Courses

A comprehensive introduction to the nature of the problem of the Latin American society. A general study of the geography, the historical background, the social, economic, and political contemporary developments as well as the influence of religion and ideology on the Latin American and Caribbean countries.

This course will examine the role of race and politics in Latin America by examining concepts such as mesticagem or racial mixture and how that shapes relationships of power and development in these societies. We will also examine the role of whiteness and blackness and how such concepts are used to ensure hierarchies of privilege and disadvantage. What role does a racialized hierarchy play throughout Latin America when considering who are the haves and have nots and which roles are racialized groups such as indigenous and Afro-descendants in Latin America allowed to play in national development? We will first learn about theories of race, politics, and history in select countries. Second, we will apply the theories we have learned to focus on Latin American countries such as Colombia, Mexico, Cuba, Brazil, and Argentina.

This introductory course examines the diverse arts and visual culture of Latin American countries, from Colonial times through the present, via a social art historical perspective. As we move through the history of Latin American art, we will center underrepresented narratives to explore key issues such as history making, uneven development, nation building, decolonization, and transnationalism. Students in the course will learn about the social, political, and historical contexts of Latin American art and become familiar with key theoretical concepts regarding representation and aesthetic practice. Objects and practices of study will include codices, casta paintings, printmaking, muralism, public art, and performance. This course will be broken into four thematic unit sections: (1) Indigenous Ideologies, European Conquest, and Contested Visions; (2) Struggles for Independence and Redefining National Art; (3) Revolutions and Avant-Garde Art; and (4) Contemporary Social Movements and Socially Engaged Art.

A general category used only in the evaluation of transfer credit.

Studies in Latin American and Caribbean Studies.

A survey course on Latin America from Conquest through Independence. Topics include exploration of: 1) how Spain and Portugal conquered and colonized the Americas, 2) how they managed to maintain control over those colonies, 3) how the colonized (Indians, Africans, and mixed races) responded to the imposition of colonial rule, 4) the role of women and gender in colonial settings, and 5) the implications of colonialism for the study of modern Latin America.

Crosslisting: HIST 141.

Drawing together the histories of Europe, Africa, and the Americas, this course explores the origins, development, and meanings of the new Atlantic World created after 1492. Topics may include imperial expansion and colonization, European-Amerindian relations, European-African relations, slavery and the trans-Atlantic slave trade, the growth of mercantile capitalism and the establishment of an Atlantic economy, the maturation of Euro-American colonial societies and their struggles for national independence, and the abolition of slavery.

Crosslisting: HIST 161.

The course will analyze artworks by Latina and Latin American women artists that address power inequalities within the intersections of class, gender, and race. There will be a focus on the often-overlooked role of Latina and Latin American women artists in political, social, and cultural movements. Students will be expected to think critically about feminist theories, particularly intersectional feminism, while visually and socially analyzing various works of art made by Latina and Latin American women in both Latin America and the U.S.

Reading and discussion of literary works from the Spanish-speaking world. Emphasis will be on utilizing language skills in the study and analysis of literature from Latin America, Spain and the United States. Conducted in Spanish.

Prerequisite(s): SPAN 215.

This course examines the transnational history and exchanges of modern and contemporary Mexican and Mexican-American artists in the United States. Students will be introduced to critical events that have shaped the history and culture of Greater Mexico (such as the Mexican-American War and the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo of 1848) before delving into the relationship between art and social movements, focusing on the post- revolutionary moment in Mexico (1910-1940) and the Chicano Civil Rights Movement (El Movimiento) in the United States (1960s-1990s). The class engages students in an in-depth analysis of works of art in diverse media and relates these to the social and historical conditions of their production. It challenges canonical accounts of Mexican modernism by broadening the traditional field of inquiry to consider mediums and artists traditionally regarded as “minor” and by offering a transnational approach to the art of Mexican-Americans in the United States.

An introduction to the study of Hispanic cultures, both Peninsular and Latin American; this course presents the basic context of the customs, beliefs and values of the Hispanic peoples and seeks to provide a basis for more advanced study. Conducted in Spanish.

Prerequisite(s): SPAN 215 or consent.

A general category used only in the evaluation of transfer credit.

The course analyzes the creation, history, and continual legacy of radical printmaking via transnational and multiracial social movements. Therefore, the course takes a global art historical approach to the materials, analyzing the influence of transnational art and political networks. The course is influenced by postcolonial theory, transnationalism, and critical race theory. Through visual, textual, and social analysis via close readings, critical discussions, and a comprehensive research project, students will find connections, networks, and contact zones between distinct graphic art movements. Throughout the course, we will explore specific networks created among Mexican, Black, and Chicanx printmakers, but students will be encouraged to find similar transnational and multiracial solidarity movements among other printmakers.

Have you ever heard a Spanish speaker in the United States say escuela alta, rufo, llamar para atrás o queik? Or have you heard someone switch from English to Spanish in the same sentence? What is Spanglish? Do you have a friend who doesn't know Spanish even though his parents speak it? Is Spanish a foreign language in the US? Have you ever heard someone say that we shouldn't speak Spanish here? The United States has a Hispanic population that is larger than most Latin American countries. But, unlike other Spanish-speaking countries, Spanish is a minority language in the US. In this class, we study various social and linguistic phenomena that arise from this situation. Among other topics, we analyze the history of Spanish in the US, the racialization of Spanish, language policy, Spanish in education, Spanglish, and Latinx identity.

Prerequisite(s): SPAN 215 or permission of the instructor.

Students will analyze texts from Pre-Columbian times to the present within their historical, sociocultural and artistic contexts. This course offers an overview of main literary periods, authors and genres. Students will examine a variety of texts and the outstanding characteristics of their authors. Students will engage in critical analysis of texts through research essays, creative projects and oral presentations, at the ACTFL intermediate-high level. Conducted in Spanish.

Prerequisite(s): SPAN 215 or consent of instructor or department chair; no course prerequisites if taught in English; when taught in English, no first-year students.

Crosslisting: SPAN 325.

This course revolves around two questions; How can we explain the main international migration flows in the past 50 years? And what are the political, economic and socio-cultural consequences of the recent international migrations on receiving and sending countries? To provide well informed answers to these questions, this course is divided in three parts. The first part provides the basic concepts and theories to study international labor migration issues. The second part takes a historical and international approach and studies some major international labor migration flows since the late 19th century. The third part discusses the political, economic and socio-cultural consequences of the recent international migrations on receiving and sending countries. This study will also include examination of some of the related public policy issues and controversies. The course incorporates institutional and historical contexts, socio-political dimensions and power relations in examinations of complexities of international labor migration. During the course students will work in teams and use various data sources to study some recent migration issues and provide well-informed answers to research questions assigned to each team. The results of this team work will be shared with the class in a presentation at the end of the semester.

Prerequisite(s): ECON 301.