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inscription : inscribing online and letting me know the topic of your presentation before the semester starts will help me to structure the seminar.

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presentations : each participant will be responsible for one text or unit (15 minute presentation combined with discussion and / or group work). try to see your presentation not as an isolated unit but as part of an ongoing discussion on identity, american identity; contact, conflict, negotiation and dialogue between different ethnic, social and cultural groups—and on the way in which these issues are addressed in u.s. politics, history, sociology, and literature.

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seminar paper : fifteen to twenty pages on any of the topics raised during the seminar or on any topic related to the subject of the seminar. the paper should not just reflect our discussion in class, but bring in some new aspects and use at least one critical text that is not part of our reading list. if you want to do a paper, talk to me before you start writing.

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language : you are not expected to know spanish for this seminar. all the literary texts are originally in english, some of them use bilingual techniques in homeopathic doses. the poems in spanish in tato laviera's amerícan are not part of our basic reading material. the essays that are originally in spanish (garcía canclini, paz) will be available in an english translation.

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european module : the seminar is structured according to the "american identities" module of the erasmus network : the first part ("core") is dedicated to the discussion of some central issues of multiplicity and identity, the rest of the semester to linking these issues to literary texts of a specific ethnic group. ("local variations").

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core : the complete bibliography for the european module lists various texts on the situation of black americans or native americans, but none that focuses on u.s. hispanics. as a counterbalance of sorts i have added two hispanic texts (in english translation) that reflect upon the americas and on cultural identity.

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local variations : in order to make the reading load bearable, we will discuss the three narrative texts after the christmas break. the "reserve sessions" leave us with various options open. we could :

• dedicate more time to each of the three texts, which should offer enough meat to chew over.
• extend our reading to other texts by these authors. it would be interesting to see, for example, how rodriguez approaches the issues that concern us in his more recent work days of obligation : an argument with my mexican father (1992), or to compare elías miguel muñoz's brand new memory to his earlier novel crazy love (1988).
• talk about any u.s. hispanic text--essay, novel, poem or play--that you would like to discuss in the context of our seminar. i look forward to your suggestions.

should you all agree on sacrificing an extra hour, we could start one session at 9.15, watch the film zoot suit and discuss it afterwards.