Professor: Pacini-Hernandez Course format: Seminar Number of respondents: 14 Total Enrollment: 12 Class Composition: Froshs: 0 Sophs: 3 Jrs: 5 Srs: 4 Concs: 4 Non-Concs: 10 Don't Know: 0

Instructor Average: 1.69 Course Average: 1.65

The goal of "The Second Americans" is to understand the differing cultural and ethnic relations of New York, Los Angeles, Miami, and Providence. The main component of this course was a fieldwork project investigating the political situation of the Latino community in Providence. There are no prerequisites to the course, but enrollment is limited, and juniors and seniors are given preference. Also, some knowledge of Spanish, as well as an interest and involvement in the non-Brown Providence community, were considered helpful by several students.

Professor Pacini-Hernandez had an easygoing and relaxed teaching style. She let the class take responsibility for leading discussion, but was an excellent facilitator. She had a clear understanding of the issues discussed, and was wonderful at providing an introduction to research fieldwork.

The students who took this course were deeply interested in the topic, and as a result they really loved the course. According to one, "it has been the most difficult and most important and most rewarding class I"ve taken here yet. It"s real." The fieldwork was the highlight of the class, especially as it was the first research experience of many students. It should be noted, though, that this course requires an enormous time commitment, which should not be underestimated. There was a lot of reading, and, while there were no exams, the fieldwork project was very intensive. It helped that it was done in groups, and student motivation for the project was extremely high.

If you are interested in this field, take this course. It will teach you an enormous amount, in terms of knowledge, research, and analytical skills. Be prepared, however, to devote to this an immense amount of time. Be ready, also, to "go into the community and get your hands dirty."

View AC/0190 in the Brown Online Course Announcement.