Western hemisphere, the story of maíz continues to inform the lives of Chicanas/os 7,000 years after it was created. Hence, to understand the stories of Indigenous peoples, including Latinx peoples, in the Americas, it is imperative to understand that they have survived 500+ years of colonization and empire. Moreover, Indigenous pedagogies have not only preceded Western frameworks but also serve as decolonial philosophies that resist dehumanization.
1. How did Mexican American studies courses help high school students in Tucson, Arizona with their empowerment (personally and educationally)? (provide two concrete examples from the film that describe how Mexican American Studies helped students with their transformational growth).
2. Concerning the 7,000-year-old story of the gift of maíz or corn, what is the main lesson behind the story of the Ants and Quetzalcoatl?
3. In light of the origin/migration of Indigenous peoples in the Americas, what is the main idea of the Amoxtli documentary, and what was the significance of the Disturnell map?
4. Discuss one prevailing framework that is used to address the concept of the Américas in Aldama's reading.
5. Explain the significance of using a "multi-border" analytic or perspective on borderlands in Vargas's reading.