The History of the US-Mexico Border

Catalog description

This course examines the history of the US-Mexico border and the movement of people and goods across it. Beginning in the 1800s, the course proceeds chronologically and thematically through three units that explore: 1) the hardening of the US-Mexico border in the nineteenth century; 2) the age of mass migration and labor in the twentieth century; and 3) the steady militarization of the border up to the present. Through critical reflection and historical investigation, students will gain an understanding of the history of the border and the vital role that it has played in US, Mexican and Central American life.