“Me parece muy importante que este tipo de lecturas sean asignadas” A Latino Narrative Curriculum to Foster Interlatino Understanding and Identity Awareness

Abstract

This study examines an upper-level Spanish course at a university where domestic Latino students and international Latin American students are in the same class. The latter group is often unfamiliar with US Latino experiences, highlighting the need to bridge gaps between these student populations. The
curriculum integrates a narrative pedagogy in which contemporary Latino narratives—films, documentaries, novels, and short stories—facilitate reflection on Latino identities, interlatino dynamics, and the complexities faced by biracial and bi-ethnic individuals from a critical decolonial perspective. To assess the impact of this curriculum on students’ cross-cultural awareness, we analyze their reflections throughout the course. We employ a case-study methodology to focus on three students: (1) Ana, an international Latin American student who initially holds an essentialist perspective on Latinidad; (2) Gabriel, a Afro-Puerto Rican American student grappling with the legitimacy of his Latinidad; and (3) Rodrigo, a socially conservative international student with a US and Colombian background who initially
views the class as positioning him within the “oppressor” group. Over the semester, reflections reveal significant developments: Ana gains an intersectional understanding of Latino struggles; Gabriel embraces his hybrid identity; and Rodrigo develops empathy for US Latino communities and their activism. This study underscores the critical role of a narrative curriculum in courses in which international Latin American students and domestic Latino heritage speakers take Spanish classes together.