01:940:334 Literature  & Culture of Spanish America
Pre-requisite: Spanish 215 or departmental permission


Synopsis:
This course provides an introduction to the principal trends in Latin American literature from late nineteenth to the early twenty-first centuries. We’ll read a selection of texts representative of the most significant literary movements –modernismo, the avant-garde, the Boom, testimonio, and post-Boom – of the past one hundred and fifty years and situate them in their corresponding historical and cultural contexts. In the second half of the semester, we’ll pay particular attention to how art, film, and literature have responded to particular moments of historical violence, including the effects of colonization, dictatorship, and the destruction of the environment. Students in this course will have the opportunity to refine their knowledge and practice of various methods of literary and cultural analysis, both in writing and speaking. Please contact Professor Karen Bishop at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with any questions about the course.


Learning Goals:

  • to become familiar with key works and authors of modern Latin American literature;
  • to learn about key socio-cultural movements and historical events in contemporary Latin America;
  • to become skilled at performing close readings of literary texts in support of larger claims as to the function
    and significance of literature;
  • to be able to situate individual works of Latin American literature within larger literary traditions and specific
    historical, political and cultural contexts.

    For further information about learning goals, please visit http://span-port.rutgers.edu/learning-goals


Required Texts:

  • Garganigo, John F., et al. Huellas de las literaturas hispanoamericanas, 2nd ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2002.
  • García Márquez, Gabriel, Crónica de una muerte anunciada. New York: Vintage Español, 2003.


Method of Evaluation*:
Participation: 15%
Close reading: 10%
Midterm: 15%
Presentation: 15%
Final paper: 30%
Final exam: 15%
*Grade breakdown is subject to change