We're still actively developing this site. If you encounter any issues, please report them! - Report an issue

LABOR IN THE AMERICAS: US & MEXICO IN COMPARATIVE & HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

CHICLA/HISTORY/LACIS/POLISCI 355
Course Description

Provides a critical examination of the history of labor and working people in the Americas, from the colonial era to the present. It focuses on the experience of the United States and Mexico, offering a comparative perspective on their distinct but also shared (and increasingly linked) histories. The seminar proceeds chronologically, highlighting major episodes in the evolution of labor systems in the two countries, beginning with the colonial labor systems implemented by the Spanish and British empires following the European conquest of the Western Hemisphere. Among other topics, we will examine the pivotal role of slavery and other forms of forced labor, the impact of the industrial revolution, the emergence and expansion of corporate capitalism and the labor unrest it provoked in the post-civil war U.S., the role of labor in the Mexican Revolution and its aftermath, the impact of the Great Depression and labor incorporation on the post-WWII social and political order of both countries, the breakdown of that order and the move to neo-liberalism in the 1970s and 1980s, and the emergence of an increasingly integrated North American production system and its consequences for labor and working people on both sides of the US-Mexico border.

Prerequisties

Sophomore standing

Satisfies

This course does not satisfy any prerequisites.

Credits

Not Reported

Offered

Not Reported

Grade Point Average
2.92

-1.32% from Historical

Completion Rate
83.33%

-9.82% from Historical

A Rate
50%

64.58% from Historical

Class Size
24

21.52% from Historical

Instructors (2025 Fall)

Sorted by ratings from Rate My Professors

Similar Courses

EDUCATION ACROSS THE AMERICAS: EMPIRE, CAPITALISM, AND RESISTANCE

CHICLA/EDPOL/LACIS 342

Examines educational inequality across the Americas through the lens of imperialism, different forms of colonialism, and capitalism. By exploring the logics and actions of different education stakeholders, critically examine how educational policy across the hemisphere has a shared history of oppression and contestation.

CHICAN@ AND LATIN@ SOCIAL MOVEMENTS IN THE U.S.

CHICLA 501

Explores Chicana/o and Latina/o social movement participation and collective action from the 1940s to the contemporary moment. Using interdisciplinary scholarship and mixed media, analyze paradigms, theories, and debates pertaining to the historical and contemporary economic, cultural, and sociopolitical dimensions of the Latina/o position in the United States. Focuses on social movements and collective action (rooted in labor, community, civil and human rights organizing) and the topics of race and racialization, power and powerlessness, migration, community development, and gender. Compares the experiences of different Latin@ groups.

THE U.S. & LATIN AMERICA FROM THE COLONIAL ERA TO THE PRESENT: A CRITICAL SURVEY

CHICLA/HISTORY/LACIS/POLISCI 268

A critical examination of US-Latin American relations from the colonial era to the present, tracing the emergence and evolution of the United States as a hemispheric and global power and its political and economic impact on Latin America. Primary attention will be focused on US relations with Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, but other Latin American countries will figure prominently during certain episodes.

CHICANA AND LATINA HISTORY

CHICLA/GEN&WS/HISTORY 245

Introduces the cultural, economic, social, and political history of Chicanas and Latinas in the U.S. and focuses on four major themes: contact between different ethnic/racial groups; ideas of nation and nationalism; constructions of identity; and struggles for social justice.

MEXICAN-AMERICAN POLITICS

CHICLA/POLISCI 302

This class examines the major problems and issues in Mexican-American politics since World War II. An emphasis will be placed on the ways in which race, class and culture have structured politics for the Mexican origin people. Not open to students with credit for POLI SCI 464 prior to fall 2017