Latino Communities in DC
Course Title: Latino Communities of the D.C. Metropolitan Area
Day and Time:
This course explores the origins, history, current challenges, and contributions of Latin American communities in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. When did Latin Americans begin arriving in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia? How have they influenced the larger social, cultural, and economic spheres of the national capital region, and how have they in turn been shaped by them? What roles do DC-area Latin American communities play today in local, national, and international arenas?
While this course has a local emphasis, it will also analyze issues in a broader national and international framework in the context of historical and current debates. In addition to reading about historical and contemporary issues, teaching and learning methods for this course include media analyses, film viewings, guest speakers, and excursions in the city. Readings will include but not be limited to history, sociology, anthropology, economics, political science, and literature.
Patrick Scallen
Patrick Scallen is a historian of the Salvadoran immigrant population in the metropolitan Washington, D.C. area. Drawing heavily upon oral and written sources, he situates Salvadoran narratives in the context of national debates on immigration reform, US Cold War foreign policy in Central America, domestic social movements, and the racial milieu of late-twentieth-century Washington, DC.
