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.

Topic for 2025/26b: Workshops of Healing. This course investigates a central question: Why does the figure of the non-medical healer persist so strongly in Mexican narrative, even as artists embrace modernization? We examine representations of healing in Mexico to analyze how and why writers and directors assign varying aesthetic qualities to these scenes over time. By tracking changes in healing representations, we seek to understand the deeper reasons for the healer’s enduring presence. The course introduces theoretical tools from philosophy, Marxism, biopolitics, and semiotics, equipping us to interpret these scenes and develop essay-writing skills in Spanish. George Azcarate.

Topic for 2025/26b: Latin America Through Its Horror and Fantastic Short Stories. In Latin America, terror stories comprise not only the narration of paranormal phenomena and mental 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 include literary texts by Rubén Darío, Leopoldo Lugones, Manuel Gutiérrez Nájera, Horacio Quiroga, Mariana Enríquez and Samantha Schweblin. We also examine films by Guillermo del Toro and chapters of a TV Series by Bruno Stagnaro. Nicolás Vivalda.

Prerequisite(s): HISP 206 or permission of the instructor.

Two 75-minute periods.

Course Format: CLS