Latino/a History and Culture in the Community College Classroom

Friday, May 8, 2015

The Graduate Center, CUNY • 365 Fifth Ave. NYC
Elebash Recital Hall

9:30 – 9:50 — Coffee + Registration

9:50 – 10:00 — Welcoming Remarks

10:00 – 11:30 — Opening Plenary: “Infusing Latino/a Content into the Curriculum — the Big Picture”

Convener/Comments: Lisandro Pérez, Latin American and Latina/o Studies, John Jay College, CUNY
José Luis Morín, Latin American and Latina/o Studies, John Jay College, CUNY
Alex Trillo, Department of Sociology, St. Peter’s University, NJ
Marguerite Lukes, Director of National Initiatives/Project R.I.S.E., International Network for Public Schools and Department of Education and Language Acquisition, LaGuardia Community College, CUNY

This panel will look at the broader institutional context for implementing Latino Studies at community colleges, review Latino enrollment in higher education, provide examples of innovative configurations, and discuss the impact of Latino Studies on Latino and non-Latino student populations.

What does Latino Studies look like on the community college campus? Where should its content be located in the institution’s curriculum? What does the implementation of Latino Studies require from the college administration and from the faculty? In what ways is the development of Latino Studies driven by student demographics? What institutional policies and pedagogical approaches best support and empower Latino/a students?

11:30 – 11:45 — Break

10:00 – 11:30 — Concurrent Sessions

1. “Creating a Community College Latino Studies Program”
   Moderator: Virginia Sánchez Korrol, Brooklyn College, CUNY, emerita
   Danelle Bower, Reading Area Community College, PA
   Jodi Corbett, Reading Area Community College, PA
   Maria Castro-Gruber, Reading Area Community College, PA
2. “Reading the Academic Article: Pedagogical Approach of Speed Dating/Reading” (workshop)
   Lori Ungemah, Guttman Community College, CUNY
3. “For Your Course! How Latino Literature of the U.S. Fits Into Your Curriculum”
   Moderator: Aránzazu Borrachero, Queensborough Community College, CUNY
   Julia Petitfrere, Naugatuck Valley Community College, CT
   Juleyka Lantigua-Williams, Naugatuck Valley Community College, CT
   Maria Victoria Luna, Essex County College, NJ
4. “Using Primary Documents to Teach Current Scholarship on Latino/a History and Culture”
   Moderator: Megan Elias, Borough of Manhattan Community College, CUNY
   Craig Coenen, Mercer County Community College, NJ
   Jerry Millevoi, Bucks County Community College, PA
   Samantha Gross-Dorf, Bucks County Community College, PA
5. “Poster Session: Lessons in Latino History and Culture”
   “Images of Resistance, Rebellion & Freedom” — Marci Littlefield, Borough of Manhattan Community College, CUNY
   “Looking at Blackness in Latin@ Literature” — Ivelisse Rodriguez, Borough of Manhattan Community College, CUNY
   “Using Census Data to Explore NJ’s Hispanic Populations” — Gianna Durso-Finley, Mercer County Community College, NJ
   “Hispanic Culture in Film: A humanities course on Latino cinema” — Daniel D’Arpa, Mercer County Community College, NJ
   “Fiction to the Real World: Latino Lit – Central American Connections” — John Christie, Capital Community College, CT
   “The Young Lords in Gentrifying East Harlem: A Radical Walking Tour” — Andrea Morrell, Guttman Community College, CUNY

1:00 – 2:00 — Lunch on your own

2:00 – 3:15 — Concurrent Sessions

1. “Latin@s in Labor: Two Stories Diverge” (workshop)
   Jodi Corbett, Reading Area Community College, PA
2. “The Latina/o Card Game: Play as Pedagogical Bridge” (workshop)
   Carlos Hernández, Borough of Manhattan Community College, CUNY
3. “The Evolution of Latino Politics: Teaching U.S. Politics through Latino Politics”
   Moderator: Karen Miller, LaGuardia Community College, CUNY
   Linda Carter, Essex County College, NJ
   Nichole Shippen, LaGuardia Community College, CUNY
   Peter Kolozi, Bronx Community College, CUNY
4. “Incorporating Latinos/as into the Social Sciences”
   Moderator: Amy Traver, Queensborough Community College, CUNY
   Charles Pinderhughes, Essex County College, NJ
   Gerard Weber, Bronx Community College, CUNY
   Yadira Perez Hazel, Borough of Manhattan Community College, CUNY
5. “Out of the Classroom and into the Communities”
   Moderator: Patricia Mathews-Salazar, Borough of Manhattan Community College, CUNY
   John Petito, Bucks County Community College, PA
   Sarah Jakub, Bucks County Community College, PA
   Crystal Rodríguez, Bronx Community College, CUNY
   Arianna Martínez, LaGuardia Community College, CUNY

3:15 – 3:30 — Break

3:30 – 5:00 — Keynote Presentation by Vicki Ruiz: “Why Latino History Matters”

Introduction — Virginia Sánchez Korrol, Brooklyn College, CUNY, emerita

Vicki Ruiz, Distinguished Professor, University of California, Irvine

Contrary to media depictions of Latinos as people who arrived day before yesterday, there exists a rich layering of nationalities and generations. Whether carving out a community in St. Augustine in 1565 to reflecting on colonialism and liberty during the 1890s to fighting for civil rights through the courts of the 1940s, Spanish-speaking peoples made history within and beyond national borders. This presentation by Distinguished Professor Vicki L. Ruiz offers a focused state of the field bringing out larger themes, debates, and sources. She emphasizes three historical moments pivotal to re-imagining an American narrative with Latinos as meaningful actors: 1848 (the U.S.-Mexican War), 1898 (the Filipino-Cuban-Spanish-American War), and 1948 (the Latino G.I. Generation). The talk will be followed by a Q&A discussion.

5:00 – 6:00 — Reception

Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.