Topics in Latin American, Latina & Latino, and Iberian Literatures and Cultures (Taught in English) (397-0-1)

Topic

Law and its Discontents: Fictions of Criminality i

Instructors

Mauricio Oportus

Meeting Info

Kresge Centennial Hall 2-440: Tues, Thurs 11:00AM - 12:20PM

Overview of class

Law and its Discontents Fictions of Criminality in Latin America

This course will interrogate the ways in which the figure of the criminal has been represented across Latin American culture from the 19th century to the present. By carefully examining literary depictions of the "outlaw" -from the Argentinian "Gaucho," the Venezuelan "Llanero," to contemporary portrayals of state violence, juridical zombification, and extractive injustice- this course will not only address the role that these figures have played in the construction of national identities, but it will also explore their potential for unsettling our conceptions of lawfulness, institutional justice, and ultimately, of the nation itself.

Through the analysis of literary and visual cultural practices that revisit the figure of the criminal, we will address key questions about the relationship between legal order and violence, criminality and popular justice, law and ecological disaster, and the (out)law's place in civil society. These discussions will culminate in a collaborative podcast project, where students will creatively engage with course materials in a public-facing format. Primary readings for this course (available in their original language and in translation) will include works from J. L. Borges, Mariana Enriquez, José Donoso, Roberto Bolaño, Gabriela Cabezón Cámara, Pedro Cabiya, Ariel Dorfman, and others. (Taught in English)

Learning Objectives

By the end of this course, students will:
1. Critically analyze literary representations of criminality, developing an understanding of how the outlaw has been represented in Latin American culture from the 19th century to the present.
2. Explore the relationship between legal systems, institutional justice, and the construction of national identities, with particular attention to how these intersect with issues of race, gender, and class.
3. Engage with multimodal texts, learning strategies for literary analysis in terms of themes, genres, historical context, and their aesthetic and political implications.
4. Improve oral communication skills through active participation in discussions and the production of a group podcast episode, fostering teamwork and project management abilities.
5. Gain familiarity with digital tools and techniques for podcast production, including sound editing and narrative construction, as part of a final collaborative project.

Class Materials (Required)

Course materials available on Canvas.

Class Attributes

Literature & Fine Arts Distro Area