With a special focus on the period of 1898-1936, this course will examine the centrality of urban space and the leisure culture and gendered space of city life as it is conceived in Spanish high and low brow literature, including avant-garde works and kiosk commercial literature, in conjunction with its representation in both Spanish silent-era cinema (e.g. El sexto sentido; El misterio de la Puerta del Sol) and international “city symphony” films (e.g. Manhatta, Les nuits électriques). By reading literature with silent film, this course interrogates the...

In this class, we’ll apply current translation theories to the analysis and practice of translation between Spanish and English. Among other questions, we’ll consider the difference between AI-generated translations and the translation work of humans. We’ll discuss translations of a variety of text types, ranging from slogans (like the remarkable translation of “Hail to the Orange” above) to laundry labels to poetry. Conducted in Spanish.Counts as an elective for: Spanish major, Spanish minor, Undergraduate Certificate in Translation Studies, Graduate Minor in Translation and...

This course explores how since the post-independence period in the early 1800s through the present, visual cultures have participated in and commented on the formation of national identity in Mexico. We will study a variety of textual and visual mediums including the novel, painting, sculpture, architecture, prints, crafts, photography, and film in order to analyze how these various cultural forms have contributed to a variety of national projects. Students will hone the capacity to speak and write analytically about various forms of cultural production using each medium’s corresponding...

This course explores how Latin American cinema, from the arrival of sound in the 1930s through 21st century production, has represented the people whose lives reflect the region’s widespread socioeconomic, demographic, and political realities such as working poverty, recent immigration to the region, internal migration, Indigeneity, and armed conflict, among others. We will study the various styles, modes, and genres through which cinema has produced a broad variety of representations of “the people” that range from lovable comedic figures to catalysts for indignation. Our exploration of film...

This course focuses on the modern Latin American short story, highlighting the development of its literary and cultural traditions. We will explore the evolution of the short story in Latin America throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Our study will examine the various literary styles used by writers during this period and will analyze current trends among contemporary authors. We will delve into genre conventions, literary and theoretical movements, and the works of significant Latin American short story writers, including Horacio Quiroga, Juan Rulfo, Jorge Luis Borges, Elena...

This course focuses on the analysis of gender, sexuality, migration, and borders in Latin American and Latinx cultures. It serves as a survey course that introduces key issues and themes surrounding gender identities, sexuality, and borders, drawing on Gloria Anzaldúa's borderland theory. Her theory recognizes the experiences of immigrants, exiles, mixed-race individuals, queer communities, and those who cross traditional binary boundaries. In this context, gender and sexual diversity in borderland popular culture challenge heteronormativity and the rigid dualistic notions of sex and gender....

This course will introduce students to various forms of Indigenous textualities and the connections between them. Often, Indigenous literatures are placed in binaries and in a western chronological timeline, from oral to written and from traditional to modern. Students will read poetry, oral stories, newspapers, zines, and textiles amongst other forms to expand understandings of Indigenous literatures. While themes will vary, they will include identity, history, and politics. Course will be taught in English and readings will be provided in English, Spanish, and various Indigenous languages...