Introduction to Latinx Literature (277-0-1)
Instructors
Mariajose Rodriguez Pliego
Meeting Info
University Hall 122: Tues, Thurs 2:00PM - 3:20PM
Overview of class
In the United States, we often talk about Latinx people using blurry labels. We discuss the Latino vote, the Hispanic population, and the Latinx community. This course explores the nuances of these labels through the stories that Latinx authors have been narrating for the past six decades. As we follow characters through conflicts and inhabit their quotidian lives, we will navigate between the specificity of a story and the complexity of a Latinx identity. Class discussions will study emotional ties to places and languages, feminist thought, and the racial and ethnic diversity within the Latinx community. We will read well-established and emerging authors such as Sandra Cisneros, Manuel Muñoz, and Kali Fajardo Anstine. A one-quarter course cannot do justice to the rich genealogy of Latinx writing. This course follows an illustrative sample of authors from the 1970s onward and focuses on short stories, poetry, and essays. It aims to provide students with a historical, political, and literary foundation for further exploration of Latinx literature. (Taught in English)
Evaluation Method
Participation and attendance, essays, and a creative assignment.
Class Materials (Required)
The Lost Book of Adana Moreau, by Michael Zapata. ISBN: 9781335147356
Class Attributes
Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline
Literature & Fine Arts Distro Area
U.S. Perspectives on Power, Justice, and Equity