Literature in Latin America since 1888 (261-0-21)
Instructors
Alfonso Fierro Obregon
Meeting Info
Kresge Centennial Hall 2-440: Mon, Wed 9:30AM - 10:50AM
Overview of class
This course provides an overview of some of the major trends in Latin American literatures since 1888, while at the same time offering opportunities to improve students' oral and written Spanish. The course will emphasize various literary styles and ideological constructions that, in different ways, reflect the complexity of Latin American writing. While introducing students to the social and historical context in which the works were written, the course will focus on the following issues: the cultural and political dimensions of literature; the representation of class, gender, and race; the formative impact of nationalism and internationalism; and the concern for finding autochthonous modes of expression.
This course also satisfies the Global Overlay requirement. During the quarter, students will discuss assigned primary texts as well as, crucially, the broad historical, political and social processes that shaped literary and cultural production at the end of the 19th and the 20th centuries in Latin America. The nature and complexity of these processes will be presented and engaged through lecture and discussion of scholarship on these topics. We will pay particular attention to the cultural and historical bases of literary traditions as constituted by the encounters, conflicts, tensions, and transformations of the period. Our goal is to generate the knowledge and develop the skills necessary to grapple with key issues including colonialism, empire, indigeneity, cultural imposition, transformation, memory, translation, the legacies of extractivism, ethnicity, race, and immigration.
Prerequisite (may be taken concurrently): SPANISH 200-0 or 204-0
Registration Requirements
Prerequisite (may be taken concurrently): SPANISH 200-0 or 204-0
Learning Objectives
- Observe the forms, genres, and styles of literary expression in Latin America from the end of the 19th century to the present through practices of close reading and analysis.
- Gain awareness of the social, political, cultural, and historical factors influencing artistic expression, the relations between the artist and the public, and the potential of creative art to challenge or affirm social and cultural norms. This will include discussions of the leading Latin American literary movements of the period.
- Appreciate how literature reveals the differences and diversity, as well as the continuity and unity, of human cultures. This course will introduce students to the social and historical context in which the works were written.
- Through class participation and writing assignments, produce persuasive interpretation, analysis, and commentary on literature and art, both spoken and written.
- By emulating the subtleties of literature, students develop their speaking and writing skills in Spanish and sharpen their powers of interpretation, critique, and aesthetic perception. This will involve summarizing, close reading, contextualizing, and synthesizing analyses of course texts in short writing assignments and a final portfolio.
Class Materials (Required)
All materials (readings, films, podcast episodes, etc.) will be provided in our Canvas page.
Class Attributes
Advanced Expression
Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline
Literature & Fine Arts Distro Area
Global Perspectives on Power, Justice, and Equity
Enrollment Requirements
Enrollment Requirements: Prerequisite (may be taken concurrently): SPANISH 200-0 or SPANISH 204-0.