This course will explore representations of Latinx identity in late twentieth- and early twenty-first-century autobiographical and semi-autobiographical texts with a focus on language, race, embodiment, home and belonging, (queer) sexuality and matrilineal relationships. Authors we will read will likely include Gloria Anzaldúa, Sandra Cisneros, Carmen Maria Machado, Valeria Luiselli and Myriam Gurba. We will also consider how moments in contemporary popular culture, such as fashion, music and social media, intersect with some of the themes and topics in our course texts. Coursework includes literary analysis and close reading activities, short writing assignments, class participation, and a final creative project and reflection.
Days: MO WE  11:00-11:50 AM

This course will provide an historical overview of the complex relationship of Latinxs to U.S. audiovisual media from the early sound era in the 20th century to the present.  Highlights include the sea change that took place during the “Good Neighbor policy,” the sitcom from “I Love Lucy” to “One Day at a Time,” the recent wave of Latinx podcasting, and the pivotal “Decade of the Hispanic” which saw the emergence of several new directors both independently and within the ambit of Hollywood.   We will be looking into some of the causes of the persistent gaps and slippages in Latinx screen representation, as well as the initiatives of independent Latinx directors to redefine and reposition Latinx subjectivity on the screen.   Students will have the opportunity to study theories of stereotyping, genres, and authorship, as well as engage with contemporary media in in-class presentations.  Prerequisites are FMS 85A, FMS 85B, FMS 86, or FMS 87, or by permission of instructor.
Days: TU TH  09:30-10:50 AM

This course examines the twentieth-century experience and creative expression of Latina/o/e/x people across popular culture contexts and moments and fields of inquiry. Using a robust slate of interdisciplinary scholarship, this course will make it accessible for students to identify, consider, and discuss the activism, enterprise, concerns, creativity, representations, and priorities of Latina/o/e/x people invested in thriving as integral and impactful members of U.S. society.
(same as 61090 Chc/Lat 121)
Days: TU TH  08:00-09:20 AM

Explores political, economic, social, and cultural ties that bind Latin America to the United States. Focuses on U.S. intervention and Latin American response from early nineteenth century to present day. Case studies include Mexico, Guatemala, Cuba, Chile, and Central America.


(same as 61137 Chc/Lat 150, Dis 2;   64482 Intl St 177D, Dis 2;   and 67272 Pol Sci 142J, Dis 2)
Days: MO WE  01:00-01:50 PM

This class explores major transformations in Latin American society in the second half of the 20th century, a period shaped by polarizations over socialism, capitalism, and the meaning of democracy.  In Latin America, the cold war was never “cold.”  Global competition between superpowers and U.S. determination to contain communism in the Western hemisphere fueled extraordinary violence:  armed revolution, civil war, military coups, and dictatorship. At the same time, these were years of utopian experimentation and radical democracy: redistributions of land and wealth, challenges to imperialism, and vibrant social movements by women, workers, students, and Indigenous people.  The terms “modernization,” “social justice,” and “democracy” invited passionate debate and lasting transformation. Thematic topics include:  Guatemalan democracy and U.S. intervention; the Cuban Revolution; socialist democracy in Chile; South American military regimes; Human Rights in Argentina; liberation theology and civil war in Central America.
Days: TU TH  12:30-01:50 PM

Introduction to the major authors and movements of Iberian literature and culture from the Middle Ages to the present.
Prerequisite: SPANISH 3 or SPANISH 3H or AP Spanish Literature Exam with a minimum score of 4. Placement into SPANISH 101A is also accepted.

Days: MO WE  10:00-10:50 AM

A historical overview of Latin American literature and culture mainly focused on canonical texts. Topics include colonialism and postcolonialism, the nation, indigenismo, gender, and literary movements. Also introduces literary analysis, research methods, and cultural critique.
Prerequisite: SPANISH 3 or SPANISH 3H or AP Spanish Literature Exam with a minimum score of 4. Placement into SPANISH 101A is also accepted.

Days: TU TH  02:00-03:20 PM

This class takes a broad and inclusive definition of the avant-garde as its starting point. We will study literary, artistic, and cinematographic forms that break with established modes of artistic production. Among the figures and movements examined are Frida Kahlo, Wifredo Lam, and Joaquín Torres García in painting; Vicente Huidobro, Gabriela Mistral, César Vallejo, and Rubén Darío in literature; Martín Chambi, Manuel Álvarez Bravo, and Nacho López in photography; Guillén Landrián, Sara Gomez, and Glauber Rocha in film. We will also devote two weeks to the main exponents of Brazil’s Semana de Arte Moderna.


Days: TU TH  12:30-01:50 PM