First-Year Writing Seminar (101-8-24)

Topic

Conquest Cultures

Instructors

Paul Ramirez
847/491-7444
Harris Hall Room 233

Meeting Info

Annenberg Hall G28: Tues, Thurs 3:30PM - 4:50PM

Overview of class

Topic: Conquest Cultures

Conquest is one of the most pervasive metaphors in global history and especially so in Latin America. This course explores the meanings of conquest in Latin America through analysis of some of the major textual and non-textual sources for the history of Spanish colonization. We will look at letters and chronicles of early encounters; annals, pictographs, and maps that shed light on non-European perspectives; and more recent reinterpretations of Spanish colonization in art, literature, and film. How do we account for the remarkable endurance of the conquest framework, in the past and present? The aim is to attend to the range of actors who participated as interpreters, military allies, and chroniclers, with special emphasis on women and people of native American and African descent; to examine how visual art, literature, and film translate historical topics; and to provide a critical introduction to some of the major themes in the historical study of colonialism and Latin America.

Registration Requirements

First-years Only

Learning Objectives

Students who complete this course should be able to 1) explain how experiences and narratives of Spanish colonization in the Americas shifted over time; 2) evaluate primary sources and the ways scholars have used them; 3) apply strategies of analysis and writing to develop a persuasive written argument; 4) practice effective communication, both orally (in groupwork and weekly meetings) and in writing.

Evaluation Method

Weekly participation 40%; Group work 20%; Essay 1 (4 pp.) 20%; Essay 2 (5-6 pp.) 20%

Class Attributes

WCAS Writing Seminar

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: Weinberg First Year Seminars are only available to first-year students.
Add Consent: Department Consent Required