Course: LTS 3007 Puerto Rican Culture
Professor: Dr. Rojo Robles
Email: [email protected]
Office (student) hours: Wednesdays 4:45-5:45 pm (Office 4-272) or by appointment. This time is designated to discuss any questions or concerns about the class. We can meet briefly if you have a quick question or schedule a more extended session if you need help with coursework or content. If you would prefer to meet at another time, write to me.
Course blog: https://blogs.baruch.cuny.edu/puertoricanculture/
Class meets on Wednesdays from 6:05 pm to 9:00 pm.
Room: B – Vert 11-135
Land Statement: The City University of New York (CUNY), including the Black and Latino Studies department at Baruch College, resides on Lenapehoking, the ancestral and unceded lands of the Lenape people, who were the original stewards of this land. This territory, encompassing parts of what we now know as New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Delaware, holds profound significance to the Lenape, who were violently forced to leave it by Europeans and later by U.S. colonists.
In recognizing this, we also acknowledge our presence in the colonized archipelago of Puerto Rico, known initially as Borikén, the ancestral home of the Arawak (Taíno) people. We express deep gratitude that these Indigenous peoples remain with us today, enduring despite the persistent systems of violence and oppression they face.
We pledge solidarity with Indigenous peoples’ movements for justice, the reclamation of their lands, and the protection of their ways of life and the Earth we all share. Additionally, we recognize the millions of Africans who were forcibly brought to these lands, enslaved, and dehumanized, whose labor built our economy and our struggles for freedom and justice. We owe a significant debt to their descendants, who continue to confront the legacy of racism and the ongoing threat of white supremacy.
Lastly, we call attention to the colonial and oppressive systems from which we both benefit and which harm us all. In both word and deed, we commit to dismantling these systems and fostering a more just and equitable future for all.
Weekly announcements: Mondays
Course description: In this student-centered class, we will embark on a journey through the cultural expressions of Puerto Rico, exploring its intricate blend of influences and its ever-evolving nature. Focusing on literary and multimedia storytelling, this interdisciplinary course offers a nuanced understanding of Puerto Rican identity, examining how Afro-Taino, European, US, and Caribbean influences shape a culture that defies monolithic definitions. We will delve into the complexities of island life and diasporic experiences. This course is a gateway to a culture that challenges established norms, geographies, and power structures, offering critical perspectives on colonialism and its impacts on identity and national discourse.
Course materials: All readings will be available on Brightspace as PDFs or links.
Languages: Although I will conduct the class in English (and Spanglish sometimes), if you feel more comfortable and want to work in Spanish, Spanglish, Portuguese, or French, you may also write and create in any of these languages.
Student-centered pedagogy: The student-centered approach puts participants’ interests first by acknowledging their needs as central to the learning experience. Rather than designing the course from the professor’s perspective, we will create it as a collaboration centering on the learners’ perspective. Each student will select their study path via an option-based practice.
Learning goals: Our focus is on studying transnational Puerto Rican culture as we develop these learning goals:
.Using interdisciplinary methods to build and support arguments addressing issues and ideas that center Puerto Rican people’s knowledge production in the Caribbean and the diaspora.
.Communicating ideas and arguments in written, oral, and digital forms.
.Evaluating issues of social and racial justice using multi/transdisciplinary perspectives.
.Assessing and identifying reliable sources of research and information.
.Develop skills for research and problem-solving.
Course objectives: During this course, students will:
.Survey some critical and theoretical debates about the transnational history, society, and cultures of Puerto Ricans.
.Deepen knowledge of Puerto Ricans’ cultural values, traditions, achievements, and history.
.Demonstrate understanding of the dynamics of colonialism, race, ethnicity, class, migration, and diasporic formations concerning the experience of Puerto Ricans.
Statement on grades and assessments: People learn when they are curious and find stimulus and, often, a joy to study. Grades do not reflect the subjective character of learning nor societal issues of access and equity. Everybody learns in complex ways that grades usually cannot reflect. This course will focus on qualitative assessment. Qualitative assessment is driven by understanding how people make meaning of and experience the sources they engage with. I will not use grades for individual assignments but add points based on your self-evaluations. I will also comment and ask questions that engage your work. At the end of the term, I will add all the points you have to determine your final grade.
Grade breakdown:
Class presentation: 5%
Blackout poetry assignment: 15%
Final project proposal: 5%
Exam: 25%
Final project work-in-progress presentation:5%
Final project: 25%
Attendance: 10%
Participation: 10%
Self-evaluation: You will reflect critically on your learning (with rubrics) and evaluate your class projects. I reserve the right to change your self-assessment if there is a significant disparity between your self-evaluations and my appreciation of your work.
Grading:
93-100 A; 90-92 =A-; 87-89 =B+; 83-86 =B; 80-82 =B-; 77-79 = C+
73-76 = C; 70-72 = C-; 67-70 = D+; 63-66 = D; 60-62 = D-; <60 = F
Attendance and punctuality: Students must attend, be on time, and stay for all in-person sessions. Lateness is counted as arrival beyond the first 10 minutes of class. After two unexcused absences and lateness, your standing in class will be affected, and I will lower your final grade accordingly (for example, an A becomes a B). Chronic lateness and absence will result in dismissal from the course.
Statement on academic honesty: Learning involves pursuing honesty and dialogue, which you cannot achieve by presenting someone else’s work as your own. Writing in college means taking part in a conversation with other scholars, writers, and thinkers. Using academic citation demonstrates the relationship between your ideas and those of others. On the other hand, plagiarism is the failure to prove that relationship. I want to hear your voices and read how you get involved in the dialogue. Part of your academic experience is to enter these conversations by learning different ways to engage with sources. If questions remain, ask me. For the record, if you violate the precepts of academic honesty, you will receive a zero for the assignment.
● Online Plagiarism Tutorial for Students
Statement on missing work: If you have concerns about assignment due dates or the use of technology, please let me know ahead of time. I am ready to work with you. I will deduct the total percentage of missing work from your final grade. You are encouraged to email me or request a Zoom meeting for questions or further clarification of readings, audiovisual pieces, and assignments.
Beware of these patterns:
.Submitting AI-generated work as your own. Doing this counts as plagiarism and will be handled accordingly. I will provide detailed prompts and models for your assignments throughout the semester.
.Submitting work after deadlines. If you are experiencing delays or obstacles, communicate your needs as early as possible.
.Disappearing from the class and re-appearing at the end of the semester, asking to make up all the work. Similarly unacceptable: attending classes without submitting assignments as scheduled, asking to make up all work at the end, or submitting only the final project and asking it to count as the total grade.
Mental health statement: In recent years, we’ve seen a significant rise in depression and anxiety disorders, both among students and the broader population. This reality reflects our immense pressures, especially in a world increasingly shaped by war and a toxic political and media environment. In our class, creating a space of calm reflection and openness is essential—a site where we can acknowledge our challenges and support each other’s mental well-being. Let’s commit to fostering an environment of empathy, respect, understanding, and mutual care, where our shared intentions towards better mental health can thrive.
If interested, the Counseling Center provides free and confidential Mental Health services to anyone currently enrolled and registered as an undergraduate or graduate student at Baruch College.
Statement of care, resources, and community: We care about you at BLS. We also know that you have a life outside of school, that everyone learns differently, and that you came to college to succeed. For all of these reasons and more, you must have ready access to the resources and services that are free and available to you as a student at Baruch. Besides counseling, the college’s Student Services include support for veterans and families, services for people with disabilities, and services for financial and housing emergencies. Healthy CUNY has food pantries accessible to all CUNY students in every borough. The college also offers a free food pantry.
As a Baruch student, you also have free access to Starr Career Development Center. The Writing Center offers one-on-one help with your writing. The Newman Library provides consultations on your research projects, online tutorials, and short-term use of computers and other technology. You also have free access to study spaces and places to take your online classes. Two desktop computers are attached to printers in the BLS office that are available for you to use. You can drop in to work, study, or use our printer (VC 4-280).
● Bernard L. Schwartz Communication Institute
Are you looking for a minor or a major? Make BLS your choice: The Department of Black and Latino Studies offers interdisciplinary, intersectional approaches to the study of the ideas, history, politics, literature, music, religions, cultures, economic and social contributions of people of African and Latin American descent, including the United States, the Caribbean, and Latin America. Our courses practice critical thinking and analysis skills, advanced writing, communication, and research. They also engage in digital literacies, collaboration, and project management— essential workforce skills. The interdisciplinary structure of our courses also offers excellent preparation for graduate school and careers in education, law, business, public relations, marketing, journalism, the arts, and education.