Tejas Foco 2015 News
Personal Narrative
by Tony Diaz on 03/31/15
Where I’m From: Your Personal Narrative Essay: 2 – 3 page
400 – 650 words. Typed. MLA Format. Brilliant grammar.
You should have a title.
You should describe a place.
You should describe a person.
You should add a narrative element, by adding this line:
Eitehr:
“The last time . . “
Or
“The Fist time . . .”
You should have at least one scene: This should include the
person you described. You should say something to each other.
You should have a thesis: As in, you can feel free to say
why this topic, essay, person or place is important to you.
For Example, “I will always remember our days on Emerald
Avenue on the South Side of Chicago because that was our family’s first house.
It wasn’t the prettiest house, it wasn’t the most expensive, but it was our
spot in the universe.
Your narrative can be about the last time you were at the
house on Emerald Avenue and moved from Chicago.
Essay examples:
“Pappi” http://www.nuestrapalabra.org/NPHistory.html?entry=papi-by-luis-ochoa
Voices: The
American Dream Through Our Books: http://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/voices-american-dream-through-our-books-n79001
For
Mama: Our Time Is Now; A Librotraficante Post
http://mamiverse.com/for-mama-our-time-is-now-6202/
Link to MLA Template: Click here.
Essay Tool Kit:
by Tony Diaz on 03/17/15
Link to course materials:
Final Research papers are due Tuesday, March 24.
Submit your completed outlines (presentation charts), and your 3 - 5 page research paper with 3 - 5 sources.
http://learning.hccs.edu/faculty/tony.diaz/engl1302/course-materials
Audience Exercise: Tailor you evidence to your intended audience.
MAS Unidos: Students Pursh for Mexican American Studies in Texas
by Tony Diaz on 03/16/15
A Collective Voice of the Student Body &
Community Organizers in Texas
Dear (President name, and institution)
March 16, 2015 This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Movement which elevated our nation’s consciousness of multiple inequalities experienced by marginalized peoples in U.S. society. MAS Unidos, a student coalition of Mexican American Studies from university campuses along with community organizers across the state of Texas, has formed on behalf of the National Association of Chicana/ Chicano Studies Tejas regional organization to continue voicing and presenting educational concerns from students to the forefront. We are current and future educators, researchers, scholars, and prideful members of our institutions and communities who, like you, are dedicated to the improvement of educational needs that will benefit us and future generations of Texas students. Furthermore, as a student led organization, we are devoted to the improvement of academic standards for Ethnic Studies but more specifically, Mexican American Studies in the state of Texas.
Students choose an educational institution which best serve their individual talents, interests, and intellectual aspirations. It is the responsibility of the institution to provide each student program, and department with the necessary means for success. Higher education serves as an opportunity for students to discover, nurture, and develop their full potential to becoming exemplary members of our society. However, as undergraduate and graduate Hispanic students, it has been a challenge for us to receive an education or history that reflects our presence in well recognized events. Events such as, the Alamo, World War I and II, Vietnam and the Civil Rights Movement are all essential parts of the Mexican American Studies which instill great pride in recognizing both national Identities. These Identities influence our lives, family and education, the importance for Hispanics to go against social norms to become educated and be recognized as a leading minority group. Learning about past and present, social and political movements intended to equate the opportunity for Hispanics in the US. Today in Texas, Mexican American Studies programs are at a constant risk of underfunding, caused by lack of department status, lack of faculty resources to successfully teach courses, which forces them to teach outside the program as affiliated professors, furthermore forces professors to run programs like a department without the benefits of the status.
Moreover, the educational concern that MAS Unidos presents to you, [name] and [name of institution] are the academic development and financial support of a Mexican American Studies Department. MAS Unidos understands the importance of providing a well-rounded curriculum that highlights a variety of academic disciplines for students to select according to their intellectual interests. Additionally, it is of crucial importance that the curriculum reflects that of the changing demographics of the United States population, with Latina/os now making up the majority in Texas public schools. MAS Unidos does acknowledge the need for Mexican American Studies departments in the state of Texas. As of 2013 the Hispanic student population represents 50.2% of the total student population in Texas (Huffington Post). Each year more Hispanic students are enrolling in Texas colleges and universities but an insufficient number of Mexican American programs and departments do not reflect these numbers. The development of a Mexican American Studies Department intends on bridging the achievement gap for Hispanic students at the college level, providing them the opportunity to learn about their culture, history and contributions to the making of Texas and U.S. history. MAS Unidos humbly encourages your school to implement a Mexican American Studies Department; if there is an already existing program, minor and/ or major we, as students and community advocates, urge for department status.
As a team we can work to not merely improve our schools but truly enhance the opportunity for all students, bridge the experiences of students and our communities/society, and build the foundation of our future today. MAS Unidos hopes these efforts will increase the opportunity for Ethnic Studies to flourish in the state of Texas and build academic spaces between community members, students, educators, and administrators. In light of the racial controversies surrounding other academic institutions the impact of your actions and support for Mexican American Studies will allow more students to become accepted and educated in academic spaces that lack these discussions. Sincerely, -MAS Unidos
WAKE UP! At the 2015 NACCS Tejas Foco
by Tony Diaz on 03/03/15
Sabrina Sanchez
Lone Star College-North Harris
2 March 2015
WAKE UP! At the 2015 NACCS Tejas Foco
The panel by UTPA-WAKE UP! was an amazing performance by 7 women that shared their experiences through art.
The theme of the panel was The (Mis) Education of the (S)chola(r). They focused on the hardships of being a Chicana women and trying to succeed academically. The seven women first performed in unison, talking about the chola in them versus the scholar in them.
Their performance showed how hard it is to make sure they keep intact with where they came from yet still be able to succeed professionally. The entire panel was extremely moving and very empowering, which “woke me up” to how much they had to go through and still go through as a Chicana Scholar. After their presentation each women performed a piece they wrote on how they felt about something personal.
Most was beautiful poetry and there was one that actually rapped, incredibly well. These women brought tears to their audiences with what they created and was able to perform for us. Most of the poetry was about how they fought against the discrimination they faced in school. These women and what they talked about was perfect examples of having "cultural schizophrenia" that was mentioned by Alicia Gasper in her work and demonstrates how to make it work for us.
Writing About the Tejas Foco
by Tony Diaz on 03/02/15
You just experienced graduate school on a weekend.
Now, write your own research.
Here is the assignment. Devise a great idea and prove it. Use the MLA format.
Here is a link to a template for the MLA format.
http://www.lonestar.edu/library/citation-help-nh.htm
Your idea should be linked to the class via at least one written work, be it from HECHO EN TEJAS, or one of the essays assigned.
Also, you must cite one panel from the 2015 NACCS Tejas Foco.
You MUST use first person point of view. Cite at 3 to 5 sources. Social media sources are encouraged. Primary sources are potent. Use persona interviews, also the classic media of books.
