Latin American Studies (LAS)

LAS 049 (GS 049, HIST 049) The True Road to El Dorado: Colonial Latin America 4 Credits

Examines the initial encounters of peoples of Iberian and African origins with the indigenous civilizations of the Western Hemisphere. Explores the development of a colonial economy and its global reach. Focuses on the birth of a distinctive Latin American society and culture, with attention to the Latin American patriots who fought for their freedom. No prior knowledge of Latin American history required.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, SS, SW, W

LAS 050 (GS 050, HIST 050) Heroes, Dictators, and Revolutionaries: Latin America since Independence 4 Credits

Examines the 200-year-long struggle of Latin American peoples to gain political representation, economic equality, and social justice. Explores key historical events in Latin America from the movement for independence in the early nineteenth century to today's modern societies. Topics include the wars of independence, the rule of caudillos, foreign military interventions, export economies, populism, social revolutions, the Cold War era, state terror and military dictatorships, and the war on drugs.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, SS, SW, W

LAS 091 Special Topics 1-4 Credits

A topic, genre, or approach in literature, history, or social sciences not covered in other courses.
Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
Attribute/Distribution: AL, CC, HE, HU, SS, SW, W

LAS 105 (ENGL 105) Intro to Latino/a Literature and Culture 4 Credits

This course provides an overview of the literary history and criticism of Latino/a literature and media. Through a combination of critical and literary theory, we will focus on works Latino/a-centered texts including poetry, prose, film, and television which portray issues of migration/immigration, colonialism, history, race, and gender. We will also examine the role of literature in the development of Latino/a Studies. Authors and scholars featured in the course include José Martí, Pura Belpré, Pedro Pietri, the Young Lords Party,.
Attribute/Distribution: HU

LAS 106 (AAS 106, SOC 106) Race and Ethnicity in the Americas 4 Credits

How is it possible that someone who is officially considered black in the United States can embody different racial identities throughout current Latin America? Even more, how is it possible that people considered white nowadays were not officially so in early twentieth-century US (although they were viewed as white in the Latin American context at the same time period)? This course offers a historical comparative analysis of the nature and dynamics of race between the United States and Latin America.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, SS, SW, W

LAS 110 (JOUR 110) Latinx & Latin American Media 4 Credits

The cultures, languages, and traditions of Spanish-language and Latinx media in the U.S. and globally will be examined. The course presents frameworks for understanding media development and performance, discusses the role of media in democratic societies, and identifies common patterns in Latin American media development, media ownership, media-state relationships, relations with societal groups and citizens, and media content. Students identify and analyze societal and international forces that explain why these patterns appear, persevere and, sometimes, change.
Attribute/Distribution: HE, SS

LAS 117 (ANTH 117, GS 117) Archaeology of Latin America 4 Credits

Explores the past of Latin America and the major civilizations that existed prior to European arrival and colonization. Extending from Mesoamerica through the Southern Andes, topics covered include the monumental structures, belief systems, and trade networks that made sure an entire continent was interconnected for millennia. This course also looks at the ways in which European colonialism has shaped the perception of these civilizations and how modern pseudoarchaeology continues to deny the accomplishments of indigenous cultures.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, SS, SW, W

LAS 149 (HIST 149) Narcos: The Global Drug Wars 4 Credits

Tobacco, sugar, coffee, opium, marijuana, cocaine. From Columbus’s encounter with the New World to the rise and demise of Pablo Escobar and “El Chapo” Guzmán, drugs have been coveted global commodities. Through readings, discussions, and films, this course examines the history of drug production, drug trafficking, and the so-called “war on drugs” in Latin America.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, SS, SW, W

LAS 152 (SPAN 152) Cultural Evolution of Latin America 4 Credits

The historical and cultural evolution of Latin America. Discussion of representative literary works in their cultural and historical contexts. Prerequisite as listed below or consent of instructor.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, HU, W

LAS 155 (AAS 155, SOC 155) Afro-Latino Social Movements in Latin America & the Caribbean 4 Credits

This course focuses on Afro-Latinos who make up nearly 70% of the population of the Americas. Despite the large amount of people of African descent living in the Americas, Afro-Latinos are an understudied population who face significant amounts of racial discrimination in their countries. Who are Afro-Latinos? Where do they live? How are they challenging the racism that they face? These are questions we will tackle in this course.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, SS, SW

LAS 184 (ANTH 184) Indigenous Cultures of Latin America 4 Credits

This examines social change in Latin America from the perspective of indigenous peoples. Main goals are to develop an appreciation for the diversity of cultures found in Latin America, explore anthropological concepts like cultural ecology, ethnicity, acculturation, and religious syncretism, and to apply these concepts to contemporary issues, including cultural survival, human rights, and environmental sustainability.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, SS, SW, W

LAS 191 Special Topics 1-4 Credits

A topic, genre, or approach in literature, history, or social sciences not covered in other courses.
Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
Attribute/Distribution: AL, CC, HE, HU, SS, SW, W

LAS 202 (ENGL 202, GS 202, MLL 202) Latin America In Fact, In Fiction 4 Credits

This class couples a survey of Latin American literature in translation with an interdisciplinary approach to the study of Latin America. Departing initially from readings of literary and cinematographic works, our analyses will engage methodologies from multiple disciplines including history, sociology, and cultural studies. Accordingly, this course will examine critical developments in Latin American aesthetics along with the cultural climates in which they matured. This course assumes no prior study of Spanish, Portuguese, or Latin American culture.
Attribute/Distribution: HE, HU

LAS 211 (SPAN 211) Business Spanish 4 Credits

An introduction to business concepts and vocabulary in Spanish. Specialized professional vocabulary and business culture in Spanish-speaking countries.
Prerequisites: SPAN 141
Attribute/Distribution: HU

LAS 213 (FILM 213, SPAN 213) Introduction to Hispanic Literature and Film 4 Credits

An introduction to the analysis of Latin American and Spanish cultural productions.
Prerequisites: SPAN 141
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HU, W

LAS 227 (ART 227) Latin American Art 4 Credits

Presents an overview of the origins and development of Latin American art since the independence period in the 19th century through the present. Understanding "Latin" American as a cultural construct that extends from Mexico to Tierra del Fuego and includes the Caribbean and Latinx cultures of the United States, the course examines key art movements and discourses across the region through the lens of historical and political events. Includes museum and gallery visits.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, HU, W

LAS 243 (SPAN 243) Indigenous Cultures in Spanish America 4 Credits

A survey of Spanish American narratives that deal with the relationship between indigenous and occidental cultures. While examining works created from the late 19th century up until present day, we analyze the construction of cultural identity in several countries including Bolivia, Ecuador, and Mexico. Analysis will include works of poetry, short story, novel, essay, and film by several influential artists: Clorinda Matto de Turner, Jorge Icaza and José María Arguedas, to name just a few.
Prerequisites: SPAN 141
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HU, W

LAS 263 (SPAN 263) The Spanish American Short Story 4 Credits

Comparative study of representative works by major writers such as Quiroga, Borges, and Cortazar, among others.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HU, W

LAS 265 (FILM 265, SPAN 265) Spanish and Latin American Cinema 4 Credits

An introduction to cinema in the Spanish-speaking world. Oral discussion and written analysis of selected films. Students view films independently.
Prerequisites: SPAN 141
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HU, W

LAS 270 (HMS 270, SPAN 270) Spanish for the Health Professions 4 Credits

For prospective medical personnel communicating with Spanish-speaking patients. Healthcare vocabulary, patient-provider interaction, and cultural background of the Latino patient.
Prerequisites: SPAN 141
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HU

LAS 291 Special Topics 1-4 Credits

A topic, genre, or approach in literature, history, or social sciences not covered in other courses.
Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HU, SS, W

LAS 302 (ENGL 302, GS 302, MLL 302) Travel and Adventure in Latin American Fiction 4 Credits

Centering on a corpus of works presenting tales of travel and adventure, this class offers an overview of Latin American narrative genres (including “fantastic” narrative, magical realism, and postmodern fiction) from the mid 20th century to present day. Through close readings of works by Adolfo Bioy Casares and Roberto Bolaño, among others, and the analysis of filmic representations of travel in Latin America, we will examine differing modes of perceiving the region defined as Latin America.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HU

LAS 320 (SPAN 320) Literature of the Spanish Caribbean 4 Credits

Study of representative works with emphasis on Cuba and Puerto Rico. Writers include Barnet, Carpentier, and Rodriguez Juliá.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HU, W

LAS 325 (SPAN 325) Hispanic Literature of The United States 4 Credits

Discussion of fiction, poetry, drama, and film from the main groups in the U.S. Hispanic population. Discussion of Hispanic ethnic identity, bilingualism, and minority issues.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HU, W

LAS 326 (SPAN 326, WGSS 326) Tradition and Resistance: Women Writers of Latin America 4 Credits

Study of poetry and narrative works by Latin American women writers. Authors include Rosario Ferré, Rosario Castellanos, Elena Poniatowska, Cristina Peri Rossi, among others.
Prerequisites: SPAN 152
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HU, W

LAS 342 The New Narrative Spanish American Literature 4 Credits

Critical evaluation of distinguished works of Spanish American prose fiction of the 1960’s and 70’s. Readings by Donoso, Fuentes, García Márquez, and Vargas Llosa, among others.
Prerequisites: LAS 152 or SPAN 152
Attribute/Distribution: HU

LAS 345 Testimonial Writing in the Hispanic World 4 Credits

This course explores the genre testimonio, which confronts the official history of the Latin American and Spanish dictatorships and portrays the experiences and struggles of those who suffered political repression. The course focuses on the analysis of both literary and visual testimonios from the Hispanic world, as well as on theoretical issues concerning discourses of truth.
Attribute/Distribution: HU

LAS 350 (ENGL 350) Special Topics in Latino Studies 3-4 Credits

Selected works by Latinx Diaspora writers, poets, and artists. Course engages with an ethnic studies framework and approach to texts in terms of U.S. canon formation with attention to race, class, gender, language, and nationality. No prerequisite.
Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HU, W

LAS 369 (HIST 369) Columbus on Trial: A Critical Reading of the Spanish Conquest 4 Credits

In this seminar students master the history of the Conquest era (roughly, 1490s-1570s) in Spanish America and learn about the origins of colonialism. The course offers an opportunity to read critically some traditional European-centered narratives of the Conquest. It also incorporates the views and voices of Indigenous peoples and Africans. After reading classic primary and secondary sources, students judge for themselves the complex and rather tragic legacy of the encounter between Europeans and the Indigenous peoples of the Americas.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, HU, W

LAS 387 (SPAN 387) Melodrama in Contemporary Spanish American Narrative 4 Credits

From the earliest works of Latin American narrative onward, melodrama has served as a fundamental tool for the structuring of dramatic conflict. Ranging from the programmatic social novel to the most parodic contemporary works, we will carefully examine the aims of melodramatic narration in works by Roberto Arlt and Mario Vargas Llosa, among others, as well as in various films and telenovelas.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HU, W

LAS 391 Melodrama in Contemporary Spanish American Narrative 4 Credits

From the earliest works of Latin American narrative onward, melodrama has served as a fundamental tool for the structuring of dramatic conflict. Ranging from the programmatic social novel to the most parodic contemporary works, we will carefully examine the aims of melodramatic narration in works by Roberto Arlt and Mario Vargas Llosa, among others, as well as in various films and telenovelas.
Attribute/Distribution: HU

LAS 392 (SPAN 392) The City and the Country in Spanish American Narrative 4 Credits

Across the history of the region defined as Latin America, urbanization, on the one hand, and the isolation of national interiors, on the other, have contributed to a problematic relationship between the city and the country. In examining works by the likes of Roberto Arlt, José Donoso, and Mario Bellatin, among others, this course examines the dialogue between the ostensibly separate environs of city and country, and questions they ways in which they influence one another.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HU, W

LAS 393 (SPAN 393) The Boom and Beyond 4 Credits

This class will examine works from the so-called Boom of Spanish American literature in the 1960s alongside texts produced following this crucial moment of artistic and social change throughout Latin America. Moving from the Boom toward the postmodern, we will consider works by Gabriel García Márquez, Manuel Puig, and Mario Levrero, among others.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HU, W

LAS 394 Special Topics 1-4 Credits

A topic, genre, or approach in literature, history, or social sciences not covered in other courses. Consent of Program Director required.
Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HU, SS, W