Latin American and Latinx Studies Courses
LNAM 180: Intro to Latin American and Latinx
(Introduction to Latin American and Latinx Studies.) This course provides and overview of Latin American and Latinx history, politics, culture, and literature. Topics include major events and persons, as well as social issues and movements pertaining to Latin American migration to the United States, including expressive cultures and art, anthropology, and politics. No prerequisites. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Global Perspectives requirement.)
LNAM 218: Music of Brazil: From Samba to Pop
Moving from studio recordings of samba and pop artists to field recordings of indigenous musicians, we explore the musical practices of Brazil throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. As we delve into the contours and contexts of music scenes across the spectrum from bossa nova to hip hop, we begin to unpack what motivates musicians to create song as well as the meanings that these musicians and their listening audiences derive from such processes. Students garner essential knowledge about musical expressions in Brazil, including, but not limited to, Carnival, capoeira, country (sertanejo), folk (maracatu, afoxé, forró, repente, samba-reggae), gospel, MPB (música popular brasileira), hip hop, choro, samba, bossa nova, and Afro-Brazilian sacred music (Candomblé and Congado). Moreover, the goal of learning about these genres is not only to develop keen playing and listening skills, but also to hone skills in cultural understanding, collaboration, and empathy. To understand how Brazilian music is a site for racial justice, community, and historical struggle is to begin to develop a clear-eyed view of how Brazilians inhabit the social fabric of humanity in striking and meaningful ways. Learning activities entail lectures, class discussions, guest demonstrations, and student presentations and projects that incorporate creative analysis, writing, and invention. No prerequisites. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Humanities and Global Perspectives requirements.)
cross listed: MUSC 218
LNAM 219: Politics of Latin America
An introduction to politics and social change in Latin America. Study will focus on several Latin American countries and on special topics such as human rights, religion, the military, land reform, women, and population policy. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Social Sciences and Global Perspectives requirements. Under the old GEC, this course meets the Social Science and Cultural Diversity requirements.)
cross listed: POLS 219, IREL 259
LNAM 223: Brazilian Music, Language, Culture
This introductory course is designed to develop the student's ability to comprehend, speak, read, and write basic controlled patterns of the Portuguese language. Brazilian music is used as an important tool to reinforce aural and written language acquisition as well as to provide specific cultural context through the examination of historical, social, and political elements of the music. The course draws from comparative linguistics to enhance student learning by making explicit connections between Portuguese and other Romance languages (French, Spanish). No prerequisites. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Global Perspectives requirement.)
cross listed: LING 223, PORT 223, MUSC 223
LNAM 226: Colonial Latin American Art
This course will consider the arts of Central and South America from the conquest to independence (ca. 1500-1850) and will explore the intersections among art, culture, and power in the specific conditions of Colonial Latin America. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Global Perspectives requirement. Under the old GEC, this course meets the Humanities and Cultural Diversity requirements.)
cross listed: ARTH 226
LNAM 230: Indigenous History of the Americas
This course is a survey of Indigenous history from pre-colonization to the present across both North and South America. Throughout the Americas, Native people built complex systems of cultural grandeur and political interaction. These cultures may have changed but certainly did not vanish when these groups came into contact with European colonizers. Rather, Indigenous people created new strategies for survival in a changing geopolitical reality, and impacted the development of emerging nations like the United States. In modern times, Indigenous people continue to fight for recognition of their sovereignty and rights. This course connects Indigenous history to issues related to nation-building, citizenship, economic change, and multiculturalism. No prerequisites. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Humanities requirement. Under the old GEC, this course meets the Humanities and Cultural Diversity requirements.)
cross listed: HIST 231
LNAM 231: Histories & Cultures Latin America
This course introduces students to modern historical, ethnohistorical, and anthropological approaches to the indigenous populations of Latin America. The course will focus on the conflict and crisis that have characterized the relationship between the native inhabitants of the New World and the Old World immigrants and their descendants whose presence has forever changed the Americas. This conflict, and the cultures that emerged from it, will be traced both historically (starting with the 'conquest') and regionally, focusing on four distinct areas: central Mexico; Guatemala and Chiapas; the Andes; and the Amazon. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Social Sciences and Global Perspectives requirements. Under the old GEC, this course meets the Social Science and Cultural Diversity requirements.)
cross listed: SOAN 231, IREL 272
LNAM 233: Latinx Chicago
This course explores the history of Chicago's diverse Latinx communities from 1900 to the present. We focus on Mexican and Puerto Rican Chicagoans, but students also have the opportunity to explore other communities. We examine migration experiences and community formation in Chicago neighborhoods, and how Latinx communities have understood their own identity. We study how Latinx groups organized social and political movements for empowerment; engaged in struggles around employment, education, and housing; and confronted policing, deportation, and displacement. Through these efforts, Latinx communities shaped public policy at the local and national level. Finally, we investigate how race, ethnicity, gender, class, and religion have been understood within Latinx communities and have shaped their experiences in the city. No prerequisites. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Domestic Pluralism and Speaking requirements.)
cross listed: HIST 233, GSWS 233
LNAM 236: Latin American Film in English
Taught in English. An interdisciplinary study of Latin American film, from multiple perspectives: artistic, historical, political, and socio-economic. This course will highlight the artistic achievements of Latin American filmmakers from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Mexico. We will use selected readings from original works for films that are based on fiction. A number of films have been Academy Award nominees or winners. Further readings will include a history of Latin American cinema, movie reviews, and interviews with directors. The course will scrutinize the links among cultural phenomena, socio-political events, and the art of filmmaking. No prerequisites. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Humanities and Global Perspectives requirements. Under the old GEC, this course meets the Humanities and Cultural Diversity requirements.)
cross listed: SPAN 236, CINE 236, LCTR 236
LNAM 241: Gender and Territory in Latin Amer
Body-Maps: Decolonial Notions of Gender and Territory in Latin America. This course explores how socio-spatial and territorial relations are marked by gender, race, and class in Latin America. From a feminist anthropological and geographical perspective, we revisit different territorial struggles in Latin America and the role of gender in these mobilizations. Specifically, we examine how power functions in "the body" or the self, but also in human and non-human relations, which are traversed by colonial nation-State and imperialist formations. This course not only engages in critical dialogues on space, and the ways in which race, gender, and class are experienced in the everyday life, but also how these territorial spaces become contested places for Black, Indigenous and other racialized subjects to imagine and produce decolonial futures. No prerequisites. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Social Sciences and Global Perspectives requirements.)
cross listed: SOAN 241, GSWS 241
LNAM 245: Child Labor in Latin America
Explores the role of child labor in the economies of developing Latin American countries, focusing on the question 'Do countries need to use child labor to industrialize?' Historically, industrialized countries have relied heavily on children to work in factories and mines. Today it appears history is repeating itself as developing countries utilize children in the informal sectors. The employment of children in Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Chile, and Argentina will be examined in detail. The economic, political, social/cultural, and technological explanations for child labor will be explored for each country. Prerequisite: ECON 110. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Global Perspectives requirement. Under the old GEC, this course meets the Social Science and Cultural Diversity requirements.)
cross listed: ECON 245
LNAM 255: Politics of Mexico
This course introduces students to modern Mexican politics. Topics include Mexico's political institutions, economic development, immigration and border issues, racial and ethnic politics, and the challenge to deepening Mexico's democracy by what some scholars have termed "narco-politics." This course also explores Mexico's relationship with the United States to the north and Latin America to the south. No prerequisites. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Social Sciences and Global Perspectives requirements. Under the old GEC, this course meets the Social Science and Cultural Diversity requirements.)
cross listed: POLS 280
LNAM 257: History of Mexico & the Borderlands
Mexican culture and history has often been mythologized, stereotyped, or misunderstood -- but an accurate knowledge of the development of Mexico is essential for understanding its current role in the world. This course broadly surveys Mexican history from the pre-Conquest period through modern times, including a particular focus on the current Mexican-American border as well as regions that historically bordered Mexico (such as modern-day Florida, Central America, and even Spanish territories in the Pacific). The meaning of progress, indigenous culture, imperialism's impact, racial/ethnic identity, and popular mobilization are among its recurring themes. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Humanities and Global Perspectives requirements. Under the old GEC, this course meets the Humanities and Cultural Diversity requirements.)
cross listed: HIST 272, IREL 228
LNAM 280: The Mexican-American Border
This course focuses on the Mexican-American border and how its unique location in the world has created a culture, language, politics, religion, and economy that reflect the interdependence between these two neighboring countries. The course begins with the history of the border from the Gadsden Purchase in 1854 to the passage of NAFTA in 2004 and then examines the impact of free trade on Mexico. The course explores how people (immigration - both legal and illegal), resources (oil, workers), consumer products (household appliances, food, music, and art), environmental waste (toxic waste, water and air pollution) and technology (outsourcing) cross borders as globalization impacts both Mexicans and Americans. No prerequisites. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Social Sciences and Global Perspectives requirements.)
LNAM 302: The Latin American World in English
Taught in English. A study of native peoples of the American Indian civilizations from multiple perspectives: historical, political, sociological, and literary. Course materials include readings and lectures on a wide variety of topics, discussions, films, videos, slides, and music. Students with a knowledge of Spanish and/or Portuguese may work with bilingual materials. May count toward the Spanish major. No prerequisites. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Global Perspectives requirement. Under the old GEC, this course meets the Humanities and Cultural Diversity requirements.)
cross listed: SPAN 337, LCTR 237
LNAM 303: Paisajes sonoros de América Latina
(Paisajes sonoros de América Latina: Música, política y poder.) This course considers Latin American music within a broad cultural, political, and historical framework. Latin American musical practices are explored by illustrating the different ways in which aesthetics and society are intersected through music. Our discussions will be framed by a range of concepts pertinent to Latin American contexts such as colonialism, diaspora, mestizaje, globalization, migration and community. This course will examine popular music from Latin America, and consider a song a reflection of socio-political, historical, and cultural movements. Coursework will include listening to and viewing performances and reading historical and critical texts on music and its relation to politics. Prerequisite: SPAN 212 or higher 200-level course, or placement exam recommendation or permission of instructor.
cross listed: SPAN 303, MUSC 303
LNAM 305: The Civilization of Spain
This course is an introduction to the history, art, music, literature, and customs of Spain. Course conducted in Spanish. Prerequisite: One higher 200-level Spanish course (ie. above SPAN 212) or placement exam recommendation or permission of instructor. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Global Perspectives requirement. Under the old GEC, this course meets the Humanities and Cultural Diversity requirements.)
cross listed: SPAN 305
LNAM 306: Intro Latin American Culture
This course will be taught in Spanish. It is designed to provide an introductory overview of Latin America's development focusing on its cultural manifestations through time. Films, music, and art will supplement readings for a better understanding of the cultural heterogeneity of Latin America, its past, and its present reality. Prerequisite: One higher 200-level Spanish course (ie. above SPAN 212) or placement exam recommendation or permission of instructor. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Humanities and Global Perspectives requirements. Under the old GEC, this course meets the Humanities and Cultural Diversity requirements.)
cross listed: SPAN 306
LNAM 313: Latinx Oral History
One of the best ways to understand the history of a community is to talk to those who have lived it. The history of people of Latin American descent is a growing subfield of history, but much remains to be learned about Latinx migration, employment, politics, and culture; differences along lines of class, race, gender, region, and nationality; and how these experiences have changed over time. This course introduces you to the practice of oral history, or recording an individual’s personal story, which is a method often used to collect voices left out of dominant narratives. The course also draws on the narrative tradition of “testimonio,” with roots in Latin American liberation and anti-imperialist movements, in which the narrator is empowered by voicing their experience. This course guides you in conducting your own interviews with Latinx individuals. The ability to speak Spanish is helpful but not required.
cross listed: HIST 313
LNAM 316: Colonialisms and Resistance
This course examines colonialism, anticolonialism, and decolonization: when does colonialism start, and when does it end? What does it mean to be decolonized? What are some anticolonial movements in the Americas? How does a decolonial future looks? In this class, we read both colonial-era thinkers and their later interpreters, and we also explore anticolonial and decolonial resistance movements in the Americas. Through this course, students will become conversant in the major debates, issues, and different theories of colonialism, decolonization, settler colonialism, and anticolonialism scholarship and activism. We will work to understand the diverse histories of colonialism/anticolonialism, and the ways these divergent histories influenced scholarship. Students will also begin to distinguish the intersections between this literature and feminist theory, queer theory, and critical race theory. Prerequisite: SOAN 110. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Social Sciences and Global Perspectives requirements.)
cross listed: SOAN 316
LNAM 320: Spanish for Business, Law, Intl Rel
(Spanish for Business, Law, and International Relations) This course prepares students to understand and produce conversational and written Spanish for business, law, and international affairs. Students practice using specialized vocabulary and concepts associated with contractual and diplomatic negotiation, banking and business, and law and public policy. Cultural and historical topics for discussion may include the financial crash of the early 2000s in Argentina; the rise and fall of Brazil’s economy; foreign investment in Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean; Spain’s economic precarity after the 2008 financial crisis; trade, banking, and diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Latin America; marketing to Latino communities in the U.S. compared to different countries in Latin America; and human rights law and immigration policies in the U.S. This course balances intercultural knowledge with language tools, including vocabulary building, conversation practice, listening comprehension, and the acquisition of idioms necessary for intercultural communication and competence in Spanish-speaking contexts. Course materials include feature films, documentaries, and readings drawn from news sources. Particularly recommended for students who are considering careers in economics, business, politics, law, and international relations. Prerequisite: SPAN 212 or higher 200-level course, or placement exam recommendation or permission of instructor. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Global Perspectives and Speaking requirements. Under the old GEC, this course meets the Humanities and Cultural Diversity requirements.)
cross listed: SPAN 320
LNAM 325: U.S. Latinx Literature and Culture
This course is taught in Spanish. It is designed to familiarize students with the cultural phenomena produced in the United States by the presence of two major Hispanic groups: Mexican Americans (20.6 million) and Puerto Ricans (3.4 million). The course will examine the historical, political, and cultural development of the Mexican American/Chicano and the Puerto Rican/Boricua Hispanic heritage. The main objective is to provide the students with an overall social and literary understanding and to recognize the cultural contribution made by these two important Hispanic groups. Topics such as neo-colonialism, popular culture, national identity, gender representation in art and literature, religious syncretism, and economic impact on the workforce will be explored. Literary texts by outstanding Chicano and Boricua authors will be included. Prerequisite: One 300-level Spanish course or permission of instructor. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Domestic Pluralism and Writing requirements. Under the old GEC, this course meets the Humanities and Cultural Diversity requirements.)
cross listed: SPAN 325
LNAM 329: Campaigns & Elections in L America
This course focuses on the study of elections, campaigns, leaders, and political parties in Latin America. This seminar covers recent (each year’s elections and campaigns) and previous electoral processes in the region. The course examines how parties and voters interact and how parties in the region have developed different strategies to engage voters. The seminar also addresses the electoral processes: who can become a candidate, why, when, where people vote, and the different rules set up by countries for the electoral processes. In this seminar, we also study what happens during the campaigns with a particular focus on electoral violence, and violence against women in elections. The seminar is designed to provide a foundation for the development of original research and innovative theoretical approaches that can contribute to the study of the region and comparative politics more generally. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Social Sciences and Global Perspectives requirements. Under the old GEC, this course meets the Social Science and Cultural Diversity requirements.)
cross listed: POLS 319, IREL 351
LNAM 333: Cine e Historia en América Latina
The course examines the ways that movies view historical events and periods, while at the same time shaping public perception of those events and periods in Latin America. Examples of topics are the Conquest of the Americas, the legacy of Peron, the Castro and post-Castro eras in Cuba, the Catholic Church in Mexico, dictatorship and democracy in Brazil and Chile, and narco-trafficking. The basic format will be discussion with occasional interactive lectures. Readings will include essays on cinema and history. Students will view films mostly in DVD format from several countries. Assignments will include short essays, oral presentations, and a midterm and a final exam. Prerequisite: SPAN 300 or 305 or 306 or equivalent, or permission of instructor. (Counts toward the Spanish major and minor. ) (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Global Perspectives requirement. Under the old GEC, this course meets the Humanities and Cultural Diversity requirements.)
cross listed: SPAN 333, CINE 337
LNAM 334: Cine Español
An interdisciplinary study of Spanish film, from multiple perspectives: artistic, historical, political, and socio-economic. This course will highlight the artistic achievements of Spanish filmmakers from several periods, including Luis Buñuel, Carlos Saura, and Pedro Almodovar. Readings will include essays on film history, the language of cinema, movie reviews, and interviews with directors. The course will scrutinize the links among cultural phenomena, socio-political events, and the art of filmmaking. Films will be treated as complex aesthetic objects whose language does not merely photograph socio-historical reality but transfigures it. The course will also consider Spain in its broadest Iberian sense and will include films in Catalan, Galician, and Portuguese. Classes will be based mainly on discussion interspersed with occasional lectures. Prerequisite: SPAN 300 or 305 or 306 or equivalent, or permission of instructor. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Global Perspectives requirement. Under the old GEC, this course meets the Humanities and Cultural Diversity requirements.)
cross listed: SPAN 334, CINE 339
LNAM 335: Survey of Latin American Lit
(Survey of Latin American Literature) The development of Latin American letters from the nineteenth-century movements of independence to the contemporary period. Readings will include novels, short stories, poetry, plays, and essays. Prerequisite: SPAN 300 or 305 or 306 or equivalent, or permission of instructor. (Under the old GEC, this course meets the Humanities and Cultural Diversity requirements.)
cross listed: SPAN 335
LNAM 336: Crime Fiction
Latin American and Spanish authors have a rich history of crime and detective fiction that extends to the turn of the 20th century. In Latin America and Spain, crime fiction is referred to as novela negra and detective fiction is referred to as novela políciaca. This course serves as an introduction to Latin America and Spanish crime and detective fiction, ranging from the early 20th-century novela negra to 21st-century narco-narratives. In particular, we compare crime and detective fiction to hard-boiled stories and their sub-genres, examine the genre's link to film, and investigate the works' socio-historical and political contexts such as globalization and immigration. Prerequisite: SPAN 250 or 255, or one 300-level course or placement exam recommendation or permission of instructor.. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Humanities and Global Perspectives requirements. Under the old GEC, this course meets the Humanities requirement.)
cross listed: SPAN 336
LNAM 338: Cine Latinoamericano
An interdisciplinary study of Latin American film, from multiple perspectives: artistic, historical, political, and socio-economic. This course will highlight the artistic achievements of Latin American filmmakers from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Mexico. We will use selected readings from original works for films that are based on fiction. A number of films have been Academy Award nominees or winners. Further readings will include a history of Latin American cinema, movie reviews, and interviews with directors. The course will scrutinize the links among cultural phenomena, socio-political events, and the art of filmmaking. Films will be treated as complex aesthetic objects whose language does not merely photograph socio-historical reality but transfigures it. Classes will be based mainly on discussion interspersed with occasional lectures. Prerequisite: SPAN 300 or 305 or 306 or equivalent, or permission of instructor. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Global Perspectives requirement. Under the old GEC, this course meets the Humanities and Cultural Diversity requirements.)
cross listed: SPAN 338, CINE 341
LNAM 340: Inclusive Innovation
While entrepreneurs top the list of Forbes richest Americans, diversity does not. Why are women, people of color, and other groups persistently excluded from entrepreneurial resources? How might we make entrepreneurship more inclusive to drive disruptive innovation, help people reach their full potential, and propel positive economic growth? This course surveys the deeper (and often hidden) causal factors that have contributed to and reinforced entrepreneurial exclusion. We examine disparities at the macro- and micro-level (i.e., gender, race, sexuality, geography, ability, age) through case studies, reading, hands-on activities, and student research projects. Students propose their own reasoned and researched solutions to address the business case for access and inclusion not as a charitable cause but as an economic imperative. The course concludes with students pitching their solutions on how to empower an underrepresented group, increase access to high-quality tools to find problems worth solving for this group and the resources to solve them, and create new channels for revenue from a previously underserved and ignored market. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Domestic Pluralism requirement.)
cross listed: ENTP 340, ETHC 339, GSWS 339
LNAM 345: Latino Identities in Chicago
. (Under the old GEC, this course meets the Cultural Diversity requirement.)
LNAM 350: Contemp Latin Amer Lit in English
(Contemporary Latin American Literature in English.) During the twentieth century, the narrative fiction of Latin America exploded onto the international literary scene. This course focuses on the precursors of the so-called 'boom' writers (Jorge Luis Borges, Graciliano Ramos) and the boom's major writers (Julio Cortazar, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Juan Rulfo, Carlos Fuentes, Jorge Amado), as well as its more recent figures (Isabel Allende, Clarice Lispector, Laura Esquivel, Manuel Puig), who take us into the twenty-first century. The course includes film adaptations of Latin American fiction. Special consideration is given to the aesthetic and historical contexts of these authors and their works. Students with a knowledge of Spanish or Portuguese may work with bilingual materials if they so choose. No prerequisites. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Humanities and Global Perspectives requirements. Under the old GEC, this course meets the Humanities and Cultural Diversity requirements.)
cross listed: SPAN 350, LCTR 350
LNAM 370: Hispanic Verse: Romances to Rap
(Hispanic Verse: From Romances to Rap) The aim of this course is to help students read and understand poetry in Spanish. By approaching the works of relevant Spanish and Latin American poets from different perspectives, students will become more familiar with poetry and the historical context in which the texts were written. Part of the course is dedicated to introducing the creative mood of literature and studying the relationship between music and poetry: from its traditional formats to the most contemporary ones, including musical forms. The class will read and discuss some of the best-known poems of Hispanic literature from the 16th Century to the present; students will also have the chance to unleash their imagination by writing their own creative pieces…or songs…after all, a well-known musician (isn't he a poet?) won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2016. Prerequisite: SPAN 300 or 305 or 306 or equivalent, or permission of instructor. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Global Perspectives requirement. Under the old GEC, this course meets the Humanities and Cultural Diversity requirements.)
cross listed: SPAN 370
LNAM 380: Cine, Literatura y Sociedad Amr Lat
(Cine, Literatura y Sociedad Am?ca Latina) This course is an interdisciplinary study of Latin American societies, focusing on film and literature from multiple perspectives: artistic, historical, political, and socio-economic. The seminar will highlight the magisterial artistic achievements of Latin American novelists, short story writers, and playwrights and film adaptations of their works. It will scrutinize the links between socio-political events and artistic production. Seminar materials will include films, chapters from novels, short stories, plays, and readings on film, social issues, and politics. The basic format will be discussion with occasional interactive lectures. Assignments will include short essays, oral presentations, and a final exam. Prerequisite: SPAN 300 or 305 or 306 or equivalent, or permission of instructor. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Global Perspectives and Writing requirements. Under the old GEC, this course meets the Humanities and Cultural Diversity requirements.)
cross listed: SPAN 380, CINE 380
LNAM 381: Radical Women: Latina/x Artists
(Radical Women: Cross-disciplinary Approaches Latina / Latinx Artists.) Inspired by the 2017 exhibition of the same name, Radical Women is a seminar that immerses students in the practices of LatinX and Latina women artists from 1960 through the present. Using work by artists including Lygia Clark, Ana Mendieta, and Cecilia Vicuña as a starting point, students engage with contemporary practitioners whose work echoes these practices. The course focuses on ways in which artists engage the political body—including through self-portraits, the relationship between the body and landscape, the mapping of the body, the power of words, and repression and resistance. Students conduct research, contribute to discussion, and complete a set of individual and collective assignments including presentations on the artists. Final projects can take the form of a critical or creative research paper or an artistic project in a self-selected medium. Prerequisites: This interdisciplinary seminar is open to students across disciplines and does not require prior studio experience. Prior 200-level Art and Art History, Humanities, or Social Science courses recommended, or by instructor permission. Corequisites: Prior 200-level Art and Art History, Humanities, or Social Science courses recommended, or by instructor permission. Course Fee Applies. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Humanities and Global Perspectives requirements.)
cross listed: ART 381, GSWS 381
LNAM 382: Econ Policy Making in Lat Am
LNAM 385: Migration & AI in Spain/Latin Amer
(Migrating Scenes: Artificial Intelligence, Imagination, and Migration in Spain and Latin America.) This course examines migration through cultural productions and new technologies to analyze how resilience, imagination, and human connection shape immigrants’ experiences, welfare, and futures. Course materials include graphic novels, film, theater, fiction/narrative, visual art, and memoir. Alongside these, students research current events and explore how Artificial Intelligence is impacting the experiences of migrants and policy debates about immigration. Key questions include: How is AI is being harnessed globally to analyze migration trends, make migratory projections, and develop infrastructure in immigrant-welcoming communities? How are immigrants using chatbots and other AI technologies to facilitate their migration and integration efforts? How can AI cultivate a more humane, ethical approach to migrants worldwide? The course is conducted in Spanish and is structured along a variety of migration trajectories connected to Spain and/or Latin America. Course goals include a comparative, critical understanding of migration as a dynamic, global experience of crisis, resilience, and cultural transformation whose future is deeply tied to AI technologies. Prerequisite: One higher 200-level Spanish course (above SPAN 212), placement exam recommendation, or permission of instructor. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Global Perspectives and Writing requirements.)
cross listed: SPAN 385
LNAM 389: Inter-American Human Rights System
This course studies the political history of human rights in Latin America. Human rights are the universal entitlements - political, economic, social, cultural, etc. - that apply equally to all human beings regardless of their nationality. More specifically, the course investigates the development of the Inter-American Humans Rights System and how it has given rise to human rights conventions and other human rights milestones in the Americas. It studies the multiple conventions that form the system and how they came into being. Additionally, the course also focuses on the system's multiple enforcement mechanisms that are meant to ensure the protection on human rights in the region. Prerequisite: POLS 110 or permission of instructor
cross listed: POLS 389, IREL 389
LNAM 400: Women's Voices in Latin America
An author, thinker, movement, or group of works studied in depth. All work in Spanish. This course will examine the role of women in Hispanic culture. Important figures such as La Malinche, Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, and Eva Peron as well as the fiction, poetry, and films of Rosario Castellanos, Clarice Lispector, Gabriela Mistral, Isabel Allende, Rigoberta Menchu, Maria Luisa Bember, and Alicia Steimberg will be studied. Prerequisite: Two 300-level Spanish courses, including SPAN 300 or equivalent, or permission of instructor. (Under the Forester Fundamental Curriculum, this course meets the Global Perspectives requirement. Under the old GEC, this course meets the Humanities and Cultural Diversity requirements.)
cross listed: SPAN 400, GSWS 400