Courses taught in English: Latin American Literature

LATIN AMERICAN STUDIES
LITERATURE AREA
LATIN AMERICAN LITERATURE
Professor: Iñaki Salinas

Hours & Credits
Hours of Instruction: 46
Semester Credit Units: 3
Quarter Credit Units: 4

Prerequisites and Language Level
Taught in English
There is no language prerequisite for courses at this language level.

Overview
LATIN AMERICAN LITERATURE

Overview
I. COURSE DESCRIPTION
Survey course on Contemporary Latin American Literature. The course will consider:

• Selected narrative and poetry texts.
• Reading and analysis of determined poems and shorts stories.
• Reference to the biographical and cultural background will be given to help the student understand the genesis of the works done by the authors.

II. GENERAL OBJECTIVES

• To develop the ability to analyse contemporary fiction from a critical perspective.
• To inquire about the objectives of literary work: themes and aesthetic values.
• To develop a better appreciation of a short story or a poem knowing the cultural background of the author.
• To distinguish the remaining clichés and myths around the Contemporary Latin American Literature.

III. UNITS

• The Hopelessness and Latin American Literature.
• Latinamerican Boom: Myth & Reality.
• Chile: the Land of Poets.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Narrative:

• Alvaro Mutis: The Hopelessness.
• Gabriel García Márquez: The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World.
• Balthazar’s Marvelous Afternoon.
• Julio Cortázar: House Taken Over.
• Letter to a Young Girl in Paris.
• Mario Vargas Llosa: Sunday.
• Alejo Carpentier: Journey Back to the Source

Poetry:
Selected poems by

• Vicente Huidobro.
• Gabriela Mistral.
• Pablo Neruda.
• Jorge Teiller.
• Diego Maquieira

EVALUATION
1st Oral Presentation - 25%
2nd Oral Presentation - 25%
3rd Oral Presentation - 25%
Essays - 25%

Courses taught in English: Latin America on Film

LATIN AMERICAN STUDIES
LITERATURE AREA
LATIN AMERICA ON FILM
Professor: Dr. Ximena Casanueva

Hours & Credits

Hours of Instruction: 46
Semester Credit Units: 3
Quarter Credit Units: 4

Prerequisites and Language Level
Taught in English
There is no language prerequisite for courses at this language level.

Overview

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Latin Americans search for their identity through their art. It helps to integrate a vision of themselves and their world. This course teaches a historical, cultural as well as a cinematic approach to Latin America. This is achieved through an analysis of its literature and cinema . The former element is important because a great part of the films develop from novels and novellas. The selected short stories and films express characteristics common to all the subcontinent, with reference to cultural heritage, landscape, political environment, and artistic development.

Through cinema, intercultural themes will be studied, considering that each Latin American country has developed a culture of its own. The approach will be multicultural including films made by artists from Argentina, Chile, Peru, Colombia, Cuba, Mexico and the United States in both English and/or Spanish.

The Spanish versions will be subtitled. An analysis of the contrasting views will be performed. In this way we can infer how we see ourselves and how we are viewed by the American culture.

TEACHING METHOD:
Lectures, viewing, analysis and debates on the selected films in respect to certain historical, political and artistic themes.

LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION: English

EVALUATION: 2 essay tests = 30% each.
Term paper = 30% Class participation = 10%

CLASS ATTENDANCE: 80%