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Latin American Studies Current Courses

Spring 2024

Course Code Title/Instructor Meets
LALC 101-01 Introduction to Latin American, Latinx, and Caribbean Studies
Instructor: Andrea Lopez
Course Description:
A multi-disciplinary, introductory course designed to familiarize students with the regions through a study of their history, economics, politics, literature, and culture in transnational and comparative perspective. The purpose of the course is to provide a framework that will prepare students for more specialized courses in particular disciplines and specific areas of LALC studies. Required of all LALC majors.
10:30 AM-11:45 AM, TR
DENNY 112
LALC 121-01 Introduction to Africana Studies
Instructor: Naaja Rogers
Course Description:
Cross-listed with AFST 100-01. This interdisciplinary introduction to Africana Studies combines teaching foundational texts in the field with instruction in critical reading and writing. The course will cover Africa and the Atlantic Slave Trade, the creation of African Disaporic communities, the conceptualization and representation of Black culture and identity, and the intellectual and institutional development of Black and Africana Studies.This course is cross-listed as AFST 100.
09:30 AM-10:20 AM, MWF
ALTHSE 08
LALC 200-01 Latinx Popular Culture
Instructor: Jed Kuhn
Course Description:
Cross-listed with AMST 101-02.This course will examine how the increasing diversity of audiences, voices, and participants in popular culture point to deficits, needs, and changes in American culture. Focusing specifically on Latinas/os, we will analyze representation of Latinas/os in a variety of different genres - music, film, sports, and television - for what they tell us about race, gender, class, sexuality, citizenship, and language. We will look particularly at how Latinas/os negotiate mainstream media representations and create new forms of culture expression. Exploring how Latinas/os produce media representations that defy both narrow understandings of Latinidad as well as dominant U.S. culture, class discussion will explore how identity is produced and contested through popular culture.
10:30 AM-11:20 AM, MWF
DENNY 104
LALC 231-01 Modern Latin American History since 1800
Instructor: Marcelo Borges
Course Description:
Cross-listed with HIST 131-01. Introduction to Latin American history since independence and the consolidation of national states to the recent past. Students explore social, economic, and political developments from a regional perspective as well as specific national examples. This course is cross-listed as HIST 131.
09:00 AM-10:15 AM, TR
DENNY 313
LALC 262-01 South American Archaeology
Instructor: Matthew Biwer
Course Description:
Cross-listed with ANTH 262-01 and ARCH 262-01. This course examines the development of prehistoric societies in the South American continent through archaeological data. This course will explore the interactions of culture, economics, and politics in the prehistory of two major regions: the western Andean mountains and Pacific coast, and the eastern lowlands focusing on the Amazon River basin and Atlantic coast. In addition to learning the particular developments in each region, we will address three overarching themes: 1) What role did the environment play in shaping socio-political developments? 2) What influence do ethnographic and ethno-historical sources have on the interpretation of pre-Hispanic societies in South America? 3) What were the interactions between highland and lowland populations, and what influence did they have (if any) on their respective developments? This course is cross-listed as ARCH 262 and ANTH 262.
01:30 PM-02:45 PM, MR
DENNY 211
LALC 272-01 The Atlantic Slave Trade and Africans in the Making of the Atlantic World, 1450-1850
Instructor: Robin Crigler
Course Description:
Cross-listed with AFST 220-04 and HIST 272-01. During several centuries of European colonization in the New World, a thriving slave trade forced the emigration of millions of Africans across the Atlantic-an immigration far larger than the simultaneous immigration of Europeans to the same regions. We will address not only the workings of the slave trade on both sides (and in the middle) of the Atlantic, but also the cultural communities of West and West-Central Africa and encounters and exchanges in the new slave societies of North and South America. Through examination of work processes, social orders, cultural strategies and influences, and ideas about race and geography, across time and in several regions, we will explore the crucial roles of Africans in the making of the Atlantic world. This course is cross-listed as HIST 272. Offered every two years.
01:30 PM-02:45 PM, MR
DENNY 103
LALC 285-01 Cuír/Queer Brazil
Instructor: Carolina Castellanos
Course Description:
Cross-listed with PORT 380-01.
09:00 AM-10:15 AM, TR
BOSLER 309
LALC 295-01 Introduction to U.S. Latinx/Chicanx Literature and Culture
Instructor: Amaury Leopoldo Sosa
Course Description:
Cross-listed with SPAN 295-01. This interdisciplinary introduction to Latinx/Chicanx Studies discusses foundational historical, cultural, political, artistic, and literary texts of U.S. Latinx/Chicanx communities. This class will cover the varied lives and identities of Latinx/Chicanx individuals, with a particular focus on the Mexican, Central American, and Caribbean diaspora. Specific course emphasis will depend on the professor. This course may be taught primarily in Spanish or English, depending on the material covered. Prerequisite: SPAN 229; 231; or permission of the instructor. This course is cross-listed as SPAN 295.
09:30 AM-10:20 AM, MWF
BOSLER 313
LALC 300-01 Analyzing (In)corporeality in 19th-Century Chilean Literature
Instructor: Angela DeLutis-Eichenberger
Course Description:
Cross-listed with SPAN 380-02. This course examines representations of mutilated bodies, murder victims, zoologically displayed human bodies, possessed women, diabolical beatas, burned devotees, sexualized bodies, and revitalized spirits. These stem from an era when the republic wrestled with the consequences of Chile's political independence from Spain, the occupation or "pacification" of Araucana, the sketching of boundaries between the Catholic Church and State, perceived clerical power vs. scientific and psychiatric advancement, acceptable societal roles and practices (particularly for women), and the move toward secularization. Along with excerpts from 19th-century newspapers and scathing anticlerical caricatures, texts from some of the most prominent authors of the era will be studied. These may include: Jos Victorino Lastarria, Alberto Blest Gana, Jos Raimundo Zisternas, Mercedes Marn del Solar, Daniel Barros Grez, Andrs Bello, Juan Rafael Allende, Pedro Ruiz Aldea, Rosario Orrego, and Ramn Pacheco. Whose bodies were being manipulated and how? Given the historical contexts in play, what deeper significations could such manipulations hold, especially in terms of (dis)possessions of power?
01:30 PM-02:45 PM, TF
BOSLER 314
LALC 490-01 Latin American, Latinx and Caribbean Studies Senior Research Seminar
Instructor: Marcelo Borges
Course Description:
Research into a topic concerning Latin America directed by two or more faculty representing at least two disciplines. Students must successfully defend their research paper to obtain course credit. The paper is researched and written in the fall semester for 1.0 credit and then defended and revised in the spring semester for .50 credit. Prerequisite: senior majors.
03:00 PM-04:15 PM, M
DENNY 315
Courses Offered in AFST
Course Code Title/Instructor Meets
AFST 100-01 Introduction to Africana Studies
Instructor: Naaja Rogers
Course Description:
Cross-listed with LALC 121-01. This interdisciplinary introduction to Africana Studies combines teaching foundational texts in the field with instruction in critical reading and writing. The course will cover Africa and the Atlantic Slave Trade, the creation of African Disaporic communities, the conceptualization and representation of Black culture and identity, and the intellectual and institutional development of Black and Africana Studies. This course is cross-listed as LALC 121.
09:30 AM-10:20 AM, MWF
ALTHSE 08
AFST 220-04 The Atlantic Slave Trade and Africans in the Making of the Atlantic World, 1450-1850
Instructor: Robin Crigler
Course Description:
Cross-listed with HIST 272-01 and LALC 272-01. During several centuries of European colonization in the New World, a thriving slave trade forced the emigration of millions of Africans across the Atlantic-an immigration far larger than the simultaneous immigration of Europeans to the same regions. We will address not only the workings of the slave trade on both sides (and in the middle) of the Atlantic, but also the cultural communities of West and West-Central Africa and encounters and exchanges in the new slave societies of North and South America. Through examination of work processes, social orders, cultural strategies and influences, and ideas about race and geography, across time and in several regions, we will explore the crucial roles of Africans in the making of the Atlantic world
01:30 PM-02:45 PM, MR
DENNY 103
Courses Offered in AMST
Course Code Title/Instructor Meets
AMST 101-02 Latinx Popular Culture
Instructor: Jed Kuhn
Course Description:
Cross-listed with LALC 200-01. This course will examine how the increasing diversity of audiences, voices, and participants in popular culture point to deficits, needs, and changes in American culture. Focusing specifically on Latinas/os, we will analyze representation of Latinas/os in a variety of different genres - music, film, sports, and television - for what they tell us about race, gender, class, sexuality, citizenship, and language. We will look particularly at how Latinas/os negotiate mainstream media representations and create new forms of culture expression. Exploring how Latinas/os produce media representations that defy both narrow understandings of Latinidad as well as dominant U.S. culture, class discussion will explore how identity is produced and contested through popular culture.
10:30 AM-11:20 AM, MWF
DENNY 104
Courses Offered in ANTH
Course Code Title/Instructor Meets
ANTH 262-01 South American Archaeology
Instructor: Matthew Biwer
Course Description:
Cross-listed with ARCH 262-01 and LALC 262-01. This course examines the development of prehistoric societies in the South American continent through archaeological data. This course will explore the interactions of culture, economics, and politics in the prehistory of two major regions: the western Andean mountains and Pacific coast, and the eastern lowlands focusing on the Amazon River basin and Atlantic coast. In addition to learning the particular developments in each region, we will address three overarching themes: 1)What role did the environment play in shaping socio-political developments? 2) What influence do ethnographic and ethno-historical sources have on the interpretation of pre-Hispanic societies in South America? 3) What were the interactions between highland and lowland populations, and what influence did they have (if any) on their respective developments? This course is cross-listed as ARCH 262 and LALC 262.
01:30 PM-02:45 PM, MR
DENNY 211
Courses Offered in ARCH
Course Code Title/Instructor Meets
ARCH 262-01 South American Archaeology
Instructor: Matthew Biwer
Course Description:
Cross-listed with ANTH 262-01 and LALC 262-01. This course examines the development of prehistoric societies in the South American continent through archaeological data. This course will explore the interactions of culture, economics, and politics in the prehistory of two major regions: the western Andean mountains and Pacific coast, and the eastern lowlands focusing on the Amazon River basin and Atlantic coast. In addition to learning the particular developments in each region, we will address three overarching themes: 1)What role did the environment play in shaping socio-political developments? 2) What influence do ethnographic and ethno-historical sources have on the interpretation of pre-Hispanic societies in South America? 3) What were the interactions between highland and lowland populations, and what influence did they have (if any) on their respective developments? This course is cross-listed as ANTH 262 and LALC 262.
01:30 PM-02:45 PM, MR
DENNY 211
Courses Offered in HIST
Course Code Title/Instructor Meets
HIST 131-01 Modern Latin American History since 1800
Instructor: Marcelo Borges
Course Description:
Cross-listed with LALC 231-01. Introduction to Latin American history since independence and the consolidation of national states to the recent past. Students explore social, economic, and political developments from a regional perspective as well as specific national examples. This course is cross-listed as LALC 231.
09:00 AM-10:15 AM, TR
DENNY 313
HIST 272-01 The Atlantic Slave Trade and Africans in the Making of the Atlantic World, 1450-1850
Instructor: Robin Crigler
Course Description:
Cross-listed with AFST 220-04 and LALC 272-01. During several centuries of European colonization in the New World, a thriving slave trade forced the emigration of millions of Africans across the Atlantic-an immigration far larger than the simultaneous immigration of Europeans to the same regions. We will address not only the workings of the slave trade on both sides (and in the middle) of the Atlantic, but also the cultural communities of West and West-Central Africa and encounters and exchanges in the new slave societies of North and South America. Through examination of work processes, social orders, cultural strategies and influences, and ideas about race and geography, across time and in several regions, we will explore the crucial roles of Africans in the making of the Atlantic world. This course is cross-listed as LALC 272. Offered every two years.
01:30 PM-02:45 PM, MR
DENNY 103
Courses Offered in PORT
Course Code Title/Instructor Meets
PORT 380-01 Cuír/Queer Brazil
Instructor: Carolina Castellanos
Course Description:
Cross-listed with LALC 285-01. Stereotyped as the country of carnival and licentiousness, Brazil combines a complex history of traditional, oppressive, and progressive values and laws. Same-sex marriage was approved in 2013, sex-correction surgeries are supported by the universal health care system, and So Paulo hosts the largest LGBTQIA+ parade in the world. Still, Brazil has the highest recorded number of murders of trans* people in the world. The goal of this course is to analyze the complexities of the literary, historical, and cinematographic production in Brazil of cur authors and topics. The course examines how self-representations and representations have created, challenged, promoted, and affected the LGBTQIA+ community. At the same time, the course foregrounds the importance of how Brazilians have thought about their own curness. This course is taught in English.
09:00 AM-10:15 AM, TR
BOSLER 309
Courses Offered in SPAN
Course Code Title/Instructor Meets
SPAN 229-01 Conversando con literatura y película
Instructor: Abraham Quintanar
Course Description:
The primary goal of this course is to continue to strengthen students' oral, aural, reading, and writing skills in Spanish while acquiring a broadened intercultural perspective. Course topics will consist of a focused cultural theme chosen by the professor. Examples of possible topics include: Current Events in Hispanic Societies, Chronicling Everyday Life, Geographical Explorations in the Spanish-Speaking World, and Gastronomy and Health in the Hispanic World.Prerequisite: 202, 203 or 205. NOTE: May be taken concurrently with 202, 231, 238 or 239. Students who have completed 231 or courses above 239 may not take this course.
11:30 AM-12:20 PM, MWF
BOSLER 305
SPAN 229-02 Conversando con literatura y película
Instructor: Abraham Quintanar
Course Description:
The primary goal of this course is to continue to strengthen students' oral, aural, reading, and writing skills in Spanish while acquiring a broadened intercultural perspective. Course topics will consist of a focused cultural theme chosen by the professor. Examples of possible topics include: Current Events in Hispanic Societies, Chronicling Everyday Life, Geographical Explorations in the Spanish-Speaking World, and Gastronomy and Health in the Hispanic World.Prerequisite: 202, 203 or 205. NOTE: May be taken concurrently with 202, 231, 238 or 239. Students who have completed 231 or courses above 239 may not take this course.
12:30 PM-01:20 PM, MWF
BOSLER 305
SPAN 231-01 Hispanic Cultures through Literature
Instructor: Jorge Sagastume
Course Description:
The primary goal of this course is to develop students' writing skills in Spanish. Course topics will consist of a focused cultural theme chosen by the professor. Examples of possible topics include: Hispanic Cultures through Film: Students will learn about the current culture and history of Spanish-speaking countries through discussion of films. This course will emphasize acquisition of the critical skills necessary to analyze Spanish-language cinema within the context of its country of origin. Hispanic Cultures through Painting: This course will analyze major themes in Hispanic cultures through the lens of painting. Readings that illuminate social, political, and cultural contexts will prepare students to better appreciate the historical significance of a wide variety of well-known painters. Hispanic Cultures through Literature: Students will learn the literary tradition of selected countries through novels, poems, and short plays by representative writers. Emphasis will be on tracing the development of the culture of the country studied. Hispanic Cultures through Media: Students will learn the values, mores and traditions of selected Spanish-speaking countries through popular media and its portrayal of current events. Emphasis will be on analyzing Spanish-language newspapers, magazines and television in order to understand their imagined audience. Prerequisite: 202 or 205.
01:30 PM-02:45 PM, MR
LIBRY E. ASIAN
SPAN 231-03 Hispanic Cultures through Literature
Instructor: Jorge Sagastume
Course Description:
The primary goal of this course is to develop students' writing skills in Spanish. Course topics will consist of a focused cultural theme chosen by the professor. Examples of possible topics include: Hispanic Cultures through Film: Students will learn about the current culture and history of Spanish-speaking countries through discussion of films. This course will emphasize acquisition of the critical skills necessary to analyze Spanish-language cinema within the context of its country of origin. Hispanic Cultures through Painting: This course will analyze major themes in Hispanic cultures through the lens of painting. Readings that illuminate social, political, and cultural contexts will prepare students to better appreciate the historical significance of a wide variety of well-known painters. Hispanic Cultures through Literature: Students will learn the literary tradition of selected countries through novels, poems, and short plays by representative writers. Emphasis will be on tracing the development of the culture of the country studied. Hispanic Cultures through Media: Students will learn the values, mores and traditions of selected Spanish-speaking countries through popular media and its portrayal of current events. Emphasis will be on analyzing Spanish-language newspapers, magazines and television in order to understand their imagined audience. Prerequisite: 202 or 205.
09:00 AM-10:15 AM, TR
LIBRY E. ASIAN
SPAN 295-01 Introduction to U.S. Latinx/Chicanx Literature and Culture
Instructor: Amaury Leopoldo Sosa
Course Description:
Cross-listed with LALC 295-01. This interdisciplinary introduction to Latinx/Chicanx Studies discusses foundational historical, cultural, political, artistic, and literary texts of U.S. Latinx/Chicanx communities. This class will cover the varied lives and identities of Latinx/Chicanx individuals, with a particular focus on the Mexican, Central American, and Caribbean diaspora. Specific course emphasis will depend on the professor. This course may be taught primarily in Spanish or English, depending on the material covered. Prerequisite: SPAN 229; 231; or permission of the instructor. This course is cross-listed as LALC 295.
09:30 AM-10:20 AM, MWF
BOSLER 313
SPAN 380-02 Analyzing (In)corporeality in 19th-Century Chilean Literature
Instructor: Angela DeLutis-Eichenberger
Course Description:
Cross-listed with LALC 300-01. This course examines representations of mutilated bodies, murder victims, zoologically displayed human bodies, possessed women, diabolical beatas, burned devotees, sexualized bodies, and revitalized spirits. These stem from an era when the republic wrestled with the consequences of Chile's political independence from Spain, the occupation or "pacification" of Araucana, the sketching of boundaries between the Catholic Church and State, perceived clerical power vs. scientific and psychiatric advancement, acceptable societal roles and practices (particularly for women), and the move toward secularization. Along with excerpts from 19th-century newspapers and scathing anticlerical caricatures, texts from some of the most prominent authors of the era will be studied. These may include: Jos Victorino Lastarria, Alberto Blest Gana, Jos Raimundo Zisternas, Mercedes Marn del Solar, Daniel Barros Grez, Andrs Bello, Juan Rafael Allende, Pedro Ruiz Aldea, Rosario Orrego, and Ramn Pacheco. Whose bodies were being manipulated and how? Given the historical contexts in play, what deeper significations could such manipulations hold, especially in terms of (dis)possessions of power?
01:30 PM-02:45 PM, TF
BOSLER 314