Global Arc

Introduction to modern Latin American cultural and literary traditions with emphasis on the political uses of writing and art, national identity vis-à-vis popular and indigenous groups, memory and representation, the definition of modernity, and trans-American dialogues. The course may focus on national foundational fictions, the literary and artistic avant-gardes of the 1920s and 1960s, Mexican and Peruvian indigenismo, and memory art and cinema. Two 90-minute classes. Prerequisite: SPA 207 or higher, or instructor's permission. Strongly recommended before 300-level courses.

An introduction to textual analysis and interpretation of Hispanic literatures. The course will be organized on discussions of various genre (narrative, poetry, drama, essay). Readings will include authors from early and modern periods from Spain and Latin America, such as Garcilaso de la Vega, Cervantes, Calderón de la Barca, Miguel de Unamuno, García Lorca, Sor Juana, José Hernández, Rubén Darío, Jorge Luis Borges, Mario Vargas Llosa, and Margo Glantz. Popular music and film will also be studied. Two 90-minute classes. Prerequisite: 107 or 108, or instructor's permission.

An examination of key issues regarding 19th and 20th century Spanish culture in its connections with history and politics. Among the topics covered: Goya, nationalism and liberalism; the country and the city in 19th century literature; artistic vanguards (Buñuel, Dalí, García Lorca); cultural crossroads in Barcelona ("modernisme," Gaudí, Picasso); cultural responses to the Spanish Civil War; political protest against Franco in literature, film and music; the transition to democracy; Almódovar and the "movida;" history and memory in democratic Spain.

Discover the great tradition of the short story in modern Latin American literature. A wide range of short stories will be available to read, analyze and debate from modern and contemporary writers. Students will be encouraged to investigate the internal structure of this genre through critical and theoretical essays, many written by the authors themselves. Readings included works by Jorge Luis Borges, Julio Cortázar, Gabriel García Márquez, Silvina Ocampo, Felisberto Hernández, and Virgilio Piñera.

This course will focus on current political, social, and cultural issues in Latin America and/or Spain, including social movements, new artistic developments, economic changes, environmental debates, globalization and culture, politics of memory, immigration and cultural conflicts, nationalist movements, etc. Each semester, the course will focus on one of two particular regions and countries, such as the Southern Cone, the Andean region, Central America, Brazil, Mexico and the borderlands, Spain, etc. This course will also strengthen the students' conversational skills through team discussion and oral presentations.

This course explores the cultural, social, economic, and political history of modern Spain from the early 19th century to the present. It discusses the role of war, memory, collective identity, citizenship and utopia, as they appeared in Spanish film, literature, and the visual arts.

An overview of literary and cultural production in the Americas before and after the Spanish invasion. Topics include pre-Columbian visual and verbal expressions; discovery, invention, conquest, and resistance; the historiography of the New World; native depictions of the colonial world; gender, grammar and power. We read texts in a variety of genres that were written and performed in numerous linguistic and visual codes. The Native American chronicles will include texts written in alphabetic script as well as visual representations that draw elements from pre-colonial forms of iconic script.

This course provides a general introduction to Spanish history and contemporary issues which includes a mandatory field trip to Madrid and Barcelona during the spring semester break. Materials will include literature, art and films. Museums, urban history, Franco's dictatorship, the transition to democracy, the 2008 crisis and new social movements like Occupy will be among the topics addressed.

An overview of Latin American literary masterpieces in the twentieth century. We will focus on the period of the Latin American boom in the 1960s, and discuss how novelists responded to political events in the region that include: the Cold War, the Cuban Revolution, the Central American wars, the military dictatorships in Argentina and Chile, etc. Authors studied will include: Jorge Luis Borges, Gabriel García Márquez, Isabel Allende, Mario Vargas Llosa, Gabriela Mistral, Juan Rulfo, Pablo Neruda, Reinaldo Arenas, Julio Cortázar.

In Latin American literature, the opposition between civilization and barbarism has defined America since its "discovery" by Columbus. With a focus on the intersections of time, space, language and violence in seminal texts, we look at ways their authors position the Americas and their peoples in universal history. We will also consider the role of the public intellectual and writer as political figure and founder of new national movements. Authors include Columbus, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, Teresa de Mier, Sarmiento, Martí, Darío, Vallejo, Borges, Arguedas, Vargas Llosa, and Bolaño.