UTSA Course Honors Selena’s Legacy, Life
June 10, 2020 - San Antonio
San Antonio loves Selena.The Queen of Tejano is honored from events to full fledged tribute nights. Photo By: GA Media
By Brigid Cooley - Staff Intern, San Antonio Sentinel
Students at the University of Texas at San Antonio have an opportunity to study race, culture, gender and identity this fall through a course based on the life of Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla-Perez.
“Most professors will tell you that they carry around an idea in their head about what their dream course would be, what various dream courses would be, if they could teach anything, what would it be,” Sonya M. Alemán, associate professor of Mexican American studies and the creator of the course, said. “Being able to develop and design a course on her (Selena’s) legacy and her life was among mine.”
The course: “Selena: A Mexican American Identity and Experience” will explore topics such as race, gender, identity and class. Students will discuss Quintanilla’s life experiences as a Mexican American woman and celebrity.
Growing up a Selena fan, Alemán said the class is an intersection of the “two sides of herself”, incorporating her love for academics and research with her appreciation of Quintanilla’s career and legacy.
Fifty-six percent of students enrolled at UTSA identify as Hispanic. Alemán said she thinks many students will relate to challenges and experiences that Quintanilla-Perez went through.
“I think it (the class) aligns with the Hispanic serving identity that UTSA claims,” Alemán said. “Enrollment is over 50% Latino students and so I think it’s curriculum should also reflect one that’s rooted in that history and those lived experiences.”
Locals pose with a Selena-inspired mascot while attending a tribute night at the Pearl. Photo by: GA Media.
This is not the first course using a celebrity to discuss social issues with students offered by UTSA. In 2016, professor Kinitra Brooks delved into Black feminism by analyzing Beyonce’s album “Lemonade”.
“I do think there are opportunities to make classes that really draw students in because they’re connecting through figures that, because of the media saturated world that we live in, are a part of their lives, feel very real to them and already have a love, respect, affinity for them,” Alemán said. “So if that’s kind of the draw to bring them in and talk to them about things that wouldn’t originally draw them in, I think that’s a great hook.”
Alemán said she would like to see the class become a signature course within the Mexican American studies program. She also hopes it will evolve over time, with dreams of collaborating with members of the Quintanilla family to further honor Selena’s life and legacy.
Students from all majors are encouraged to enroll in the class. Registration for the fall 2020 semester ends Aug. 14.
“I think it can offer any student from any major something really valuable if they take the course,” Alemán said.
Brigid Cooley is the editor-in-chief of The Mesquite, a student publication of Texas A&M - San Antonio. E-mail her at reporter@sasentinel.com.