Reading the 'Boom' (345-0-1)

Instructors

Alfonso Fierro Obregon

Meeting Info

Kresge Centennial Hall 2-430: Tues, Thurs 12:30PM - 1:50PM

Overview of class

Reading the Boom: The Boom and Popular Culture

In this class, we will examine how "boom" writers such as Gabriel García Márquez, Julio Cortázar, Mario Vargas Llosa, and others incorporated into their works different accounts of Latin American popular culture (radionovels, boxing matches, music, nightlife…). In the process, we will examine some of the Boom's characteristic literary traits, the political and social landscapes in which they were producing their work, and some key aspects of modern Latin American rural and urban cultures. Critical accounts of the Boom generation by critics such as Ángel Rama, Jean Franco, and Pascale Casanova will complement our readings and allow us to question some of the Boom politics related to questions of gender, race, sexual identity, and governmentality. Prerequisite: 1 course from SPANISH 250-0, SPANISH 251-0, SPANISH 260-0, or SPANISH 261-0

Registration Requirements

Prerequisite: 1 course from SPANISH 250-0, SPANISH 251-0, SPANISH 260-0, or SPANISH 261-0

Learning Objectives

-Read and analyze critically literary works from the period in Latin American literature known as the Boom.
-Explore how boom authors wrote about and reflected on Latin American popular culture: radionovels, boxing, music, nightlife, and more.
-Research a topic in Latin American popular culture and write about it.
-Learn how to respond to a peer's analysis with your own account of a particular material.
-Learn how to facilitate a class discussion.

Class Materials (Required)

All material will be available on Canvas.

Class Attributes

Advanced Expression
Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline
Literature & Fine Arts Distro Area

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: Registration for Majors and Minors in either Spanish or Portuguese until the end of preregistration, after which time enrollment will be open to everyone who has taken the prerequisite. Prerequisite: 1 course from SPANISH 250-0, SPANISH 251-0, SPANISH 260-0, or SPANISH 261-0