Student FAQ for Colegio Chicano del Pueblo
Why did Mexicanos 2070 start the Colegio Chicano del Pueblo?
MeXicanos 2070 is dedicated to Chicano education and cultural awareness. The US educational system has consistently failed to provide a sense of place, history, or prevent cultural erasure, which makes these online classes essential. We Chicanos must have a school that represents our cultural, economic, political and social interests as well as provide a place for non-Chicanos to learn about Chicanos issues from our point of view. Colegio Chicano del Pueblo provides one of the pathways to self-determination for the Chicano Community.
Are the classes just about Xicano/a Studies?
Yes. This program is designed to duplicate a 32 credit specialization. What most schools would call a minor.
Why are the classes free?
The classes are free for several reasons. First, each class is designed so that students take the material and self direct in lieu of guidance through a paid instructor. Second, because of an arrangement with Prescott College, Prescott, AZ., we are able to maintain the courses and student work in a g-suite the school pays for. Lastly, we want classes not to be inaccessible because of cost to conventional students who may not have access to the material and for non-students to access and potentially use as credit.
Will I meet with other students online?
You can meet with other students. Because the courses don’t meet face to face or are taken at the same time, you will have to arrange meetups yourself. We hope to create opportunities for online meetups or events for Colegio Chicano del Pueblo in the future.
If I don’t finish the course in 8 weeks will I lose access to the course?
No. The eight week timeframe is necessary for assessing potential college credit once that process is determined with Prescott College. The actual CCP courses are asynchronous and self paced. Once you start a course it is up to you how fast or slow you want to work your way through the course.
Is Chicano Studies a legitimate area of academic study?
Formed in 1969 with its academic conference at the University of Santa Barbara National Association of Chicano Studies in 1973, numerous academic journals in the discipline of Chicano Studies. Dozens of Universities, Community Colleges and public school systems across the country have Chicano Latino Studies departments. A few of these are: University of California Northridge, University of Minnesota, University of Arizona, Arizona State University, UC Santa Barbara (PhD. Program). There are numerous academic, refereed journals dealing with Chicano Latino Studies – Aztlan: A Journal of Chicano Studies, is considered by many to be the flagship journal for the field and is one of the oldest. However, the real question is – if Chicano Latino Studies is not a legitimate area of study then why did universities allow for the creation of degree programs leading up to doctoral degrees?
Chicano Studies is crucial to understanding the United States.
Chicano Studies provides the opportunity to study comparatively other groups beyond the United States. Chicanos and Latinos have much in common with other indigenous groups in places such as Africa, Asia and of course Latin America. In addition, Chicano Studies provides a mechanism to examine globalization from a variety of perspectives ranging from human capital, class-consciousness, immigration, popular culture etc. As US demographics demonstrate, the Chicano/Latino community is growing rapidly, is younger (and therefore occupying more schools), and is intimately involved in questions of immigration policy, language policy, and labor movements — not to mention Mexicano art, music, architecture, culture in US territory since the sixteenth century and earlier in terms of its indigenous presence. To not understand the Chicano/Latino community is to ignore at least 1/6 of the US population and to ignore integral present-day issues in the community as well as an historical understanding of the inclusion/exclusion of this population in the formation of the United States.
Chicano Studies is important because it adds to the overall body of knowledge in our community.
As the US population becomes more diverse, there will be a critical mass of Latinos needing education, health care, jobs, etc., to meet the new technological and social changes in the US and a need to have experts who have experience and knowledge of these communities to lead and to teach.
If I take 32 credits with CCP will I receive 32 credits from Prescott College? Not necessarily, the amount of credits you will receive will be determined by the assessment done by the online faculty at Prescott College. Prescott College has a process in place they call prior assessment learning (PLA). If a student completes eight courses through CCP they are ELIGIBLE to receive a maximum of 32 credits from Prescott College. In order to do that students MUST ENROLL in Prescott College and take the PLA courses, which are 4 credit courses. Students can receive up to 16 college credits in one PLA course depending on the work submitted. The amount of credits you receive will be determined course by course and based in a portfolio submission process in the prior assessment learning course.
Instructor FAQ for Colegio Chicano del Pueblo
Why did Mexicanos 2070 start Colegio Chicano del Pueblo?
MeXicanos 2070 is dedicated to Chicana/o education and cultural awareness. The US educational system has consistently failed to provide a sense of place, history, or prevent cultural and historical erasure, which makes these online classes essential. We Chicanos/as must have a school that represents our cultural, economic, political and social interests as well as provide a place for non-Chicanas/os to learn about Chicano/a issues from our point of view. Colegio Chicano del Pueblo provides one of the pathways to self-determination for the Chicana/o Community.
Do you pay your instructors?
No. Each class is created and designed by expert volunteers whose efforts are a way to give back to the community through their education and expertise in the field of Xicano/a Studies.
Are the classes just about Xicano Studies?
Yes. Our mission is to disseminate information regarding the Xicano/a experience in the United States.
Can anybody design a class?
We are asking our contributors to have a minimum masters degree. However, extensive work experience with the Chicano/a community will be considered in lieu of an advanced degree. We will make that determination case by case.
How would you describe CCP’s pedagogical approach to Chicano studies?
Because our classes are asynchronous and experiential it is important that instructors deal with three basic questions when creating courses: Who are we? What is our material condition? What can we do about it? What this means is that our course must historicize, contextualize, politicize, and indigenize the Xicano/a.
If you are not grading work why does CCP keep turned in assignments? We are currently working on creating with Prescott College a pathway to college credit through prior learning assessments. This program is designed to duplicate a 32 credit specialization. What most schools would call a minor. In order for that to happen the student must be able to show and demonstrate learning. We have not finalized this process yet but hope to do so in the near future. Some of our professors will provide grades for their assignments in their individual courses.
What is the vision?
To be a free, innovative, and high quality institution of higher education serving Mexican American communities throughout the U.S.
Whom do you envision the university will serve?
The goal is to serve anyone who has an interest in the Xicana/o community. However, these courses are especially designed to help communities organize around issues affecting the Xicano/a community, to help the general public understand the historical past of the Xicano/a community to better understand the present condition of the Xicana/o experience. Anyone with an interest in Xicana/o culture is welcome to take part in these courses.
Are you interested in partnering with an existing and/or start-up university? We are currently partnering with Prescott College, Prescott, AZ, and hope to create new partnerships with colleges and universities around the country to increase educational opportunities.
Colegio Chicano del Pueblo 