Chicana/o Studies Commons^™

46th Chicano Commencement, 2016, San Jose State University, Associated Students

Chicano Commencement

46th Annual Chicano Commencement

"La educación no cambia al mundo, cambia a las personas que van a cambiar al mundo" The 46th Annual Chicano Commencement was held on Sunday, May 29, 2016 at the SJSU Event Center.

Lullaby For The Burning Ear: How Intersectional Feminism Can Help Decolonize The Latino Consciousness, Donovan E. Hernandez Garcia

Senior Theses

People exist with their own religions, cultures, and practices, which illustrate the ingenuity of humanity. Yet, because of major events that altered the fate of the Americas, a certain societal structure was created to maintain power. Due to colonization, the prolonged exposure to numerous cultures, and the continuation of oppressive systems, people have been forced to band together based on similar characteristics, be it race, gender, or sexual orientation, creating divisions within society. It is because of such colonial mentality, subliminal and apparent, political and cultural movements, such as Feminism and intersectionality, have been created to combat the harmful effects …

Una Guerra Contra La Mujer: Chicana Feminism And Vietnam War Protest, Arica Roberts

AWE (A Woman’s Experience)

Chicana women, especially those in the East Los Angeles chapter, began this autonomous feminist consciousness to challenge sexual oppression within cultural nationalism as they resigned from the Brown Berets, created their own organization, Las Adelitas, continued antiwar efforts with the National Chicano Moratorium Committee and fought for the social, economic, and political liberation and equality of the whole Raza.

Spanish For Heritage Speakers: Instructional Module #1, Gabriela C. Zapata

Activities and Assignments Collection

By the end of this module, students should be able to:

1. Identify and name characteristics of the narrative genre;

2. Identify the rules for and correctly use the preterite and imperfect;

3. Identify the rules for the accentuation of palabras agudas and esdrújulas and correctly apply them;

4. Write a narrative of at least 300 words;

5. Understand the rules behind the production of visual "texts";

6. Produce a visual narrative using images and video.

Naccs 43rd Annual Conference, National Association For Chicana And Chicano Studies

NACCS Conference Programs

¡Chicana/o Power! Transforming Chicana/o Activism, Discourse and Scholarship into Power

April 6-9, 2016

DoubleTree by Hilton

Chicana/O Art Since The Sixties: From Errata To Remix, Karen Mary Davalos

Faculty Pub Night

No abstract provided.

Music And The Migrant: A Transnational Account Of Cumbia, Irene L. Mekus

Audre Lorde Prize

This paper looks into the cultural synthesization and the transnational ties of cumbia between Latin America and the United States. Three case studies look at the story of migrants and their transnational ties through cumbia and are analyzed through an ethnomusicology framework.

The American Dream: Equality In Education, Alexandra Romjue

2016 Symposium

The “American Dream” of acquiring a college education is not a realistic goal for every citizen in the United States. Today a college education is becoming a necessity and Latino citizens are not provided with the same opportunities that Caucasian students are. This study looks at the college education gap among Latina/os and compares the college graduation rates between Latinos and Caucasians. Using peer review sources, the study assesses the impact of this education gap on job opportunities, wages and overall earning potential and quality of life among Latina/os and Caucasians. Finally, this work aims to raise awareness among uninformed …

The Necessity Of Minority Ethnic Studies In The American Education Curriculum, Destiny L. Vaught

2016 Symposium

From the very start of the educational career students are rarely exposed to the history, culture, and contributions of other ethnic groups that tie together the American way of life, past and present. Not until individuals reach higher education, are they introduced to studies that are designed specifically to enlighten the student’s knowledge of minorities and other ethnicities in the United States. In this study, I used peer review sources to highlight the advantages of schools that teach ethnic studies classes and the importance of understanding different groups of people at an earlier stage in a student’s life. The study …

Undocumented Immigrants And The Constitutional Rights Of Their U.S. Born Children, Jennifer Rogers

2016 Symposium

In this essay I will discuss language of the 14th Amendment, which grants automatic citizenship to every child born on US soil, regardless of the immigration status of their parents. These children have been typecast by the media as “anchor” babies. Through primary documents and peer review journals, this paper will show the nature of what it's like to be a child of an undocumented immigrant and the rights they have. The funding for these children with undocumented parents has been widely disputed and will discuss in-depth about what type of services the U.S. is responsible for. With the upcoming …

The Lack Of Diversity Among Sign Language Interpreters Presents Major Challenges For The Health Care Industry Serving The Chicana/O Community, Christina Gutierrez

2016 Symposium

This paper focuses on Chicana/os who are hearing impaired and the struggles they face. This research project will address the different styles of sign language and different kinds and levels of hearing loss. Using peer review sources I provide statistics on the number of Chicana/os in the United States with hearing disabilities and narrow it down to the number of Deaf Chicana/os in Washington state. In this paper I will address the additional challenges faced by deaf Chicana/os as they attempt to communicate with their families who only speak Spanish; most of the time a sibling is compelled to learn …

Latina/O Education And Its Effects On Overall Job Success, Megan Lee

2016 Symposium

Young Hispanics today struggle with the American education system, especially those that are foreign-born. This is because Latina/o immigrants are part of an education system that is inadequate to meet their educational needs. A common problem immigrant’s face in the classroom is their inability to communicate. Also, teachers are not trained to communicate effectively with their student populations. For example, according to the National Education Association only 2.5% of teachers who instruct bilingual students have a degree in ESL-bilingual education. This can be a factor for which Latina/o immigrants score lower on standardized tests and the shortcomings associated with an …

Defining America: Chicano/Latino Influence, Hope Jackson-Doney

2016 Symposium

With the 2016 Presidential Elections, immigration has become a hot topic of discussion among the presidential candidates as they debate what actions to take with respect to undocumented population residing in the United States. This study examines the ways in which Latina/os and immigrants have defined and redefined the American culture. Using peer review academic sources, this work explores the cultural development of Latina/os in the United States and how this group constitutes a critical foundation of American society. This works illustrates how the United States is known as the melting pot of cultures for many generations and Latina/o immigrants …

Understanding U.S. Racial Tensions In The 21st Century, Taylor Newquist

2016 Symposium

This study takes a sociological outlook on the reasons Latin American immigrants migrate to the United States. The study will uncover the racist outlook and stereotypes Americans feel toward this particular immigrant group whether they be documented or undocumented. Using academic peer review sources, the study uncovers the factors that produce these negative attitudes towards this outgroup and sheds light on best practices to reduce racial tensions between them. Among these strategies include cracking down on extreme political rhetoric that incites prejudicial attitudes and potential violence.

The Economy And Mexican Immigrants, Austin Schulz

2016 Symposium

This paper will focus on the economic impact that immigrants from Mexico, documented and undocumented, have on the United States economy. In this study, I use peer reviewed sources to show how much immigrants contribute to the economy; with how much they pay in taxes and the wages they earn as they toiled in their respective jobs. Additionally, this study explores the impact Mexican immigrants have on the unemployment rate of native born Americans as well as the U.S. national debt. This study also looks at the impact of undocumented immigration, and the cost/contributions to the US tax payers. Finally, …

Stereotypes And Popular Misconceptions Of Latino Immigration, Teddy J. Mead

2016 Symposium

The focus of this research paper is to briefly address the scenarios behind Latin American immigration into the United States, as well as its effects on American culture. With the use of peer reviewed sources and scholarly articles the research conducted directly reflects current issues in the media today. This work explores three main areas including: government intervention in an era focused on Latino Immigration to the United States, the cultural misconceptions conveyed by a naïve American public, and a debunking of negative stereotypes regarding Latino Immigration.

Latin@S In The Labor Work Force, Vanessa Murillo

2016 Symposium

This study focuses on the overrepresentation of Latino/as in farm labor jobs and the factors causing this trend, including the lax employer verification requirements. Using peer review sources, this work assesses the extent to which the federal government is complicit by allowing certain industry sectors such as the agribusiness with less stringent employment verification requirements than the technology or scientific industry. The study shows this bias application of laws create a form of exploitation and an underclass of Latina/o immigrants locked out of better job opportunities. Finally, this research points out to DACA, the executive order issued by President Obama …

Developing A Support Center Without Borders: Enhancing Services For Students Without Documentation, Edith Melendez

2016 Symposium

College students without documentation (students) face many academic support hardships. As defined by the National Immigration Law Center, an undocumented person is a foreign national who resides in the United States with fraudulent documents or entered without authorization. Every year hundreds of motivated students with high potential to succeed in an academic setting enroll into four-year university with hopes of becoming upwardly mobile and contributing to society. Unlike college students with authorization, they have added stress and pressures relating to overcoming financial, social, and educational challenges. Despite these obstacles and legal status, they persevere and achieve academic success along educational …

Current Issues And Developments In Psychology With Regards To Latina/O Americans, Rachel Giddings

2016 Symposium

Past research has shown that the Chicano/Latino community experience mental illness differently than other populations, and they are largely underserved by mental health professionals. This work explores the underrepresentation of culturally diverse individuals seeking and utilizing psychological services due to the lack of cultural sensitivity of therapists; cynicism by mental health professionals, and an outlook that therapy can be used as an oppressive tool by those in power (Sue & Sue, 1999). In short, there is much apprehension towards traditional therapeutic and intervention models in which most therapists have been educated on are based on and designed to meet the …

Jotería-Historias: Theories From The Fringes, Robert Mitchell Gutierrez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

By collecting the cultural/historical narratives of gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (GBTQ) Chicanos of Colorado, this research project locates theories in the flesh, or theories of resistance and agency, in the forms of cuentos, pláticas, chismé, mitos, testimonios, and consejos to explicate a queer of color performance of intersectional and decolonial politics. To set the context, several historical and political snapshots of GBTQ Chicano experience over the last 500 years are reviewed to demonstrate how communication about, for, and between GBTQ Chicanos operate in a liminal state (nepantla) where violence, marginalization, and oppression are …