Roberto Lint Sagarena
Professor of American Studies; Director, Intercultural Programs

- Office
- Carr Hall 203
- Tel
- (802) 443-5508
- rlintsagarena@middlebury.edu
- Office Hours
- Fall 2023: In Carr 203 on Tuesdays, 12-3pm by appointment.
- Additional Programs
- Academic Affairs American Studies
Roberto Lint Sagarena is Professor of American Studies at Middlebury College and Director of the Center for the Comparative Study of Race and Ethnicity. He holds Bachelors degrees in Art History and Philosophy from the University of California at Santa Cruz and a Doctorate in Religion from Princeton University. His research and teaching interests center on the role of religion and religious rhetoric in the formation of racial, ethnic and regional identities in the Americas with particular attention to social relations resulting from inequality. He is the author of Aztlan and Arcadia: Religion, Ethnicity, and the Creation of Place (2014 NYU Press).
Courses Taught
AMST 0101
Current
Intro to American Studies:
Course Description
Intro to American Studies
Please refer to each section for specific course descriptions.
Terms Taught
Requirements
AMST 0209
Am. Lit. & Cult: origins-1830
Course Description
American Literature and Culture: Origins-1830
A study of literary and other cultural forms in early America, including gravestones, architecture, furniture and visual art. We will consider how writing and these other forms gave life to ideas about religion, diversity, civic obligation and individual rights that dominated not only colonial life but that continue to influence notions of "Americanness" into the present day. Required for all majors and minors.3 hrs. lect./disc.
Terms Taught
Requirements
AMST 0213
Current
Intro to Latina/o Studies
Course Description
Introduction to Latina/o Studies
In this course we will undertake an interdisciplinary investigation of the unique experiences and conditions of U.S. Latina/os of Caribbean, Latin American, and Mexican descent. We will critically examine transnational cultures, patterns of circular migration, and intergenerational transformations from a historical perspective while also using methodologies from the humanities and social sciences. Topics will include the conquest of Mexico’s northern frontier, Chicana/o and Nuyorican movements, Latina feminist thought, Latina/o arts, Central American migrations in the 1980s, Latina/o religiosities, as well as philosophies of resistance and acculturation. 3 hrs. lect.
Terms Taught
Requirements
AMST 0500
Current
Upcoming
Independent Study
Course Description
Independent Study
Select project advisor prior to registration.
Terms Taught
AMST 0701
Current
Senior Work I
Course Description
Senior Work
(Approval required)
Terms Taught
AMST 0710
Upcoming
Honors Thesis
Course Description
Honors Thesis
For students who have completed AMST 0705, and qualify to write two-credit interdisciplinary honors thesis. on some aspect of American culture. The thesis may be completed on a fall/winter schedule or a fall/spring schedule. (Select a thesis advisor prior to registration)
Terms Taught
AMST 1022
American Pulp Fiction
Course Description
American Pulp Fiction
In this course we will consider how American pulp fiction has reflected cultural attitudes, represented categories of identity, and been regularly reimagined from the golden age of the genre in the 20th century to contemporary times. We will read stories by Jack Vance, Poul Anderson, and H.P. Lovecraft, as well as Chester Himes’ The Heat is On. We will also view Pulp Fiction, the Maltese Falcon, and Lovecraft Country.
Terms Taught
Requirements
FYSE 1029
Worldbuilding
Course Description
Worldbuilding
In this seminar we will critically examine fictional worlds in literature, cinema, and games. Worldbuilding synthesizes and transforms our understanding of reality into fantastic settings such as Middle-Earth, Star Wars, or even colonial exploration narratives. We will critically examine the multidisciplinary use of origin stories, symbols and myths, invented histories, and imagined geographies in constructing new universes. Among the questions we will consider are: How do we conceive of coherent places and times? What real world consequences do fictional worlds have on popular beliefs and practices? Students will design their own well-researched and richly detailed worlds during the semester. 3 hrs. sem.
Terms Taught
Requirements
IGST 0703
Upcoming
LAS Senior Thesis
Course Description
Latin American Studies Senior Thesis
(Approval Required)
Terms Taught
INTD 1005
Worldbuilding
Course Description
Worldbuilding
In this course we will critically examine fictional worlds in literature, cinema, and games. Worldbuilding synthesizes and transforms our understanding of reality into fantastic settings in literature, movies, and video games. We will critically examine the multidisciplinary use of origin stories, symbols and myths, invented histories, and imagined geographies in constructing new universes. Among the questions we will consider are: How do we conceive of coherent places and times? What real world consequences do fictional worlds have on popular beliefs and practices? Students will design their own well-researched and richly detailed worlds during the semester. (Not open to students who have already taken FYSE 1029.)
Terms Taught
Requirements
Publications
• Arcadia and Aztlán: Religion, Ethnicity and the Creation of History. NYU Press, 2014.
Chapters
-
Publications:
Book
-
“Race” in Key Words in Material Religion, S. Brent Plate, ed. Bloomsbury Academic, 2015. pp. 167-172.
-
With David Carrasco, “The Religious Vision of Gloria Anzaldua,” in Mexican American Religions: Spirituality,
Activism, and Culture, Gaston Espinoza and Mario Garcia eds., Duke University Press, 2008. pp. 223-241
-
“Mexican American Religion in a Comparative Perspective” in Religion and Immigration in America:
Comparative and Historical Perspectives, Richard D. Alba and Albert J. Raboteau (Eds.), New York University
Press, 2008. Pp. 56-70.
-
“Porous Borders: Mexican Immigration and American Civic Culture” in Faith in America, Charles Lippy ed.
Praeger Press, 2006. pp. 129-140.
-
“Re-Building the Church: Preservation and Restoration in American Christian Practice” in Practicing
Protestants, Laurie Maffley-Kipp, Leigh Schmidt and Mark Valeri eds., Johns Hopkins University Press, 2006.
pp. 118-136.
-
“Building California’s Past: Mission Revival Architecture and Regional Identity” in Faith in the Market:
Religion and Urban Commercial Culture, John Giggie and Diane Winston eds., Rutgers University Press, 2002. pp. 91- 107.
Peer-reviewed Journal Articles
• “Making a There There: Devotional Streetscapes in Los Angeles” in Visual Resources, May 2009.
• “Building California’s Past: Mission Revival Architecture and Regional Identity” in Journal of Urban History,Vol. 28, No.4, May 2002: 429-444.
-
Encyclopedia Entries
• •
•
“The Latino/a Contribution” The Encyclopedia of American Religion, CQPress, 2010.
“Antebellum America” in the Encyclopedia of Religion and American Cultures, Gary Laderman and Luis Leon
eds., ABC-CLIO, 2003. pp. 468-470.
“Aztlán” in the Oxford Encyclopedia of Mesoamerican Cultures, Davíd Carrasco ed., Oxford University Press, 2001. (http://www.oxford-mesoamerican.com/entry?entry=t221.e35)
Book Reviews
-
Review of The Spiritual Redemption: Heritage, Power and Loss on New Mexico’s Upper Rio Grande in Journal
of Western History, Vol.34.4, Winter 2003. p.502 -503.
-
Review of For this Land: Writings on Religion in America. By Vine Deloria Jr., Edited by James Treat. in
Koinonia, Vol. XI.1, Spring 1999. p. 127-129.