With Professor Gabriela Soto Laveaga on Tuesday and Thursday at 9:00-10:15 am
Our southern border is continuously covered in newspapers, social media, and political debates. Why does the Mexico-U.S. border continue to be a space of discussion and controversy? In the twenty-first century, as nations across the world militarize or rebuild their borders, the U.S.-Mexico border serves as a vital case study to understand the ongoing trend of tightening national borders—it also allows us to better understand our own history, politics, and how we shape our view of the world. In addition to examining the creation of the U.S.-Mexico border in 1848 to the present, this course examines how ideas of public health have historically been used in border debates. For many, the border served (and serves) as a protective barrier from poverty, violence, and, especially, disease. By the early twentieth century many Mexican bodies were perceived as “alien,” “illegal,” and in need of patrolling. Yet these descriptions were also used by Mexican politicians to describe and isolate Indigenous groups and the Chinese within Mexico. By examining, for example, border ecological disasters, response to epidemics and a pandemic, and how ideas of race and health played out within Mexico and the U.S. we can better understand borders in general.
Notes: This course has an enrollment cap and is a part of the Gen Ed lottery. To participate in the lottery, you must first submit a petition and then rank your choices through my.harvard by 11:59 p.m. EST Monday, April 6, 2026. The Gen Ed lottery will run Tuesday, April 7; if you are successful in the lottery, your course petition in your Crimson Cart will turn to a green check that allows you to enroll. You will have until 11:59 p.m. EST Wednesday, April 8, to claim your seat. After that time, enrollment will open up to non-lottery petitioners. Please note: Only a green checkmark indicates success in the lottery. If you see either “petition pending” or a red X, it means that your petition was unsuccessful. If this is the case and you would still like to try to enroll in the course, please submit a new petition after the lottery. A hold will not prevent you from submitting a petition for the lottery, but it will prevent you from claiming your seat. Please make sure your holds are resolved ahead of the Claim Seat deadline on April 8. For timely updates and detailed instructions about entering the Gen Ed lottery, please see https://gened.college.harvard.edu/courses/registration-and-lottery/ This course counts for the Certificate for Civic Engagement. The Certificate for Civic Engagement recognizes Harvard College students who have demonstrated sustained participation in public service and civic involvement during their undergraduate experience.
