This course provides an interdisciplinary introduction to the study of Latinas/os/xs in the U.S. It begins with a historical overview of the major events in the U.S. Southwest, Mexico, and the Caribbean that led to the creation of Latinx communities in this country; we explore in this historical context the reasons for migration and the effects on identity of movement between countries and within the U.S. The course then moves to a consideration of the social protest movements of the 1960s, including Chicano and Puerto Rican nationalism, the farmworker movement, and Latina feminism. It then proceeds to present-day issues as they affect the major Latinx groups in the U.S., attending to both similarities and differences within and between the major groups. The goal is to show that "Latinx" is not a monolithic category but that it does unite various populations (Chicano, Dominican, Cuban, Puerto Rican, etc.) for strategic purposes. The class addresses Latinx participation/incorporation in the economy, the political system and public education, with attention to how public sphere participation is shaped by language, legal status, and connection to countries of origin. The class analyzes how Latinx families are shaped by these social issues, with particular emphasis on how generation shapes life experiences. Finally, the course considers Latinx cultural production, analyzing how artists across genres such as literature, film, performance, and music represent their cultures and respond creatively to the issues discussed throughout the semester.