The course will focus on the two defining features that have shaped 20th and 21st Century Latin American identity and culture: the often conflictive relationship with the United States and the profound influence of the Cuban revolution and its aftermath. Materials will include fiction, essay, poetry, film and music as well as telenovelas, advertisements and blogs so that students will become familiar with popular as well as canonical cultural artifacts. We will identify the forces that made Latin American literature and culture so globally influential from the 1960’s to the present. While our discussions will be wide-ranging, the course will emphasize Argentina, Chile, the Caribbean and Mexico.
Course is taught entirely in Spanish. Students should have completed an intermediate course or an advanced course in Spanish or have the permission of the instructor.