Hispanic Studies

Can cinematic representations of the domestic worker (maid, nanny, butler), once merely a disparaged stock character relegated to supporting roles, embody the complex intersectionality of gender, racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic differences? This course examines the degree to which contemporary films from Hollywood and Latin America reinforce, challenge, or subvert traditional stereotypes of the subservient and docile housekeeper in depicting complex subjectivities that expose and contest outdated tropes, calling into question both social and cultural conventions. Together we will examine structural and aesthetic devices that accompany this shift in representation from marginalized invisibility to an increasingly empowered, independent subject under the scrutiny of the camera’s gaze. Students can expect to discuss recurring thematic issues including classism, sexism, ethnic bias, strained family dynamics, repressed conflicts, and clashing class expectations. We also will consider how these films, while centered on the ways in which individuals navigate hierarchical power dynamics within the intimate confines of the private home, critique social and economic inequalities within the broader context of a society or nation. Potential works under study include those produced in countries with rich cinematic histories including Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, and the United States alongside recent productions from Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Peru; genres under study include filmic shorts, fictional features, and documentary films. Course taught in English, coursework in English. Evaluation will be based upon class participation, formal oral presentations, written responses, and a final research project. May be taken for credit toward the Indigeneity, Race, and Ethnicity Studies major, Film and Media Studies major, or Gender Studies major. May be elected as Hispanic Studies 451 with a prerequisite of Hispanic Studies 341, 342, 343 or 344, or consent of instructor.

Since the publication of Maus, graphic novels and comics have come to be understood as challenging, artistic hybrid texts that employ complex literary and visual strategies to engage diverse themes of historical, social and aesthetic import. In this course we will study the works of prominent creators within the Hispanic graphic novel tradition alongside renowned graphic novelists from around the world. After considering the role of translation with respect to graphic narratives, we will explore the formal qualities and artistic innovations of landmark, transnational works. Theoretical, structural and semiotic analyses (Scott McCloud, Santiago García, Ana Merino, Thierry Groensteen) will be read together with primary texts. Readings may include wordless masterpieces (such as the works of Lynd Ward, Frans Masereel, Shaun Tan, Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá); experimental texts that overtly deconstruct traditional book formats (such as Guillermo Peña's Codex Espangliensis, Joe Sacco’s The Great War, Pascal Rabaté's Fenêtres sur rue, matinées, soirées, Richard McGuirre’s Here and Chris Ware's Building Stories), and highly stylized, intertextual or metafictional masterworks (such as Antonio Altarriba and Kim’s “La casa del sol naciente” and David Mazzucchelli's Asterios Polyp). All works will be read in English translation. Course will be taught in English. May be taken for credit toward the Hispanic Studies major or the Film and Media Studies major. Applies to the Narrative/Essay or Visual Cultures requirement for the Hispanic Studies major.

An introductory language course taught principally in Spanish for students that have had little or no formal contact with the language. Students will learn grammatical structures and vocabulary to facilitate discussion of topics relating to daily life including friends, family, leisure activities, work, food culture, etc. through the study of culturally specific texts and situations. Evaluation includes participation, homework, quizzes, exams and conversation groups. Students with any previous coursework in Spanish are required to take the Spanish placement exam before registering.

In this one semester intensive introductory language course students will learn grammatical structures and vocabulary to facilitate discussion of topics relating to daily life including friends, family, leisure activities, work, food culture, etc. through the study of culturally specific texts and situations. Evaluation includes participation, homework, quizzes, exams and conversation groups. Students with any previous coursework in Spanish are required to take the Spanish placement exam before registering. This course is open only to first- and second-year students; other students by consent of instructor.

Is there such a thing as a U.S. “Latinx” literary tradition? If so, what are its core narrative characteristics, social and cultural concerns, and political interventions? In this introductory course, students will read major works by U.S. Latinx writers and cultural producers from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, particularly texts pertaining to the nationalist movements of the 1960s and 1970s, the feminist and queer turns of the 1980s and 1990s, as well as the formal innovations of twenty-first century Latinx writing. Students will examine the generic characteristics of Latinx narrative while considering the cultural, social, and political specificities of the various ethnic and national traditions that fall under the umbrella term “Latinx.” Texts studied may be drawn from the work of authors such as José Antonio Villarreal, Rudolfo Anaya, Lucha Corpi, Piri Thomas, Esmeralda Santiago, Junot Díaz, Cristina García, and Carmen María Machado, among others. Evaluation is based on class participation, oral and written assignments, and a mid-term and final exam. This course is open only to first- and second-year students; junior students by consent of instructor. This course counts as elective credits toward Hispanic Studies major or minor. Course taught in English.  May be taken for credit toward Indigeneity, Race, and Ethnicity Studies major or minor.

With the increasing globalization of the film industry, what might “national” cinema from Latin America mean today? This course offers a panoramic exploration of major thematic trends and innovative visual aesthetics of contemporary Latin American cinema. Together we will engage in debates about film as art, as social critique, as resistance, and/or as entertainment. Using approaches that both embrace and critique the study of national cinemas, we consider how landmark films produced in the 21^st century highlight specific cultural and political issues as well as how cinematography, as an artistic medium, grapples with questions of filmic representation. Potential works under study include those produced by auteurs in countries with rich cinematic histories including Argentina, Brazil and Mexico (Albertina Carri, Lucrecia Martel, Walter Salles, Fernando Meirelles, José Padilla, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Alfonso Cuarón, and Guillermo del Toro) alongside recent productions from Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, etc. Course activities include film screenings, discussion of scholarly articles focusing on film theory and analysis, oral presentations, and writing short, critical papers. This course is open only to first- and second-year students; junior students by consent of instructor. This course counts as elective credits toward Hispanic Studies major or minor. May be taken for credit toward the Film and Media Studies major or minor or the Latin American Studies minor. Course taught in English, all films will be screened in Spanish with English subtitles.

Can we still speak of such a thing as “Latin American” and “Latinx” photography?  How do artists and photojournalists come to understand and capture (if not display and exhibit) local, regional, and national identities? How might photographic images - artistic, documentary, contestatory - respond to social and political injustices? Students in this introductory class examine photographic representations of mental illness, non-binary genders, the US Mexico border, and the last dictatorship in Argentina. We further consider transmedial representation by exploring how these photographers and their images have appeared in popular culture (films, graphic novels, music). Works under study include projects by both iconic and lesser-known photographers such as Graciela Iturbide, Paz Errázuriz, Marcelo Brodsky, Paula Luttringer, Helen Zout, Juan Rulfo, and Richard Misrach. The class also incorporates practice with creative photographic self-expression and the art of critique. Evaluation is based on class discussion, formal presentations of scholarly articles, and a final essay project. Course open only to first- and second-year students; juniors by consent of instructor. Course taught in English. May be taken for credit toward the Film and Media Studies major or minor.

An intermediate language course focusing on grammar, oral communication skills and the critical analysis of culturally specific media, including films and short literary works from various Hispanic contexts and traditions. Evaluation may include weekly readings and compositions, grammatical exercises, role-plays, spontaneous oral production and active classroom participation. Weekly conversation groups with the Language Assistant are required. Course taught in Spanish. Students who have not taken Hispanic Studies at Whitman previously are required to take the Spanish placement exam before registering. This course is open only to first and second year students; other students by consent of instructor.

Use of various text and media sources (literature, film, music, popular culture, etc.) to access contemporary topics in Hispanic culture for advanced conversation, academic writing, and grammar practice. Students will be required to do research projects using primary and secondary sources in Spanish, write short compositions, participate in all daily in-class discussions, complete advanced grammar exercises, and collaborate in at least one group creative project. Class participation, including attendance, is part of the grade for the course. Course taught in Spanish. Students who have not taken Hispanic Studies at Whitman previously are required to take the Spanish placement exam before registering. This course is open only to first- and second-year students; other students by consent of instructor.

Designed for heritage learners of Spanish, this course focuses on holistically enhancing abilities in Spanish while connecting language use with students’ identities, ethnic and national cultures, and the broader Hispanic communities of Walla Walla and the world. Under the theme “vivencias,” or life experiences, the focus is placed on experiential and project-based learning. Class activities may include hosting a radio show on KWCW, producing and showcasing artwork or film projects on campus, volunteering in local schools, or collaboration with student affinity groups and other campus entities. The goal is to enhance language abilities by applying existing competencies in culturally and socially meaningful contexts. Course taught in Spanish.

Spanish language cinema provides a stimulating medium for exploring issues of concern in Spain, Latin America and the United States including poverty, discrimination, urban violence, gender and sexuality. This course aims to improve proficiency in speaking and listening at the advanced-intermediate level as well as promote critical thinking through written responses to filmic texts. Course taught in Spanish. This course is open only to first- and second-year students; other students by consent of instructor.

The course is an intensive study of advanced Spanish grammar through literary and filmic texts. The course will focus on morphology (individual words and structures) and syntax (the order of the words). Topics may include: gender, subject-verb agreement, clauses, verb tenses, and vocabulary. Stress will be given to learning grammar and effective uses of language through class discussion and grammatical drills. Course taught in Spanish. This course is open only to first- and second-year students; other students by consent of instructor.

The use of drama in second language acquisition has long been recognized. The practice of drama, through ludic activities as well as the presentation of performative projects, can contribute to the mastery of cognitive, emotional, and cultural skills in a single artistic context, in a way that is quite similar to the experience of real communication. The Acting Workshop in Spanish course offers to advanced-level students the opportunity to create performances, write their original plays, improvise, as well as analyze written texts, similar to the process of staging a play. In the process, the student will extensively develop their phonetic, linguistic, pragmatic, literary, and communicative skills, through theatre games, creative practices, Total Physical Response situations, and rehearsal processes. The final class project will be shared with an audience from the Spanish-speaking community. No experience in Acting or Theatre is needed.

This course is designed for students with an interest in Spanish-English translation in the healthcare field, including nursing, medical science, human rights advocacy, and scientific research. Spanish-language literary texts and films will be used to explore the following topics: the uses of languages in patient/doctor relationships, health-care access, patients’ rights, equality, development, and human rights. Stress will be given to class discussion. The course also requires student participation in a collective translation project focused on public health issues. Course taught in Spanish. This course is open only to first- and second-year students; other students by consent of instructor.

This course is designed for students with an interest in Spanish-English translation in fields such as law, immigration, human rights, and community development. Spanish-language literary texts and films will be used to explore the following topics: the uses of languages in the local and federal government, legal aid access, equality, and voters’ rights. Special attention will be devoted to the Federal Court Interpreter Certification Examination. Stress will be given to class discussion. The course also requires student participation in a collective translation project focused on public affairs. Course taught in Spanish. This course is open only to first- and second-year students; other students by consent of instructor.

This is an advanced language skills-based theme course that fulfills the advanced language requirement in the major and minor. See course schedule for any current offerings.

Reading, analysis, and discussion of contemporary dramas and performances from Spain, Latin America, and U.S. Latino communities in Spanish language.   Writers/Theatre artists reviewed, are: Federico García Lorca, Ramón del Valle Inclán, Arístides Vargas, Grupo La Candelaria, Sara Joffré, José Sanchis Sinisterra, José Triana, Hugo Salcedo, Guillermo Gómez Peña, Griselda Gambaro, Gracia Morales, among others.  Methodologically, this course focuses on critical thinking and academic writing in Spanish language through class discussions, reaction papers, and oral presentations. Material studied includes written texts as well as filmed plays, digital media, drama, and performance art. The class also includes attendance to a number of live performances on campus. Course taught in Spanish. Note: Hispanic Studies 341, 342, 343, and 344 can be taken in any order. Intended for first-year students, sophomores, and juniors; open to seniors by consent only.

In this course, we will investigate Hispanic poets and poetry from the Iberian Peninsula and Latin America, from the Middle Ages to the 21^st century. As we travel through space and time through various cultural “frontiers” and relevant literary movements—Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque, Modernism, and various manifestations of the Avant-garde—we will analyze elements of contact, exchange, and cultural multiplicity, as well, and in particular, the concepts and tropes of love, the nation and religion in the context of cultural identity and historical memory. We begin the course with discussion and analyses of the medieval forms and formations of these themes, moving more or less chronologically across Iberia towards Latin America in order to evaluate how different authors formulated original responses and/or adopted past forms to express similar notions of love, nation and religion. In this broad cultural space of contact and exchange, Hispanic poetry from the Middle Ages to the present, from Iberia to Latin America, reveals a Hispanic culture continuously—though not always consistently—preoccupied with cultural memory and rival notions of political, confessional and linguistic memory. As we discuss the various and variant poetic traditions across space and time, students are encouraged to question linguistic and religio-political hegemony, interrogate notions of ideological and aesthetic rupture and continuity, and consider competing visions of Spanish history. This course focuses on critical thinking and academic writing in Spanish through research papers, oral presentations, and class discussions. Texts studied may include lyric poetry, rhymed prose and music. Course taught in Spanish. Note: Hispanic Studies 341, 342, 343, and 344 can be taken in any order. Intended for first-year students, sophomores, and juniors; open to seniors by consent only.

This course is an introduction to the Hispanic narrative traditions of Latin America, Spain, and the United States. The main objective is to train students in practices of close reading, critical thinking, and academic writing. In this panoramic survey of Hispanic narrative, students can expect to analyze: the figures of the author, narrator, and reader; the characteristics of the novel, short story, and essay forms; issues of representation, knowledge and truth; the interventions of Hispanic narrative in the United States; and themes of gender and sexuality. Evaluation is based on short analytical essays, class participation, formal oral presentations, and a final research paper. Course taught in Spanish. Note: Hispanic Studies 341, 342, 343, and 344 can be taken in any order. Intended for first-year students, sophomores, and juniors; open to seniors by consent only.

This course serves as an introduction to comic strips, films, and graphic novels from across Latin America, Spain, and Spanish speaking communities within the United States. Students can expect to engage in discussion and critical analysis of key works from renowned cartoonists, directors, and artists including Maitena, Quino, Liniers, Víctor Erice, Guillermo del Toro, Pablo Picasso, Diego Velázquez, Alberto Fuguet and Gonzalo Martínez. We will also study intertextuality and adaptation as methods for considering storytelling and visual form across media. The main objectives of this course are to train students in practices of close, contemplative readings of visual texts and to enhance skills in critical thinking and academic writing.  Course taught in Spanish. Note: Hispanic Studies 341, 342, 343, and 344 can be taken in any order. Intended for first-year students, sophomores, and juniors; open to seniors by consent only.

This class examines narrative and visual representations of dystopia, utopia, and the apocalypse in the Hispanic Caribbean, US-Mexico borderlands and Central America. While speculative genres—fantasy, science fiction, horror—often envision what the future may have in store for humankind, they also compel us to reflect on the present limitations of our collective social, political, and cultural imagination in dealing with the pressing issues of the times; often, these genres also reflect on the enduring consequences of significant historical events. In this class we will consider the interventions of twenty-first century speculative fiction and visual narrative in the tropics, focusing on their critiques of the present, conjectures for the future, and assessments of the past. We will examine the possibilities speculative genres offer us for contending with twenty-first century problems relating to transnational migration and borders, revolution and civil war, colonialism and neocolonialism, drug and human trafficking, and environmental disaster. Evaluation is based on class participation, oral and written assignments, and a final research paper. Course taught in Spanish. May be applied to the narrative/essay or visual cultures requirement for the major in of the Hispanic Studies. Satisfies 400 level requirement for Hispanic Studies minor. May be taken for credit toward the Indigeneity, Race, and Ethnicity Studies major or minor.

This course analyzes articulations of queerness in contemporary Latin American and U.S. Latinx narrative. In the first half of the course we will sample queer narratives from the Caribbean and Latin America, and we will conclude by attending to the narrative production of queer Latinxs in the United States. Our work will consist of examining the various narrative techniques that shape understandings of queerness across the continent, while tracing the configurations of race and class, ethnicity and nationality, and immigration and legal status that routinely intersect with queerness. Primary readings may be drawn from authors such as Ricardo Piglia, Pedro Lemebel, Luis Negrón, Rita Indiana, Reinaldo Arenas, Sonia Rivera-Valdés, Achy Obejas, John Rechy, Manuel Muñoz, and Ana Castillo, among others. Evaluation is based on class participation, oral and written assignments, and a final research paper. May be applied to the Narrative/Essay requirement for the Hispanic Studies Major.  Satisfies the 400 level requirement for Hispanic Studies minor. Course is taught in Spanish.  May be elected as Gender Studies 460.

Stories that vilify Latin American immigrants as invaders and criminals or, alternatively, that vindicate the immigrant as an example of bootstrapped determination and hard work abound in U.S. popular discourses. Yet these narratives flatten the complexity of the migrant experience to the United States, and erase the rich traditions of migrant and border writing by Latin Americans and U.S. Latinxs. This course offers a comprehensive study of Latin American and U.S. Latinx migrant and border narrative fiction, nonfiction, film, and poetry in Spanish and English. Students interrogate the categories“immigration” and “immigrant” by analyzing a diverse cast of migrant subjects: economic immigrants, exiles, colonial diasporic subjects, refugees, “atravesados” in the borderlands, and tourists and sojourners. Evaluation is based on class participation, written and oral assignments, and a final research paper. May be applied to the Narrative/Essay requirement for the Hispanic Studies Major. Satisfies 400 level requirement for Hispanic Studies minor. Courses taught in Spanish.

What is Spanglish? Is it a Spanish “deformed” by the English language, as the Real Academia Española has traditionally defined it? Or is it instead a form of cultural resistance practiced in the Hispanic territories historically occupied by the United States? This course analyzes “Spanglish” as a capacious symbol for broad, long-standing issues of identity, belonging, and cultural citizenship in the United States. Our analysis of bilingual literary artifacts, personal essays, and cultural commentaries will attend to the ways in which discourses of language intervene in notions of Latinx belonging, ethnonational identity, and cultural citizenship in the United States. Primary texts may be drawn from authors such as Gloria Anzaldúa, Sandra Cisneros, Gary Soto, Giannina Braschi, Ana Lydia Vega, Tato Laviera, and Gustavo Pérez-Firmat, among others. Evaluation is based on class participation, oral and written assignments, and a final research paper. Course taught in Spanish. May be applied to the Narrative/Essay requirement for the Hispanic Studies Major. Satisfies 400 level requirement for Hispanic Studies minor. Course taught in Spanish.

The disappearance of pre-Columbian memories after the European conquest has been a constant challenge for historical and cultural research on the Americas. Although some pre-Columbian key documents have survived, much of the pre-Columbian memory has been lost to time and oblivion. In the 20th century, some Latin American avant-gardes sought to reconnect with that memory, through literary and artistic creations that reimagined a pre-Columbian memory for the Continent while innovating languages, topics, and styles. Thus, the exploration of the pre-Columbian past through cultural creations dreamed of bridging the gap left by official history. In this seminar, students will first trace some colonial documents that retake the memory prior to the Conquest in Mesoamerica and the Andes, including Popol Vuh, Rabinal Achí, and Chilam Balam, among others. In a second moment, students will explore the contemporary approach to these memories through narrative and dramatic works, which appear as mythical references, or dreamlike images, in works by authors such as César Vallejo, Rosario Castellanos, Miguel Angel Asturias, Carlos Fuentes, José María Arguedas, and more recently Rafael Dumett. Students will also consider contemporary discourses of popular culture which have sought to dialogue with the pre-Columbian images, in animes, soap operas, Hollywood cinema, mostly with problematic results. May be applied to the Theatre/Performance requirement for the major in Hispanic Studies. Course taught in Spanish. Satisfies the 400-level requirement for the Hispanic Studies minor.

This course discusses the intellectual and artistic contributions of thinkers, activists and artists in the context of Latin American culture from Spanish colonization. The course starts with discussion of cultural liberation thought initiated after the Spanish Conquest (Inca Garcilaso, Guaman Poma, Espinosa Medrano). There will be emphasis on the persistence of a colonial matrix of power (Mariátegui, Fanon, Dussel, Quijano) that has been discussed through Liberation Theology, Philosophy of Liberation, Heterogeneity, Hybridization, Decolonization, as well as fictional works, performances, manifestos. A special section of this class is reserved to study thinkers/artists emerged as part of Latin American diaspora in the United States (Anzaldúa, Mignolo, Grosfoguel, Gómez Peña). May be applied to the Theatre/Performance or Narrative/Essay requirement for the major in Hispanic Studies. Course taught in Spanish. Satisfies the 400 level requirement for the Hispanic Studies minor.

The course offers a comprehensive look at the rich tradition of alternative theater in several countries of Latin America, especially after the decade of the 70s. This alternative theater showed unique characteristics: using "collective creation" dramaturgy (similar to current "devised theater"), strong political commitment and social activism (influenced by Brecht and Piscator), and the direct influence of European avant-garde theater (Grotowski, Barba). Also, the Latin American popular theater exhibited a singular interest in theorizing its foundations, particularly through the writings of Augusto Boal (Teatro Arena, Theater of the Oppressed), in Brazil, and Santiago Garcia (Theorizing Collective Creation) in Colombia, as well as plays by iconic groups such as Yuyachkani (Peru), Teatro Experimental de Cali. La Candelaria (Colombia) Malayerba (Ecuador), Gran Circo Teatro (Chile) among others. This class provides students a direct learning experience of Latin American theater through the exploration of tools for producing a short play in Spanish. This class may include a production in Spanish for the community of Walla Walla. Course taught in Spanish. May be applied toward the Theatre/Performance requirement for the major in Hispanic Studies. Satisfies the 400 level requirement for the Hispanic Studies minor.

Based on the work of cultural critics on the Andean world (Cornejo Polar, Flores Galindo, Kusch, Reinaga, Rama) this class explores non-written cultural artifacts which explore community memory, particularly through dances, popular and religious Fiestas, performance art, popular storytelling, popular and community-based theater, in the context of various countries such as Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador. A special section is devoted to the literature of the Andean indigenismo (Alegría, Arguedas, Icaza, Scorza, Colchado) and its relationship with the performativity of culture through the insertion of the Andes into the so-called lettered city (Rama). May be applied to the Theatre/Performance requirement for the major in Hispanic Studies. Satisfies the 400  level requirement for the Hispanic Studies minor.

This seminar presents performative pieces that draw on elements of recent history across the Hispanic world. Such works can be understood as invitations to discuss historical issues—particularly memory of violent acts—as well as cultural identities at stake in global societies. Using performance studies and theatricality theories, this class analyzes works by contemporary Spanish (Sanchis Sinisterra, La Zaranda, Belbel), Latin American (Boal, La Candelaria, Yuyachkani, Ramón Griffero, Eduardo Pavlovski, Ariel Dorfman) and US Latino/a (Gómez Peña, Tanya Saracho, Luis Valdez) authors and companies.  May be applied to the Theatre/Performance requirement for the major in Hispanic Studies. Course taught in Spanish. Satisfies the 400 level requirement for the Hispanic Studies minor.

Soccer has become a social phenomenon of importance in the Hispanic world. Based on its immense popularity and diffusion, this sport has begun to be considered a symbolic space for the encounter of cultures, as well as relations of gender and power, in constant conversation with the political and historical contexts in countries as diverse as Spain, Chile, Argentina or Colombia. Our Seminar seeks to unravel the foundations of soccer as a social spectacle, aided by cultural semiotics and performative studies. Then we will focus on the interaction of soccer with literary genres such as the novel, the chronicle, short stories, especially in the work of authors such as Manuel Vásquez Montalbán, Osvaldo Soriano, Eduardo Galeano, Roberto Bolaño, Juan Villoro, among others. An important section will be dedicated to dramatic texts and films (Agustín Cuzzani, Alfredo Bushby, Emir Kusturica among others). We will also discuss the connection between soccer and the construction of masculinity in traditionally patriarchal societies in the Hispanic World, and the current growing importance of Women Soccer. Finally, we will explore the interaction between soccer and society, especially in the experience of Latin American violence, such as dictatorships (Chile, Peru, Argentina) as well as armed conflicts (Colombia, Central America). May be applied to the Theatre/Performance requirement for the major in Hispanic Studies. Course taught in Spanish. Satisfies the 400-level requirement for the Hispanic Studies minor.

Self-referential novels and films unmask the conventions of literary and cinematic invention, openly scrutinizing their narrative and linguistic identity. The authors and directors of these (anti)fictions overtly thematize language and referentiality, techniques of artistic creation, and the complex relationship between fiction and reality. Our study of the theory and practice of metafiction emphasizes fictional creation (the world of the writer) and reader reception (the world of the reader) while considering recurring stylistic trends including parody and interior duplication. Does this self-conscious awareness signify a radical attack upon realism or a revolutionary continuation of social-realist tradition? May be applied to the Visual Cultures or Narrative/Essay requirement for the major in Hispanic Studies. Course taught in Spanish. Satisfies the 400 level requirement for the Hispanic Studies minor.

Can cinematic representations of the domestic worker (maid, nanny, butler), once merely a disparaged stock character relegated to supporting roles, embody the complex intersectionality of gender, racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic differences? This course examines the degree to which contemporary films from Hollywood and Latin America reinforce, challenge, or subvert traditional stereotypes of the subservient and docile housekeeper in depicting complex subjectivities that expose and contest outdated tropes, calling into question both social and cultural conventions. Together we will examine structural and aesthetic devices that accompany this shift in representation from marginalized invisibility to an increasingly empowered, independent subject under the scrutiny of the camera’s gaze. Students can expect to discuss recurring thematic issues including classism, sexism, ethnic bias, strained family dynamics, repressed conflicts, and clashing class expectations. We also will consider how these films, while centered on the ways in which individuals navigate hierarchical power dynamics within the intimate confines of the private home, critique social and economic inequalities within the broader context of a society or nation. Potential works under study include those produced in countries with rich cinematic histories including Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, and the United States alongside recent productions from Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Peru; genres under study include filmic shorts, fictional features, and documentary films. Coursework in Spanish. Evaluation will be based upon class participation, formal oral presentations, written responses, and a final research project. May be applied to the Visual Cultures requirement for the major in Hispanic Studies. Satisfies the 400 level requirement for the Hispanic Studies minor. May be taken for credit toward the Indigeneity, Race, and Ethnicity Studies major or minor, Film and Media Studies major or minor, or Gender Studies major or minor. May be elected as Global Literatures 351 with no prerequisites.

This interdisciplinary class crosses the borders of history and literature, considering the genres of literature, testimony, oral history, and visual representation as ways of knowing. The focus will be on the late twentieth-century dictatorships of Guatemala and Argentina. While both countries are in Latin America, they are dramatically different: Guatemala is a poor, underdeveloped nation with a majority indigenous population, while Argentina is more highly developed and prides itself on a majority European population. Yet both countries were ruled by dictatorships that carried out gruesome torture against their own citizens. The class questions how and why these dictatorships came to power and were able to operate with impunity. We will also explore how the history of the period can be known and its horrors expressed in meaningful ways. Readings include theoretical approaches regarding testimony and oral history as methods, truth commission reports, memoirs, fictionalized accounts, and filmic representations. Course taught in English. May be elected as History 313. Course may count toward the Latin America geographical area, and the Comparisons and Encounters major requirement in History, but must be taken as History 313 for it to apply toward the major in History. May be applied to the Visual Cultures or Narrative/Essay requirement for the major in Hispanic Studies. Satisfies the 400 level requirement for the Hispanic Studies minor. 

This course analyzes aesthetic representations and denunciations of state terrorism, especially forced disappearance and torture, committed during Argentina’s latest dictatorial regime (1976-1983). We will explore the artistic and social character of memory culture in Buenos Aires from a variety of perspectives: historical, political, philosophical, psychological and aesthetic. We will consider ethical and epistemological issues arising from remembrance and commemoration, the construction of collective memory, the possibility of adequately knowing the past and the responsibilities of remembering and forgetting. May be applied to the Visual Cultures or Narrative/Essay requirement for the major in Hispanic Studies. Course taught in Spanish. Satisfies the 400 level requirement for the Hispanic Studies minor. 

Graphic novels and comics (novelas gráficas, historietas, tebeos, cómics) maintain a rich literary tradition and strong popular appeal in Spain, Latin America, and Latino/a communities. We will study the relationship of text and image, visual composition, the impact of genre (conventions, limitations, expectations), and the nature of adaptations across media, particularly film. Thematic topics may include fantasy and the imagination, identity politics (gender, sexuality, and representations of queer/transgender identity), border issues and immigration, aging and illness, and social justice issues such as poverty, discrimination, homelessness, war, and human rights. Possible authors to be read: Carlos Giménez, Lalo Alcaraz, Jaime and Gilbert Hernández, Paco Roca, Maitena, Miguelanxo Prado, Oesterheld, and Quino, among others. Evaluation will be based upon class participation, an oral presentation, written essays/responses throughout the semester, and a final research project. May be applied to the Visual Cultures requirement for the major in Hispanic Studies.  Satisfies the 400 level requirement for the Hispanic Studies minor. Course taught in Spanish.

This course examines the roles of graphic novels, film, photography and/or other visual media in creating and preserving collective memory in Spain and Latin America. We explore how nations can be reimagined, recreated and redefined through popular culture and artistic works following periods of social, economic and/or political upheaval. Historical contexts under study may include the Spanish Civil War; dictatorships and transitions to democracy, particularly Argentina’s “guerra sucia”; and Latin American revolutions. Possible authors, directors and artists may include Carlos Giménez, Paco Roca, Guillermo del Toro, Robert Capa, Alberto Breccia, Eduardo Risso, Daniel Bustamante, Marco Bechis, Marcelo Brodsky and Susan Meiselas, among others. Evaluation will be based upon class participation, oral presentations, written essays and a final research project. May be applied to the Visual Cultures requirement for the major in Hispanic Studies. Course taught in Spanish. Satisfies the 400 level requirement for the Hispanic Studies minor. 

These courses cover topics in Spanish, Latin American, and U.S. Latino/a literature, film, theater, and culture generally not considered in other courses offered by the department. The specific material will vary from semester to semester. These courses can be counted toward the major and minor in Hispanic Studies. Each course description includes information about the major distribution areas covered by each course. See course schedule for any current offerings.

These courses cover topics in Spanish, Latin American, and U.S. Latino/a literature, film, theater, and culture generally not considered in other courses offered by the department. These courses taught in English include Spanish-language material in translation and/or present English-language literary and cultural production by Hispanic and Latino/a populations in the United States. The specific material will vary from semester to semester. These courses can be counted toward the major in Hispanic Studies as electives, but do not count toward the minor in Hispanic Studies as they are taught in English. See course schedule for any current offerings.

This seminar will introduce students to relevant theory and research methodologies in Spanish, Latin American, and U.S. Latina and Latino literary and cultural studies. The seminar will focus on the process of academic writing, devoting special attention to the development and completion of the senior project and assessment in Spanish. Topics in academic writing will include: project proposal, analysis of primary and secondary sources, methodology, and theoretical frameworks. Readings will include primary and secondary sources reflecting both established and current directions and research in the discipline. Course taught in Spanish. Required of and open only to senior Hispanic Studies majors.

Designed to allow the advanced student to pursue an individually designed project, expressing a specific interest or topic in Peninsular literature, Latin American literature, film and/or theater, and/or U.S. Latino and Latina literature and culture. Independent study courses do not count toward the major or minor in Spanish literatures and cultures; and under no circumstances will an independent study be designed as a language skills course. The student must propose a project, arrange a scheduled time to discuss (in Spanish) the project and its progress with the faculty member, complete the project and submit written evidence (in Spanish) of the work. Evidence of the work also may be presented in an oral or multimedia format in Spanish, but the presentation must include or be accompanied by some written component commensurate to the credit awarded for the course.

Designed to further independent research projects leading to the preparation of an undergraduate thesis or a project report. Required of and limited to senior honors candidates in Hispanic Studies. Designed to further independent research projects leading to the preparation of an undergraduate thesis or a project report. Required of and limited to senior honors candidates in Hispanic Studies.