Hispanic Studies 145: Portraits of a Continent: An Introduction to Latin American Photography

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.