2008 Woodie Awards
Chicano Studies Has a Bit of Something for Everyone
A popular class brings in students of various ethnic backgrounds.
Sylvia Grate
Issue date: 10/13/04 Section: News
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"Chicano studies is for everybody," said Valley College Chicano Studies professor Pete Lopez, one of two professors in the department. "We welcome everybody and anybody who wants to truly learn about our community to take classes."
Lopez, who has been teaching for 10 years, and Robert La Carra, who has been teaching for five years, are the only full-time Chicano studies instructors at Valley. Both instructors, who were educated at Loyola Marymount University, hope that a third full-time professor will be added to the department.
Mexican-Americans comprise the fastest growing ethnic group in Southern California, so the resurgence in interest in Chicano studies classes isn't surprising.
According to the 2000 U.S. Census Bureau, the Hispanic population is the largest ethnic group in Southern California at 40.57 percent. Census experts predict that the total Hispanic population in California will increase by more than 50 percent within the next 15 years.
According to Valley's Fact Book and Effectiveness Manual, 40 percent of the student population is Latino. The Chicano studies professors hope that by the fall 2005 semester new classes will be added and a new curriculum will be instated.
Chicano studies, part of the humanities department offerings, range from Chicano Studies 7 - the Pre-Columbian Period and Spanish Conquest - to Chicano Studies 8, a continuation of the previous class covering everything from the U.S. Revolution to present times.
A class in Chicano literature is also offered, bringing to light the existing issues in the Latino community.
"I took Chicano Studies 8 with Mr. Lopez and learned about Mexican-Americans and the Chicano movement," said Alejandro Galindo." I saw that there was, and still is, a lot of discrimination against Mexicans - we Latinos should be united more than before."
