HOM 400, From Azteca to Zapatista: Mexican Music and Social Movements
Syracuse University, “Spring” 2011
Tuesdays & Thursdays 5-6:20 PM
Bowne Hall
Professor: Sydney Hutchinson
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 315-443-5032
Office: 308F Bowne Hall
Office hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11 AM – 12 PM
CLASS DESCRIPTION
Popular music is often considered a “trivial” component of consumer life, while folk music is
seen as simply representing an idyllic rural life. In fact, both are often intimately tied to the
“serious” business of politics. “Greater Mexico,” folklorist Americo Paredes‟ term for the
area of Mexican cultural influence stretching north to Chicago and south through Central
America, has been a place of struggle throughout the twentieth century. And from the corridos
of the Revolution to the rock of student protesters, music has had a central role to play in
struggles for freedom and recognition. In this course, we will explore the use of Mexican
popular and traditional music by nationalists, workers, students, and indigenous people
throughout Greater Mexico over the past hundred years, including such diverse expressions as
Aztec dance, mariachi music, quebradita dancing, and Zapatista punk. In doing so, we will
seek to understand how and why music and dance can be effective in mobilizing social
movements, and how they might be able to advance causes of social justice.
CLASS OBJECTIVES
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
 identify and describe several forms of Mexican traditional and popular music/dance
 understand the historical background and politics of principal Mexican social
movements
 think critically about the connections between music and political mobilization
 evaluate the importance of music to historical and modern social movements
CLASS MATERIALS
You do not need to purchase a textbook for this class. However, you will be expected to
photocopy handouts to accompany your presentation, and you must print all assigned readings
from Blackboard to bring to class and annotate or highlight. All course readings will be
posted on Blackboard. You may need to purchase a recording for the music report.
EXPECTATIONS
As this is a discussion-based class, it is essential that you come to class prepared, having
completed all pertinent listening, viewing, and reading assignments. This means that
“required readings” must be COMPLETED by the date on which they are listed in the class
schedule. Attendance is required. Open debate is encouraged, as long as it is conducted in a
respectful manner. Students who are habitually unprepared for class will find that fact
reflected in their grade.
DISABILITY ACCOMMODATION
Students who may need academic accommodations due to a disability are encouraged to
discuss their needs with the instructor at the beginning of the semester. In order to obtain
authorized accommodations, students should be registered with the Office of Disability
Services (ODS), 804 University Avenue, Room 309, 315-443-4498 and have an updated
accommodation letter for the instructor. Accommodations and related support services such as
exam administration are not provided retroactively and must be requested in advance.
CLASSROOM ETIQUETTE
Please turn off your cell phones and put them away. Unless instructed by the professor, laptop
computers and text messaging are not allowed. This kind of multitasking is simply not
possible in a discussion-based class. Please do not leave the room during class time unless it is
an emergency. That means you will need to eat, get water, and use the bathroom BEFORE
class begins.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
The Syracuse University Academic Integrity Policy holds students accountable for the
integrity of the work they submit. Students should be familiar with the Policy and know that it
is their responsibility to learn about instructor and general academic expectations with regard
to proper citation of sources in written work. The policy also governs the integrity of work
submitted in exams and assignments as well as the veracity of signatures on attendance sheets
and other verifications of participation in class activities. Serious sanctions can result from
academic dishonesty of any sort. For more information and the complete policy, see
http://academicintegrity.syr.edu.
ATTENDANCE
Students are allowed one unexcused absence over the course of the semester. Further
unexcused absences will result in a reduction of the class participation grade. I will consider
an absence excused ONLY when students provide me with a doctor‟s note, letter from an
advisor or professor in advance, or sports excuse letter in advance explaining the student‟s
absence from class.
GRADING
Classroom & online participation
News report
Corrido
2 reading reports (100 pts each)
Music/dance report
Internet research project
200 pts
150 pts
100 pts
200 pts
150 pts
200 pts
TOTAL
1000 points
Grade scale: 900-1000 = A; 800-899 = B; 700-799 = C; 600-699 = D, 599 or less = F. Do not
expect grades to be rounded up (or down).
Grading rubrics will be posted on the course Blackboard site and you will be able to view
your grades there as the course progresses. ALL reports will be graded in part on grammar,
suitable academic style, and organization and are expected to abide by academic standards for
bibliographies and internal citations (APA, MLA, CMS are all acceptable as long as you are
consistent). Students with difficulties in these areas are STRONGLY encouraged to meet with
the professor to review drafts at least one week before the assignment‟s due date in order to
allow time for revisions.
ASSIGNMENTS
Class participation
All students will be required to attend class and participate in discussion of the reading,
viewing, and listening assignments. The class participation grade will combine attendance
records, in-class discussion participation, and on-line discussion participation. There may also
be in-class writing assignments included in this grade, including worksheets accompanying
the films shown or short responses to assigned reading.
Please note that participating in class is dependent on being prepared for class. That means
doing the required readings on the date assigned. Being habitually late or unprepared for class
will result in a lower participation grade.
Online participation
On-line discussion consists of posting to the class blog at
mexicanmusicsocialmovements.blogspot.com and/or responding substantively to others‟
posts. Students may post anything having to do with Mexican music and/or social movements
and should do so approximately once a week. You will be expected to have posted at least 10
substantial items and 10 responses through the course of the semester. A substantial item is
one that demonstrates evaluation, analysis, and synthesis of class topics, readings,
discussions, or musical examples; that shows research, reading, or listening done outside of
class; or that reflects on personal experience related to class topics.
Corrido
Students will write song lyrics following the poetic form and structure of a traditional corrido.
As with traditional corridos, the song should narrate a current event, whether of
local/university interest or taken from national or international news stories. The corrido
should have at least 10 verses and may be submitted in either Spanish or English. On the day
the corridos are due, students should bring enough copies for the entire class, who will then
sing the corridos to a tune of the composer‟s choice (it may be original, or may be sung to the
tune of a corrido we‟ve studied in class).
The corrido grade will be based on: adherence to traditional form and structure; demonstration
of understanding of corrido conventions; effective conveyance of the news event through the
song. BYOG (optional). DUE MARCH 10.
News report
Students must search news databases for a recent article (since 2005) related to Mexican
social movements. Students should sign up to find a news article on a particular topic, and
then present the news article on the day that topic is to be discussed. Along with the
presentation, students should bring a summary of the article in outline form, making enough
copies to distribute to the entire class, and should be prepared with 2-3 discussion questions.
The report will be graded on: effective research (appropriateness of article to class topic);
outline – standard format with main points clearly described and effectively organized;
effective discussion leading. YOU MUST SIGN UP FOR A SLOT.
Reading reports
All students must sign up to give reports on TWO of the additional course readings on the
class schedule. Reports should consist of a 15-minute presentation of the article or book
chapter, its central arguments, and the type of dance described, with appropriate examples
(may include video or music examples, or even practical demonstrations). The presenter
should also come prepared with photocopies of a 1-page outline to distribute to the class and
2-3 questions to engage the rest of the class in discussion.
The report will be graded on: outline in standard format with main points clearly described
and effectively organized (this will be distributed in class as photocopies); thorough
explanation of article‟s main argument and supporting points; effective discussion leading.
YOU MUST SIGN UP FOR A SLOT.
Music/dance report
Students should identify a recording or video having to do with one of the class topics (i.e.
popular nationalism, cultural nationalism, Chicano movement, workers‟ movements, students‟
movements, indigenous movements). They will then present this recording or video in class,
summarizing its content, explaining its connection to class topics, and supporting those
connections with pertinent (but short) examples. Explain if or how this genre can or does help
to further the cause of social justice. The presentation should last 15 minutes and be followed
by 2-3 pre-prepared discussion questions. The presenter should also come prepared with
photocopies of a 1-page handout to distribute to the class. The handout should outline the
recording or video‟s contents and explain how it connects to class topics. This assignment will
likely require purchase of a recording, so please plan ahead!
The report will be graded on: clarity of presentation; thorough explanation of recording‟s
content and connections to course content/themes; clearly described and organized outline in
a standard format; effective discussion leading. YOU MUST SIGN UP FOR A SLOT.
Internet research report
Students will participate in a class-wide research project related to Mexican political music on
the internet. Each student will work in groups of 2-3 to answer a particular question that will
be developed in consultation with the instructor. Students will present their findings in a 20minute class presentation using 2-3 pertinent examples. At the time of the presentation,
students must also turn in a summary of their research (4-5 pages) with a source list (not
included in the length of the paper).
The report will be graded on: effectively answering the question developed; support with
examples; effective analysis of sources; creative approach to solving the problem and
identifying appropriate sources. DUE APRIL 26 or 28.
CLASS SCHEDULE
INTRODUCTION TO MUSIC AND SOCIAL MOVEMENTS
January 18: Introduction
January 20: Basic social movement theory
Required reading:
Jasper, James. 1997. “The art of protest.” In The art of moral protest: Culture,
biography, and creativity in social movements. University of Chicago Press, pp. 1-16
Hoffer, Eric. 2002 [1966]. “Good and bad mass movements.” In The true believer:
Thoughts on the nature of mass movements. Harper, pp 153-168.
January 25: How is music effective in social movements?
Required reading:
Turino, Thomas. 2008. “Music and political movements.” In Music as social life: The
politics of participation. University of Chicago Press, pp. 189-224
Reading report:
1. ______________________ Mattern, Mark. 1998. “Popular music, political action,
and power” and “Music, community, and diversity.” In Acting in Concert: Music,
community, and political action. Rutgers University Press, pp. 25-36 and 139-146
POPULAR NATIONALISM IN MEXICO
January 27: Roots of the Mexican nation
February 1: Mexican Revolution & corrido 1
Required reading:
Heau, Catherine. 2003. “The musical expression of social justice: Mexican corridos at
the end of the nineteenth century.” In Struggles for social rights in Latin America, ed.
Susan Eva Eckstein and Timothy P. Wickham-Crowley. New York: Routledge.
Reading report:
2. ___________________ Lamadrid, Enrique R. 1999. “‟El Corrido de Tomóchic:‟
Honor, Grace, Gender, and Power in the First Ballad of the Mexican Revolution.”
Journal of the Southwest 41(4):441-460.
News report on corridos 1: ________________________
February 3: Revolution & corrido 2
Required reading:
Herrera-Sobek, Maria. 1993. “The soldier archetype.” In The Mexican corrido: A
feminist analysis. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, pp. 84-116.
Reading report:
Arrizón, Alicia. 1998. "‟Soldaderas‟ and the Staging of the Mexican Revolution.”
TDR, The Drama Review 42(1):90-112
News report on corridos 2: ________________________
February 8: Mariachi
Required reading:
Sheehy, Daniel. 1997. “Mexican mariachi music: Made in the USA.” In Musics of
multicultural America, ed. Kip Lornell and Anne K. Rasmussen. New York : Schirmer
Books, pp. 131-154.
Reading report:
2. _____________________ Peña, Manuel. 1999. “The dawning of a new age:
Musical developments, 1910-1940.” In The Mexican American Orquesta: Music,
culture, and the dialectic of conflict. Austin: University of Texas Press, pp. 57-90.
Feburary 10: Ballet Folklórico
Required reading:
Hutchinson, Sydney. 2009. “The Ballet Folklórico de México & the Construction of
the Mexican Nation Through Dance.” In Dancing Across Borders: Danzas y Bailes
Mexicanos, ed. Olga Nájera-Ramírez, Norma Cantú, and Brenda Romero. Urbana:
University of Illinois Press, pp. 206-225.
Reading report:
3. _____________________ Nájera Ramírez, Olga. 1989. “Social and Political
Dimensions of Folklorico Dance: The Binational Dialectic of Residual and
Emergent Culture.” Western Folklore 48(1): 15-32.
4. Rodriguez, Russell. 2009. “Folklorico in the United States: Cultural preservation
and disillusion.” In Dancing Across Borders: Danzas y Bailes Mexicanos, ed.
Olga Nájera-Ramírez, Norma Cantú, and Brenda Romero. Urbana: University of
Illinois Press, pp. 335-358.
CULTURAL NATIONALISM IN MEXICO & THE U.S.
February 15: Danza Azteca in Mexico and abroad
Required reading:
Rostas, Susanna 1991. “The Concheros of Mexico: A Search for Ethnic Identity” in
Dance Research: The Journal of the Society for Dance Research 9(2):3-17.
Reading report:
5. ____________________ Garner, Sande. 2009. “Aztec dance, transnational
movements: Conquest of a different sort.” Journal of American Folklore 122(146):
414-437.
News report on Aztec dance: ________________________
February 17: FILM: The Eagle‟s Children
WORKERS’ MOVEMENTS & CHICANO MOVEMENT
February 22: Farm Workers and Unionists
Required reading:
Heisley, Michael. 1993. “Truth in Folksong: A Corridista's View of Singing in the
California Farm Workers Movement.” In Songs of Work: Essays in Occupational
Culture, ed. Archie Green, pp. 221-52. Special Publication Series no. 3. Bloomington:
Folklore Institute, Indiana University.
Reading report:
6. __________________ . Rudd, Sarah M. 2002. “Harmonizing corrido and union
song at the Ludlow massacre.” Western Folklore 61(1):21-42.
News report on unions: ________________________
February 24: Chicano Movement, part 1
Required reading: Broyles-González, Yolanda. Teatro campesino??
Reading report:
7. ____________________ Reyna, José R. 1976. "Tejano Music as an Expression of
Cultural Nationalism." Revista Chicano-Riquena 4:37-41.
8. _____________________ Peña, Manuel. 1999. “The Chicano generation:
Conflict, contradiction, and synthesis.” In The Mexican American orquesta: Music,
culture, and the dialectic of conflict. Austin: University of Texas Press, pp. 203March 1: Chicano Movement, part 2
Required reading:
Azcona, Estevan Cesar. 2005. Rolas de Aztlán: Songs of the Chicano movement, liner
notes. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Folkways.
Reading report:
9. __________________. Loza, Steven. 1992. “From Veracruz to Los Angeles: The
Reinterpretation of the Son Jarocho.” Latin American Music Review 13(2): 179194.
News report on Chicano issues: ________________________
BORDER CONFLICT & RESISTANCE
March 3: Border Politics
Required reading:
Fernandez, Celestino and James E. Officer. 1989. “The Lighter Side of Mexican
Immigration: Humor and Satire in the Mexican Corrido.” Journal of the Southwest
31(4):471-496.
Reading report:
10. ________________________ Paredes, Americo. 1995 [1976]. “Songs of border
conflict.” In A Texas Mexican cancionero: Folksongs of the lower border. Austin:
University of Texas Press, pp. 19-45.
News report on border politics: ________________________
March 8: Border corridos
FILM: Chulas Fronteras
March 10: Corrido presentations!
March 15, 17: NO CLASS, SPRING BREAK!
INDIGENOUS MOVEMENTS
March 22: Indigenous cultural politics in Mexico
Required reading:
Rubin, Jeffrey W. 2004. “Meanings and mobilizations: A cultural politics approach to
social movements and states.” Latin American Research Review 39(3): 106-142.
March 24: Popular Assembly of the People of Oaxaca (APPO) & Guelaguetza
Required reading:
Gold, Tami and Gerardo Renique. 2008. “A rainbow in the midst of a hurricane:
Alternative media and the popular struggle in Oaxaca, Mexico.” Radical Teacher
81:8-13.
Reading report:
11. ________________ Selection from Goertzen, Chris. Made in Mexico: Tradition,
tourism, and political ferment in Oaxaca. University Press of Mississippi.
News report on Oaxaca: ________________________
March 29: FILM: A Little Bit of So Much Truth
March 31: Zapatistas: Background on the movement
Subcomandante Marcos, excerpts.
CCRI, 2005, “Sixth Declaration of the Selva Lacandona.” Available online at:
http://www.inmotionmagazine.com/auto/selva6.html
FILM: Son de la Tierra
April 5: Zapatistas: New media and social movements
Required reading:
Schulz, Markus S. 1998. “Collective Action across Borders: Opportunity Structures,
Network Capacities, and Communicative Praxis in the Age of Advanced
Globalization.” Sociological Perspectives 41(3): 587-616.
Reading report:
12. __________________. Schultz, Markus. 2007. “The role of the internet in
transnational mobilization: A case study of the Zapatista movement, 1994-2005.”
In World Society Studies, vol. I, ed. Mark Herkenrath. Berlin: LIT.
News report on Chiapas: ________________________
April 7: Zapatista music
Required reading:
Schulz, Markus. “From rancheras to punk rock: The music of the Zapatista
movement.” Unpublished paper.
Reading report:
13. ________________ O‟Connor, Alan. 2003. “Punk subculture in Mexico and the
anti-globalization movement: A report from the front.” New Political Science
25(1):43-53.
STUDENT MOVEMENTS
April 12: Mexican student movement, 1960s
Required reading:
Zolov, Eric. 1999. “La onda: Mexico‟s counterculture and the student movement of
1968.” In Refried Elvis: The rise of the Mexican counterculture. Berkeley: University
of California Press, pp. 93-131.
Reading report:
14. _____________________ Esterrich, Carmelo and Javier H. Murillo. 2000. “Rock
with Punk with Pop with Folklore: Transformations and Renewal in
Aterciopelados and Café Tacuba.” Latin American Music Review 21(1): 31-44.
April 14: No Class: Prof. Hutchinson is out of town.
April 19: FILM, Rock n’ Roll Made in Mexico: From Evolution to Revolution
April 21: Student movements in the U.S.
Required reading:
Hutchinson, Sydney. 2007. “Quebradita in Los Angeles.” In From quebradita to
duranguense: Dance in Mexican American youth culture. Tucson: University of
Arizona Press.
Reading report:
15. ___________________ Márez, Curtis. 1996. “The politics of working-class
Chicano style.” Social Text 48:109-132
News report on Mexican/American student groups: ________________________
April 26: Post-movement movements?
Required reading:
Doss, Yvette C. 1998. “Choosing Chicano in the 1990s: The Chicano underground in
Los(t) Angeles.” Aztlán 23(2): 191-202.
Reading report:
16. ___________________ Madrid, Alejandro L. 2003. “Navigating Ideologies in
„In-between‟ Cultures: Signifying Practices in Nor-Tec Music.” Latin American
Music Review 24(2):270-286.
April 28: Internet Research Presentations 1
May 3: Internet Research Presentations 2 & wrap-up
HOM/LAS 400: Mexican Music and Social Movements
Supplemental Readings for Reports
1. For February 8: ______________________ Jauregui, Jesús. 1991. “El
mariachi como elemento de la cultura nacional." In El mariachi: Símbolo
musical de México. México, DF: Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia,
pp. 73-91.
2. For March 3:____________________ Peña, Manuel. 1992-1996. “Música
fronteriza/Border Music.” Aztlán: A Journal of Chicano Studies 21(1-2):191 –
225
3. For March 31: _______________________ Héau Lambert, Catalina and
Gilberto Giménez. 1997. “El cancionero insurgente del movimiento zapatista
en Chiapas. Ensayo de análisis sociocrítico.” Revista Mexicana de Sociología
59(4):221-244.
4. For April 12:______________________ Esterrich, Carmelo and Javier H.
Murillo. 2000. “Rock with Punk with Pop with Folklore: Transformations and
Renewal in Aterciopelados and Café Tacuba.” Latin American Music Review
21(1): 31-44.
5. For April 26: _____________________ Hicks, D. Emily. 2004.
“Transnationalism and Rights in the Age of Empire: Spoken Word, Music, and
Digital Culture in the Borderlands.” Aztlán: A Journal of Chicano Studies
29(1):165 – 174.