City of Angels 2017-18

So we are reading the novel City of God, and this book talks about very serious topics that were apparent at that time. There are two identities that are often denied within the Chicano community: homosexuality and having AIDS. Therefore, this novel mostly revolves around the intersection between race and sexuality. We as seniors as well as human beings are very mature, and I am wondering- how can we have a serious discussion about this book, and ask questions, and bring up theories, and how can we form them so that it is not disrespectful? Considering these are major topics to talk about in class. After coming back from SDLC, where I joined the LGBTQIA+ affinity group, and where I had been given the opportunity to engage in discussions about these topics I gained a deeper understanding, not only of the necessity of these conversations but also of the language that is appropriate when having these discussions. I want to be able to have these discussions with not only members of that co...

As one of my favorite classes, City of Angels offers a unique approach to exploring the city of Los Angeles through productive dialogue and first-hand experiences. Since the beginning of the year, we have been aware of the inevitable conversations about difficult topics that might come up. While this may be something that other classes shy away from, we confront these topics, one of the aspects I value most about our class. It is important that as young people in a rapidly developing city, we are able to have productive conversations rather than debates and arguments that go nowhere as a result of a lack of listening and thoughtful input. On Friday, while discussing the important role that identity plays throughout Tropic of Orange, our class delved into the “difficult” subject of race. Following, we had a discussion about our discussion of race and the way we handled it. This conversation was healthy as we need to confront uncomfortable situations in class. This is not to say that...

These past two weeks we have gone on urban labs in order to explore our assigned cities. We have had the chance to experience the culture, the people, and the food of Cypress Park, China Town, Highland Park, and Boyle Heights. Through these explorations we have developed a greater sense of the history of each neighborhood and have discovered the cultural, social, and geological aspects of our assigned cities. Although these cities are so close to us in Pasadena, we don’t seem to know a whole lot about these aspects and these cities aren't too familiar to us. We have been given this unique opportunity to use our skills as thoughtful observers and occupants of the city and learn about a specific area in Los Angeles. How are these urban labs expanding our knowledge about Los Angeles? How do we as students benefit from reaching across communities and exploring a city that we aren’t too familiar with? How does each city differ from Pasadena or where you live? How c...

Throughout Tropic of Orange, Yamashita discusses many themes of stereotypes, identity, and resistance to assimilation. We vividly witness characters resisting assimilation in many ways both in instances and in the long term. Two instances that particularly caught my attention were  when Gabe spoke about his contribution to “la raza” and Buzzworm’s gentrification plan. Both of these instances are examples of reclamation, or resisting assimilation. Gabe speaks of his work at the LA times as contributing to “La Raza”. This is his form of activism. La Raza was a reclaiming of the term “Mexican-American”. It refers to the Mexican American identity being appropriated and this was a way for people who had been labeled “incorrectly”  or in a divisive way by mainstream society, to reclaim their “Raza”  identity.   I believe that Gabes contribution to the movement is in fact a form of activism, and I see connections drawn between this and Buzzworms gentrification plan. ...