Reading the 'Boom' (345-0-1)
Instructors
Alfonso Fierro
Meeting Info
Kresge Centennial Hall 2-440: Mon, Wed 2:00PM - 3:20PM
Overview of class
Reading the Boom: The Latin American 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.
Learning Objectives
-Students will have a comprehensive account of Boom literature in Latin America in the 1960s.
-Students will have opportunities to debate topics surrounding popular culture and Latin American culture in the 1960s.
-Students will learn to analyze literature and film critically.
-Students will develop Spanish reading, writing, and speaking skills in a number of activities and assignments.
Class Materials (Required)
Course materials will be provided 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