Southwest Studies

Applicable for the 2023-2024 academic year.

Southwest Studies Website

Major Advisors: Perramond (Southwest Studies and Environmental Program), (Director) Guerra (Southwest Studies), and Roybal (Southwest Studies)

A major in Southwest studies examines the region of the greater Southwest through a variety of lenses, encouraging students to see the complexity that diverse peoples have created in specific places. This blend of peoples and histories living in a distinctive landscape provides a model for study applicable to any region. Using the tools of traditional disciplines in combination with interdisciplinary perspectives, students will learn to observe and analyze places, peoples, and policies, and to use these skills to solve real problems.

Director and Major Advisors:  Perramond (Southwest Studies and Environmental Program), Guerra (Southwest Studies), and Roybal (Southwest Studies).

Faculty Advisors: Goldberg (English), Heschel (Organismal Biology & Ecology), Leza (Anthropology), Linkhart (Organismal Biology & Ecology), Monroy (History), Popkin (Sociology), Pulley (English), McKay (Race Ethnicity and Migration Studies), Roybal (Southwest Studies), Tucker (Art)

 

Major Requirements

Effective August 2020

The Southwest Studies major requires a minimum of 10 units and a maximum of 12 if Spanish courses or SW indigenous language (101, 2 units) are to be taken (and students have not tested out of it). In addition to the general college requirements, a major in Southwest studies must now complete:

  • One (1) intro foundations course: SW102 (Place, Space, and the Southwest) or CC100 NEW VERSION if taken.
  • Two (2) required foundational courses: SW272 Cultural Landscapes of the Southwest, and SW273 Art, Power, and Resistance in the Southwest (2 units).
  • One (1) methods classes for the major capstone (linked to senior plans, in consultation with the advisor, 1 unit)
  • 100-level Spanish*, can be tested out (but we still encourage an additional year of Spanish) – 0-2 units depending on testing level. *Native regional language can substitute for two units.
  • Three (3) electives in Southwest Studies (3 units)
  • Three (3) units that prepare students for their senior capstone, including SW395 Junior Research Seminar (1) and SW400-401 (2 units of capstone experience)**. The **2 units of senior capstone can be negotiated if a double major is declared. One additional SW elective if SW401 not taken.

Minor Requirements

  • A Southwest Studies minor requires five (5) units. No language requirement applies to the minor apart from the college one year minimum (but we encourage Spanish or a SW indigenous language substitute where appropriate).

    • CC100 (SW) OR SW102 – 1 unit
    • SW272  or  SW273  (1 unit1), take one of the two
    • Two (2) units of electives from Approved List of Courses (200-300 level courses)
    • SW395 Junior Research Seminar as a capstone experience

    Chicanx-Latinx Studies minor

    The Southwest Studies Program has a new Chicanx-Latinx Studies minor effective August 2020. This new minor includes five (5) units. No language requirement apart from the college one year minimum (but we encourage Spanish/Native language from the region where appropriate). The minor consists of:

    Chicanx/Latinx Studies minor

    1 Southwest Studies approved CC100 (or SW102)

    3 electives (thematically tied to Chicanx/Latinx foci) from approved list

    1 SW395 as a ‘finishing capstone’ component

Courses

Southwest Studies

Selected topics related to the Southwest, taught at an introductory level. Content will vary from course-to-course. (Not offered 2024-25).

Read More

Survey of the Greater Southwest, the power of place and overlapping cultural geographies of indigenous and European cultures in shaping the history, geography and landscapes of the region. Covers the pre-1492 Southwest, the Spanish conquest and colonial era, and tracks through the Mexican and Anglo-American periods of the Southwest. Considers modern controversies such as land and water use, border issues, environmental challenges, and the maintenance of cultural heritage. Prepares participants for further work in Southwest Studies and affiliated interdisciplinary programs. Some outdoor fieldwork. May meet either the Critical Perspectives: Global Cultures or Social Inequality requirement. Meets the Critical Learning: SHB requirement. (Not offered 2024-25).

Read More

Combines instruction in folkloric dance performance with analysis of authenticity, permissible artistic expression, cultural impact and historical distinctions of Mexican Folklorico dance since the beginning of the 20th century. Among the dance traditions studied are Pre-Colonial Danza, Danza, Folklorico and Ballet Folklorico. The class will present a dance performance at the end of the semester, and may perform in less formal events at other times during the semester. Open to all students. (Offered by the semester as an adjunct course.) No prerequisites. (Not offered 2024-25).

Read More

Mariachi Tigre de Colorado College. Instrumental and vocal performance of Mexican popular and folk orchestral music with emphasis on bel canto singing. Genres include regional sones, huapangos, corridos, boleros, canciones, rancheras, polcas, valses and cumbias. (Offered by the semester as an adjunct course.) No prerequisites. (Not offered 2024-25).

Read More

Surveys the history and concepts of Western astronomy as background for other cultural approaches to astronomy. Focuses on archaeostronomy and ethnoastronomy of Native Southwestern peoples, including ancestral Puebloans as well as modern Pueblo and Athabascan tribes. Explores relationships among astronomy, rock art, ritual, oral narratives, social patterns and beliefs systems. (Meets the Critical Perspectives requirement and the laboratory/field requirement in the Natural Sciences.) (Also listed as AN 211.) No prerequisites. May meet either the Critical Perspectives: Global Cultures or Scientific Investigation of the Natural World lab or field requirement. Meets the Critical Perspectives: Quantitative Reasoning requirement. (Not offered 2024-25).

Read More

Investigates the concept of sustainable development by first introducing students to necessary economic terms and concepts. It next explores traditional economic models of production and distribution. Finally it introduces the concept of sustainable development (meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs). The course includes fieldwork to explore the behavior of traditional economic models and examples of sustainable development. May involve additional expense. This course is intended for non-economics majors. No prerequisites. (Not offered 2024-25).

Read More

In cooperation with local and regional experts, Colorado College faculty and students will explore local and regional issues on a variety of topics. Combining theory with practice, students will work to develop long-term research projects in relationship with needs of groups in the Southwest. Taught in extended format. No Prerequisites (Not offered 2024-25).

Read More

This course introduces students to the theory and practice of oral history and qualitative interview methodologies. Students will learn how to develop an oral history and/or qualitative interview- based research project, and how to incorporate oral evidence as data into research and writing.

Read More

Provides students with community learning experiences through a local community organization. Students spend two hours per week working with the organization serving as tutor/mentors for children ages 6 through 12 who are at risk academically. Additional class sessions focus on concepts and theories related to community learning experience, such as race/ethnicity, critical pedagogy, community formation, intercultural dialogue, philanthropy, social justice and social movements. (Offered by the semester as an adjunct course.) No prerequisites. (Not offered 2024-25).

Read More

Examines the relationship between social, environmental, and political issues in the Southwest and choices we make personally and institutionally. Traces the resources, both human and natural , that make it possible to live in Colorado Springs and in a college community. Students will work in the field and in the library, developing data about the region. Finally we will consider modes of writing, speaking, data presentation that are essential to effect change. Full year extended format. May meet either the Critical Perspectives: Global Cultures or Social Inequality requirement. (Not offered 2024-25).

Read More

Selected topics related to the Southwest, taught at an intermediate level. Content and prerequisites will vary from course-to-course.

Read More

A field course involving collection, identification, and preservation of vascular plants, emphasizing evolution, ecology and biogeography. Takes advantage of the major ecosystems of the Pikes Peak region. (Meets the laboratory/field requirement for natural sciences.) Meets the Critical Perspectives: Scientific Investigation of the Natural World lab or field requirement.

Read More

A field course involving collection, identification, preservation, population studies, and life history studies of animals of regional ecosystems. Systematics, evolution, and biogeography are emphasized. (Meets the laboratory/field requirement for natural sciences.) Meets the Critical Perspectives: Scientific Investigation of the Natural World lab or field requirement. (Not offered 2024-25).

Read More

Human habitation of the Southwest from earliest times, with emphasis on human interaction with environment. Changes in cultural patterns over time. No prerequisites. May meet either the Critical Perspectives: Global Cultures or Social Inequality requirement. (Not offered 2024-25).

Read More

The analysis of distributions, abundances, and interrelationships of organisms. Populations, communities, and ecosystems are investigated, and implications for humans considered. Laboratory and field experience. (Meets the laboratory/field requirement for natural sciences.) Meets the Critical Perspectives: Scientific Investigation of the Natural World lab or field requirement.

Read More

A focus on the thermodynamics and kinetics of pollutants in the air, water, and soil, as well as some toxicology. Statistical methods and the analysis of environmental samples using instrumental methods as well as techniques in chemical waste treatment are covered. (Not offered 2024-25).

Read More

This course combines literary, cultural, and historical analysis to examine how the U.S. Southwest has impacted and been represented in autobiographical representation (broadly defined). We will discuss the effects of place, race, class, and gender on self narratives and examine the dynamics of what constitutes a Southwest identity. Meets the Critical Learning: AIM requirement. (Not offered 2024-25).

Read More

The application of concepts and techniques of geoscience and other disciplines to archaeology to help solve ancient dilemmas. (Not offered 2024-25).

Read More

Introduces students to the history of native peoples primarily in North America. The course includes histories of individual native groups as well as the relationship between American Indians and a variety of Europeans from before contact until the present. Examines a variety of primary and secondary materials to see patterns in the ways that Native Americans have been affected by the process of conquest, the ways in which Anglo-Europeans have responded to Native Americans, and in the ways in which American Indians have become a part of and remained apart from 'mainstream' American culture. As a broader goal, we also look at the way 'history' is made, understood, and used by very different cultural traditions. May meet either the Critical Perspectives: Global Cultures or Social Inequality requirement. (Not offered 2024-25).

Read More

Conflicts and commonalities between practicing environmentalists (pastoral cultures of New Mexico and southern Colorado) and card-carrying environmentalists. Course topics include historic, economic, and social origins of conflicts between these rural cultures and urban environmentalists and today's response by pastoral cultures to re-create equitable economies that sustain environment and culture. Field trip to New Mexico and southern Colorado. (Meets the Critical Perspective Requirement.) Writing emphasis. May meet either the Critical Perspectives: Global Cultures or Social Inequality requirement. Meets the Equity and Power: EPUS requirement. Meets the Writing Intensive requirement.

Read More

Surveys the major environmental laws, and the landmark court decisions interpreting them that affect environmental policy in the Southwest. Topics include mining, grazing, forests, water, Native Americans, and wildlife. (Also listed as PS 203.) No Prerequisites. (Not offered 2024-25).

Read More

The most influential external force that has shaped the status and culture of contemporary Native Americans has been federal law. The course examines these laws and Supreme Court decisions that led to the forced removal of Native Americans, established trustee doctrine, imposed assimilation policy, allocated land and natural resources, and changed the system of government for Native American tribes. We consider current efforts by Native Americans to enforce the laws that were enacted to protect their interests but which have been ignored for centuries. Focus is in the Southwest including current litigation over water rights in Colorado, land in New Mexico, and hunting and fishing rights in much of the region. No prerequisites. May meet either the Critical Perspectives: Global Cultures or Social Inequality requirement. (Not offered 2024-25).

Read More

This course introduces the student to the rich field of Chicana feminist thought by examining its emergence from social movements; its diversification and alliance with third world and transnational feminisms; its theoretical developments in scholarship and the arts; and its movement into contemporary social, artistic, and political spaces. We will privilege the approach of thinking about Chicana feminist thought and praxis as movida or movement to consider how feminism, in general, and Chicana feminism, in particular, has and continues to inform our conceptualizations of power, gender, sexuality, identity, and society. (Not offered 2024-25).

Read More

This course will explore food concepts, analytical methods, and the food habits of different ethnic groups. The class will have a field trip to the San Luis Valley, and to Northern New Mexico to document the production of food among farmers, cattle ranchers, and restauranteurs. (Limited to 12 students.) No prerequisites. Meets the Critical Perspectives: Global Cultures requirement. Meets the Writing Intensive requirement. (Not offered 2024-25).

Read More

This course is designed to introduce students to several approaches in folklore studies and to Mexican material culture, religion, music, and prose narratives in the Southwest region of the United States. We will examine how the different approaches used by historians, literary critics, anthropologists, and folklorists can enhance the study of Hispanic folklore and material culture. (Limited to 12 students.) No prerequisites. Meets the Critical Perspectives: Social Inequality requirement. (Not offered 2024-25).

Read More

This course introduces students to the global and local impacts of the drug war, with a particular focus on Mexico and the US Southwest. Through an interdisciplinary analysis of drug policy, drug policing, drug trafficking, and drug abuse, students will interrogate the interconnectedness of these practices on everyday life. Meets the Equity and Power: EPG requirement. Meets the Equity and Power: EPUS requirement. (Not offered 2024-25).

Read More

This course introduces students to the complex history of cannabis and aims to complicate common misconceptions about this “weed” / “medicine” / “menace.” The course traces the history of the criminalization of marijuana, as well as the move towards marijuana legalization for both medicinal and adult-use in the state of Colorado, the United States, and beyond.

Read More

This course will examine the work of poets living in or writing about the Southwest, including but not limited to poetry that grows out of the three major cultural traditions of the Southwest-Native American, Anglo, and Latino. Students will have the opportunity to write poems as well as to analyze poetry. No prerequisites. Meets the Critical Perspectives: Global Cultures requirement. (Not offered 2024-25).

Read More

The current era of globalization has generated the apparent contradiction between the free flow of capital across borders and restrictive immigration policy. The course examines these trends as they apply to the U. S. -Mexican border region and will consider issues such as the following: the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the multifaceted nature of integration between US and Mexican economies, the increase in low wage jobs in the US economy requiring higher levels of Latino immigration, economic development in Mexico that has generated emigration to the US, and US and Mexican immigration policies including the militarization of the U. S. -Mexican border. May meet either the Critical Perspectives: Global Cultures or Social Inequality requirement. (Not offered 2024-25).

Read More

Provides the fundamental building blocks to understanding the distinctive differences between the major Native Nations of the Southwest including language and culture, respective colonization and resistance experiences, identity and cultural vitality, gender and social roles, and expressive culture and representation. Readings may include ethnographic, ethno-historical, biographical, and linguistic works, as well as critiques of the study of Native peoples by Native scholars. Field Trip Possible. May meet either the Critical Perspectives: Global Cultures or Social Inequality requirement. (Not offered 2024-25).

Read More

This course introduces students to the medicinal-ritual practices of indigenous communities in the US Southwest and Mexico. Through an integration of the anthropology of drugs, the anthropology of religion, ethnobotany, and medical anthropology, students will interrogate the interconnectedness of science, medicine, and expressive culture in the Southwest context. Meets the Equity and Power: EPG requirement. Meets the Equity and Power: EPUS requirement.

Read More

The changing demographics of the Front Range communities in Colorado and the socio-economic conditions that generate poverty will be examined as a case study of immigration theory. The increasing diversity of Colorado Springs, Denver, and Pueblo, due in part to high levels of immigration from Mexico, creates new challenges for this region including the provision of adequate housing and social services and racial and ethnic integration in public schools and other institutions. This community based learning course offers students the opportunity to volunteer with a non-profit organization serving Latino immigrants in one of these cities. Particular emphasis will be placed on student teaching of English as a Second Language classes to recently arrived immigrants. Offered as a combined half block and spring semester extended format course; students must complete both the half block and the spring semester work to receive credit for either. Meets the Critical Perspectives: Social Inequality requirement. (Not offered 2024-25).

Read More

The pre-contact history of Anasazi and Athabascan peoples from anthropological and mythological perspectives; the causes and consequences of the Spanish entrada and attempts at missionization of the Indian peoples of New Mexico and the California coast; development of mestizo society; the arrival of the Anglo-Americans and the Mexican-American War. No prerequisites. May meet either the Critical Perspectives: Global Cultures or Social Inequality requirement. (Not offered 2024-25).

Read More

The adaptation of Native American and Hispanic peoples to Anglo-American culture and politics; the causes and consequences of the loss of Hispanic lands; the evolution of family life and religious practices; indigenous views of modernity. Films, artistic expressions, and works of fiction as well as historical sources. No prerequisites. May meet either the Critical Perspectives: Global Cultures or Social Inequality requirement. (Not offered 2024-25).

Read More

An introduction to the cultural landscapes of the Greater Southwest. Guides students with the concepts, terms, and approaches of cultural landscape studies, with a focus on socio-ecological challenges and material-cultural landscapes of the Southwest often perceived to be completely natural. Includes an independent project and may involve a multiple day off-campus excursion. Meets the Critical Learning: SHB requirement. (Not offered 2024-25).

Read More

This course introduces interdisciplinary methods of analysis and interpretation in Southwestern art/cultural production/expressive culture, including, but not limited to visual arts, material culture, music, drama, and literature. Students gain a historical foundation that allows them to analyze and interpret early forms of Indigenous, Mexicana/o, and Hispano art, which we use to examine the relationship between art, identity, and power. As we move through the course, we examine how histories of colonialism and cultural mixing produce new identity categories and influence contemporary Southwestern art/cultural production/expressive culture created by Indigenous, Latinx/Chicanx, Hispana/o, and Mexicana/o artists, writers, performers, and musicians. We utilize the rich collections of Southwest art and material culture housed at the Fine Arts Center (FAC) at CC, along with visits to regional sites like museums, artist’s studios, and artist communities, to engage in discussions about art and identity, to address how art is a tool for decolonization, and to imagine the ways that artists (broadly speaking) have created narratives of resistance and accommodation through their work. May meet either the Critical Perspectives: Global Cultures or Social Inequality requirement. Meets the Critical Learning: AIM requirement. Meets the Equity and Power: EPUS requirement.

Read More

Music and culture of Southwest American Indians, with emphasis on Pueblo and Athabascan peoples. Considers origin narratives, cosmology, ritual drama, dance, and other aesthetic modes as related to Southwest Indian musical performance. Addresses traditional as well as new music. This course meets the ethnomusicology requirement for the music minor. No prerequisites. Meets the Critical Perspectives: Global Cultures requirement. (Not offered 2024-25).

Read More

Selected topics related to the Southwest taught at an advanced level. Content and prerequisites will vary from course-to-course.

Read More

Focuses on political ecology in a seminar setting for understanding political economy and ecological concerns. Highlights the struggles and genius of Southwest cultures under changing conditions. May have a multi-day-off-campus field trip. May meet either the Critical Perspectives: Global Cultures or Social Inequality requirement. Meets the Critical Learning: SHB requirement. Meets the Equity and Power: EPUS requirement. (Not offered 2024-25).

Read More

A field course involving collection, identification, and population and life-history studies of animals of regional ecosystems. Principles of animal ecology, behavior, and biogeography are emphasized through field case studies and discussion of primary literature. Field work includes sampling techniques and their application to answer specific research questions.

Read More

Examines the role of museums as educational institutions in preserving and presenting cultural products and heritages. Emphasis on the hands-on analysis of artifacts, interpretation of material culture and the presentation of the cultures of the Southwest. (Limited to 16 students.) May meet either the Critical Perspectives: Global Cultures or Social Inequality requirement. (Not offered 2024-25).

Read More

Examines the role of museums as educational institutions in preserving and presenting cultural products and heritages. Emphasis on the hands-on analysis of artifacts, interpretation of material culture and the presentation of the cultures of the Southwest. (Limited to 16 students.) May meet either the Critical Perspectives: Global Cultures or Social Inequality requirement. (Not offered 2024-25).

Read More

This course traces the development of “archive studies” and integrates regional archives as an empirically sound and “objective” forms of public history and record. Examines institutional, colonial, and heteronormative logics of archival and power dynamics that drive archive creation. May meet either the Critical Perspectives: Global Cultures or Social Inequality requirement. Meets the Critical Learning: HP requirement. Meets the Equity and Power: EPUS requirement.

Read More

An introduction to the geochemical, physical hydrological and biological properties of water systems at the level of a watershed. This course applies principles of physical hydrology, redox, acid-base and solubility chemistry, sampling and experimental design. Includes a significant laboratory component involving GIS and the analysis of samples collected in the field. (Not offered 2024-25).

Read More

Methods and concepts employed by the archaeologist in excavation. Both field and laboratory techniques are utilized to obtain the information from which site reports are written. What kinds of inferences about culture can be made from excavated material and the excavation process? Four weeks in the field. (Not offered 2024-25).

Read More

An interdisciplinary course based on history, culture, and water issues. It will explore the cultural heritage and creativity of groups whose historical experience has been shaped by the Rio Grande basin from its origin in Colorado to its mouth in the Gulf of Mexico. The course will engage a broad American and international public in the exploration of how the river basin and the people who live within it change, evolve, and develop together, and can affect each other. Limited to 12 students. May meet either the Critical Perspectives: Global Cultures or Social Inequality requirement. (Not offered 2024-25).

Read More

This course offers a grounded understanding of borders and borderlands, specifically the U.S.-Mexico Border. Utilizing the U.S.-Mexico borderlands and its inhabitants as a case study, we will interrogate identity formation, cultural hybridity, exclusion, difference, biculturalism, social control, boundaries and “boundedness.” Meets the Equity and Power: EPG requirement. Meets the Equity and Power: EPUS requirement.

Read More

This course examines Chicanx/Latinx literature, including fiction, poetry, and critical essays through a comparative, regional, and interdisciplinary approach. Through our study of Chicanx/Latinx literature, we will underscore the relationship between place and identity for Chicanx/Latinx peoples of the Southwest, West, and Midwest; and we will consider how written texts reflect social, political, and historical contexts. We will read literature that crosses a wide temporal sequence to discuss how Chicanx/Latinx authors have, and continue to address, issues of colonialism, race, class, gender, and sexuality. Throughout the course, we will also examine how the increasing U.S. presence of Chicanx/Latinx peoples is radically reshaping the American literary canon. Meets the Critical Learning: AIM requirement.

Read More

S. Comparative study of works of Chicano, Puerto Rican, and Cuban authors, as well as Latin American writers in exile in the United States, including political essays of Marti and Flores Magun and the contemporary works of Hinojosa, Mohr, Laviera, Rivera, Alegra, and Valenzuela. Meets the Critical Perspectives: Global Cultures requirement. (Not offered 2024-25).

Read More

Provides an introduction to ecological economics (an interdisciplinary approach to understanding and managing the ecology and economics of our world) and introduces/extends students' understanding of sustainability (meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs). It reviews options for economically efficient allocation of resources that also protect the stock of natural capital over spatial and temporal space; and investigates the application of tools of analysis and solutions to a regional management problem in the American West. (Week field trip, extra expense for students not on campus Board Plan.) ; for Environmental Science credit: EC 141 or EV 141. (Not offered 2024-25).

Read More

An introduction to western water laws, water management policies, and the legacy of water federalism. Particular attention is given to instream flow programs, Native waters, community ditches, water justice, and water conservation efforts in the Southwest. 1 unit. (Not offered 2024-25).

Read More

Independent research based on library, laboratory, or field investigation of a cross-disciplinary question concerning the Southwest.

Read More

A seminar for third-year students, organized around a common set of Southwest readings with coverage of inter-disciplinary research methods, and designed so that majors can complete a research proposal to carry out in their senior capstone project. Special attention to regional or area studies as an organizing principle for the courses.

Read More

Independent research project based on field or archival research to be done in consultation with two faculty members. A proposal for the project would need to be approved by Faculty Advisory Committee by the end of the junior year.

Read More

Identification, taxonomy, anatomy, physiology, behavior and ecology of birds, including field and laboratory work.

Read More

Meets the Critical Perspectives: Global Cultures requirement. (Summer only 2024-25).

Read More

Report an issue - Last updated: 07/11/2023