Gender, Sexuality, and Representation (231-0-20)
Topic
Race & Gender in the Americas
Instructors
Alyssa D Garcia
Meeting Info
University Hall 101: Mon, Wed 12:30PM - 1:50PM
Overview of class
This course examines historical and cultural constructions of race and gender in Latin America and the Caribbean. This class will explore intersections of race and gender via case studies of diverse communities and countries in the region through both historical and contemporary perspectives. Students will learn how racial and gender identities are constructed and interpreted in the Americas and the ways these identities have shaped Latin American and Caribbean cultures, politics and societies. The course will situate race, gender, class and sexuality amongst social, cultural, economic and political transformations in the region and the comparative dimensions of these processes in order to illustrate the diversity and complexity of the region's history and development. This course will explore broad patterns, changes, and continuities in the history of race, gender, and class in Latin America through an analysis of various topics such as the conquest, colonization, slavery, independence struggles, nation-building, imperialism, neo-colonialism, Revolution, violence, social movements, and inter-American relations. This course will provide both anthropological and interdisciplinary perspectives about the intersection of race and gender, and the impact of their interaction in developing a nuanced appreciation of history and culture in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Registration Requirements
Attendance at first class is mandatory
Learning Objectives
• To gain an appreciation of diversity within Latin America and the Caribbean in substantive ways) • Develop comparative and interdisciplinary perspectives of the social, political, and economic issues affecting the region • Demonstrate an understanding of theoretical notions of Intersectionality (race, gender, sexuality, class, etc.) • Recognize the complex relationship between culture and power (from above and below) via case studies from the region • Acquire critical knowledge of historic and contemporary US-Latin America/Caribbean foreign relations
Teaching Method
Class participation, discussion, discussion section, exams, weekly assignments, reading notes, online postings, final essay, quizzes
Evaluation Method
20% Participation (attendance/discussion)
30 % Exams (2)
15% Weekly Notes/Assignments
15% Weekly online postings
20% Final Essay
Class Materials (Required)
-Michel-Rolph Trouillot. Silencing the Past: Power and the Production of History. (Beacon Press: Boston, 1995). -Donna Goldstein. Laughter Out of Place: Race, Class, Violence, and Sexuality in a Rio Shantytown. (University of California Press: Berkeley, 2003. -Victor Montejo. Testimony: Death of a Guatemalan Village (Curbstone Press: Willimantic, 1987).
Class Attributes
Literature & Fine Arts Distro Area
Associated Classes
DIS - Parkes Hall 224: Fri 10:00AM - 10:50AM
DIS - Parkes Hall 224: Fri 11:00AM - 11:50AM