Course Description
This course goes beyond the history of territorial disputes and diplomatic relations between Mexico and the United States to analyze the multiple ways in which the peoples, cultures, and events in each country have been shaping each other for the last two centuries.
Additional Requirements for Graduate Students:
Graduate students will be required in-depth additional readings in addition to those assigned in the syllabus for each class. The additional readings will amount to the page equivalent of one book
per week. For evaluation, the graduate students will submit a bibliographical essay by mid-semester and one 18- to 22-page research essay at the end. The research paper should be built on
primary and secondary sources, preferably from local archives and/or oral interviews.
Athena Title
Mexico US Relations since 1821
Undergraduate Pre or Corequisite
One HIST or LACS or INTL or POLS course
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Student Learning Outcomes
- By the end of this course, students will be able to arrive at conclusions about the history of the United States and Mexico by gathering and weighing evidence, logical argument, and listening to counter argument.
- By the end of this course, students will be able to write stylistically appropriate papers and essays. Students will be able to analyze ideas and evidence, organize their thoughts, and revise and edit their finished essays.
- By the end of this course, students will be able to identify how the history of U.S. and Mexico shaped diverse social and cultural attitudes toward colonialism and imperialism, race and ethnicity, and freedom and justice, encouraging them to understand diverse worldviews and experiences.
- By the end of this course, students will be able to apply appropriate methodological approaches to their analysis of primary sources and to organize their evidence to show historical continuities and discontinuities.
- By the end of this course, students will be able to generate their own research question or topic, locate suitable primary and secondary sources, and synthesize their ideas in novel ways.
- By the end of this course, students will be able to initiate, manage, complete, and evaluate their independent research projects in stages and to give and receive constructive feedback through the peer review process.
Topical Outline
- 1. Background History of Mexico and the United States to 1821
- 2. From the Mexican Independence to the Independence of Texas, 1821-1835
- 3. California and New Mexico under Mexican Rule, 1821-1848
- 4. The Mexican American War and its Aftermaths, 1848-1867
- 5. United States-Mexico from Confrontation to Economic Modernization, 1867-1910
- 6. Mexican Revolution and the United States, 1910-1930
- 7. Mexican Immigration Early Stages, 1910-1930
- 8. The United States Depression and Mexican Nationalism, 1930-1940
- 9. Hollywood and Mexican Cinema Golden Age, 1930-1950
- 10. Mutual Environmental Challenges from the Boll Weevil to the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spills
- 11. Braceros vs. Mexican-American Farmworkers, 1950-1964
- 12. American Counterculture and Youth Rebellion in Mexico, 1960-1970
- 13. Mexican Immigration after 1965
- 14. Drug and Arms Trafficking on Both Sides of the Border 1980-Present
- 15. NAFTA, the Symbiosis of Mexican and American Labor and Capitalism 1994-present
- 16. The United States-Mexican border in the 21st Century
Institutional Competencies
Analytical Thinking
The ability to reason, interpret, analyze, and solve problems from a wide array of authentic contexts.
Communication
The ability to effectively develop, express, and exchange ideas in written, oral, interpersonal, or visual form.
Critical Thinking
The ability to pursue and comprehensively evaluate information before accepting or establishing a conclusion, decision, or action.
