In this course, students will analyze the globalization process that has occurred in Mexico and which has put in doubt the national project initiated by the Mexican Revolution. As they do so, they will travel to famous archeological sites such as Teotihuacan, the colonial cities of Puebla and Oaxaca as well as the postmodern metropolis of Mexico City, where students will visit the Museums of Anthropology, National History, and Frida Kahlo. Monday through Friday from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. students will have academic activities. During the first two hours, Prof. Ramírez will lead seminar-type discussions in English. We will discuss the post-revolutionary politics that helped to define the national project and its nationalism that created a Mexican identity that had its heyday in the mid-twentieth century and has lately been transformed by the forces of globalization. We will particularly focus on Mexican identity during the NAFTA years and the late cultural transformation of rural communities, in particular traditional Indigenous communities. From 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. all students will attend conversation workshops according to their level. Most excursions will take place on weekends with some outings on some afternoons. All students will be housed in hotels in Mexico City, Puebla, Oaxaca City, and a weekend in the beach town of Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca. Four meetings scheduled prior to leaving on the trip are considered part of the course. 

Required Texts:

• Guillermo Bonfil Batalla, Mexico Profundo: Reclaiming a Civilization

• Néstor García Canclini, Consumers and Citizens

• David Fitzgerald,  A Nation of Emigrants

Evaluation

• Attendance and participation: Class attendance and participation are imperative. Students are expected to be present at all class sessions. After two absences the final grade will be lowered. All students are expected to come to class ready to participate in all discussions. (10%)

• Quizzes: Unannounced quizzed will be given in class. (5%)

• Midterm exam: A midterm exam will be given halfway through the course. (20%)

• Final exam: A final exam will be given at the end of the course. It will cover only the material studied after the midterm. (25%)

• Journal: All students will keep a daily journal during their stay in Mexico. All entries should reflect some aspect of your cultural experience while in the country. (15%)

• Final Term Paper: This project will be a research paper (10 pages) on a topic discussed in class or an issue related to the learning outcomes and which piques the interest of the student. It will be due two weeks after we return to the United States. More information on the preparation of this term project will be given in class. It is important that students choose a topic early enough to do the research properly. (25 %)

By the end of this course, the students will be able to:

1. Identify historical events that have changed the course of Mexican society and culture.

2. Discern the major cultural traits of Mexican identity as it has developed since colonial times.

3. Identify the socio-cultural impact NAFTA has had on Mexico.

4. Understand how globalization has exacerbated inequalities between dominant classes and the Indigenous communities that continue to exist in modern Mexico.

5. Understand the factors that have pushed Mexicans into migrating to the U.S.

6. Assess the manner in which globalization is redefining Mexico as a national project.