HISP 216 - Topics in Multidisciplinary Analysis

Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
1 unit(s)

This course develops a set of methodological and theoretical tools for the investigation of cultural practices such as literature, popular and mass culture, social movements and institutions in Spanish-speaking countries. Ms. Paravisini (a); Mr. Vivalda (b).

Topic for 2015/16a: Latin American Culture through Music. This course explores the history, culture and geographies of Latin America through its musical traditions, with particular attention to modern theories of cultural interpretation. Materials for analysis will include music videos, literary texts, film and art as we seek to piece together the social, anthropological and personal dimensions of the region’s music. Ms. Paravisini.

Topic for 2015/16b: Reading Latin America through its Horrors and Fantastic Short Stories. In Latin America terror stories comprise not only the narration of paranormal and psychological delusions but also a very effective mirroring of specific social and political conditions. This course introduces students to literary analysis through the lens of horror and fantastic fiction. Materials for analysis will include literary texts by Rubén Dario, Leopoldo Lugones, Manuel Gutiérrez Nájera, and Horacio Quiroga. We will also potentially examine films by Guillermo del Toro, Jorge Michel Grau, and Carlos Enrique Taboada. Mr. Vivalda.

Prerequisite: HISP 206 or permission of the instructor.

Two 75-minute periods.