Courses
Fall 2013-2014
CROSS-LISTED COURSES
AAS 412/ENG 425/LAO 412
Cultures of the Afro-Diaspora
This course analyzes key readings and studies on Afro-diasporic cultures across the Americas in the 20th century. From reggae's unrelenting rhythms to the dances that move carnaval, the New World thrums with activity from populations that have persevered conditions of displacement to create new aesthetic forms. We will investigate expansive notions of blackness that move beyond national paradigms and the productive pressure that performance puts on ontologies of identity such as the Afro-Latino, African American, and West Indian in theory and literature. Artists include Bob Marley, Katherine Dunham, Jorge Ben, and Patato y Totico.
Alexandra T. Vazquez. Schedule: L01 11:00-12:20pm T Th, P01 3:30-4:20pm Th.
ENG 402/AAS 408/LAO 402
Forms of Literature - Introduction to U.S. Latina/o Literature
This course introduces key readings and developments in U.S. Latina/o literature from the early twentieth century to the present. With a focus on Nuyorican, Cuban, Dominican, Chicana/o and Tejana/o populations, students will examine how literature both mirrors and informs conditions of migration; debates about race, gender, and sexuality; issues of language; myths of assimilation; and oral-literary traditions. Other information: The interdisciplinary structure of the course utilizes Latina/o aesthetic practices found in other expressive cultural forms such as comic books, poster art, solo performance, and music as provocative counterpoints to the readings. Distribution Requirement: Diaspora.
Alexandra T. Vazquez. Schedule: S01 1:30 pm - 2:50 pm T Th.
LAS 401/SPA 412/LAO 401
Latin American Studies Seminar: Islands, Literature & History in Latin America & the Caribbean
How have islands been depicted in literature, historical narratives, film, and popular culture? How have empires, from the Spanish conquest to Guantánamo, reinvented the Caribbean islands as tropical paradises or as very real prisons? We consider the ways in which nationalist discourse, slavery and marronage, revolutions, military occupations, and tourism have shaped collective memory in the “sugar islands.” We will also explore questions of exit, voice and loyalty in Caribbean diasporic communities. The Tempest, More´s Utopia and Robinson Crusoe will provide starting points for rethinking key poetic and political traditions at play. Prerequisites and Restrictions: 200-level Spanish class or permission of Instructor. Open to juniors and seniors. Graduate students are encouraged to enroll. Other Information: The course will be taught in Spanish. Readings and discussion in Spanish and English. Participation in seminar discussion is important. Papers may be written in English but Spanish concentrators wishing to count the course as a departmental must do the readings and written work in Spanish. Program in Latino Studies concentrators must write their papers on topics that engage the US perspective and provide copies. Other Requirements: Open to Juniors, Seniors, and Graduate Students Only.
Arcadio Diaz-Quinones. Schedule: S01 1:30 pm - 4:20 pm W.
SPA 222 /LAS 222 /LAO 222
Introduction to Latin American Cultures
This course offers an introduction to modern Latin American literature and culture. It focuses on the complex ways in which cultural and intellectual production anticipates, participates in, and responds to political, social, and economic transformations in the 20th and 21st centuries. Through a wide spectrum of sources (essays, fiction, poetry, film, and art), students will study and discuss some of the most relevant issues in Latin American modern history, such as modernity, democracy, identity, gender, memory, and social justice. Prerequisites and Restrictions: SPA 207 or higher, or instructor's permission. Other Information: Course taught in Spanish.
Javier E. Guerrero. Schedule: C01 11:00 am-12:20 WF.
COURSES OF INTEREST
SOC 210 / LAS 210
Urban Sociology: The City and Social Change in the Americas
By taking a comparative approach, this course examines the role of social, economic, and political factors in the emergence and transformation of modern cities in the United States and selected areas of Latin America. We consider the city in its dual image: both as a center of progress and as a redoubt of social problems, especially poverty. Attention is given to spatial processes that have resulted in the aggregation and desegregation of populations differentiated by social class and race.
Patricia Fernández-Kelly. Schedule : L01 3:30 pm-4:20 MW; P99 TBA.
SPA 401 /LAS 428
Topics in Hispanic Culture (Europe and America) : Revolution, Mourning, and Literature in 20th Century Latin America
Twentieth-century Latin American history is shaped by the collective experience of various revolutionary and social movements. From the Mexican to the Cuban revolution and the populist Peronism and Varguismo, to the belligerent promises of "Chavismo", the cultural history of the region cannot be understood apart from the pitfalls of revolutionary nationalism. This course studies the processes of mourning unleashed by the shortcomings or failures of those revolutionary processes through music, literature, cinema, music, as well as comics and graphic art. Other Requirements: Open to Juniors, Seniors, and Graduate Students Only. Prerequisites and Restrictions: At least one of the following strongly recommended: Spanish 222, 224, 227, 307. Other Information: Taught in Spanish.
Rafael Elias Rojas Gutirérez. Schedule: S01 1:30 pm – 4:20 pm M.
Social Science Courses
- AMS 201/LAO 201 American Places: An Introduction to American Studies
- AMS 329/SOC 329 Immigrant America
- ANT 304 Political Anthropology
- HIS 304/LAS 304 Modern Latin America Since 1810
- HIS 309/LAS 312 History of Modern Mexico
- HIS 407/AAS 417 Politics of Racial Violence in America
- POL 333 Latino Politics in the United States
- POL 334/AAS 335 The Politics of Race and Health in America
- POL 336/AAS 336 Race and American Politics
- POL 423 / LAS 423 / LAO 423 - Seminar in American Politics - Latino Politics in the U.S.
- POL 430 Seminar in Comparative Politics: Causes and Consequences of International Migration
- SOC 210/LAS 210 Urban Sociology: The City and Social Change in the Americas
- SOC 227 Race and Ethnicity
- SOC 248/LAS 248 Modern Mexican Society
- SOC 310/LAS 310 Gender and Development in the Americas
- SOC 315/LAS 316/AAS 315 Race, Ethnicity and Nationalism in Latin America
- SOC 340/REL 390 God of Many Faces: Comparative Perspectives on Migration and Religion
Arts and Humanities Courses
- AAS 310/ENG 324/MUS 256 Music from the Hispanophone Caribbean
- AAS 410 / SOC 407 Race, Social Inequality, and Education
- AAS 412 / ENG 425 / LAO 412 - Cultures of the Afro-Diaspora
- ENG 337/AAS 361/LAO 337/LAS 337 The Literary South
- ENG 402/AAS 408/LAO 402 Forms of Literature: Introduction to U.S. Latina/o Literature
- SPA 222/LAO 222/LAS 222 Introduction to Latin American Cultures Offered Fall 13-14
- SPA 319/LAS 319 Topics in Cinema and Culture
- SPA 342/LAS 342 Topics in Latin American Modernity
- SPA 401/LAS 428 Topics in Hispanic Culture (Europe and America) Offered Fall 13-14
Note: For a topics course to count towards a certificate in Latino Studies, the content must be on a Latino subject. Please consult the Program with any questions.
Courses with a pound sign [#] are one-time-only courses. Should these be approved by the home department for cross-listing with the Latino Studies Program, the course listing will be appended.