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Course Offerings for Spring 2008
Core Courses ARTH 160 Survey of Latin American Art CRN 18334 Professor Susan Aberth Schedule Tu Th 4:00-5:20 Olin 102 Distribution Analysis of Art/Rethinking Difference Cross-listed: LAIS Core Course A broad overview of art and cultural production in Latin America, including South and Central America, Mexico, and the hispanophone Caribbean. A survey of major pre-Columbian monuments is followed by an examination of the contact between Europe and the Americas during the colonial period, 19th-century Eurocentrism, and the reaffirmation of national identity in the modern era. On-line registration Back to top SPAN 302 Introduction to Latin American Literature Professor TBA Schedule M W 3:00-4:20 Olin 301 Distribution Foreign Language, Literature & Culture LAIS Core Course This course serves as an introduction to the interpretation of literary texts from Latin America. It covers a broad range historically—from pre-Conquest times to the present—and presents all literary genres, including poetry, short stories, novels, essays, and plays. This course is intended to prepare students for more advanced and specialized courses in Hispanic literature. A great deal of attention is paid to the development of critical skills, both verbally and in writing. Frequent essays with revisions; class discussions and presentations. Please note: Spanish 301 or 302 are Prerequisites for all 300-level literature seminars in Spanish. Prospective students must speak with instructor prior to registration. On-line registration Back to top Elective Courses LAIS 110: Latin America: From Discovery to Modern Nation States Creation CRN 18462 Professor: Pierre Ostiguy Schedule: TuTh 4:00-5:20 Olin 309 Distribution: History/Rethinking Difference Cross-listed: History This course is an introduction to the history, politics, and societies of “Latin” America, from the time this hemisphere was “discovered” and first conquered by Christian Iberian men, to the long colonial era in the Indias, to the continental independence movements that carved out distinct nations in the early 19th century, to the rise of caudillos and the insertion of Latin America in the capitalist world economy and the creation of modern states. The course will start with the three main pre-Colombian civilizations; cover the conquest of what is now Mexico and Andean South America by daring and death-provoking Conquistadores in the 16th century, as well as the creation of Brazil; and deal with the stable (17th and 18th century) class and racial, as well as religious and administrative system of colonial Spanish America and Brazil, as well as the introduction of African slaves in the plantation economies. We then turn to Creole restiveness and the importation of Enlightenment ideas, the creation of the concept of “America” and the violent drive for independence in the early 19th century in racially hierarchical and unequal societies (with the leading role of Bolivar and San Martin), resulting in the creation of a myriad of countries in Spanish America, in contrast to monarchic continuity in Brazil. As many of Latin American specificities stem from the 19th century, we examine the lofty independence ideals, the later social and cultural emergence of macho caudillos, and conclude with the liberal era of constitutional rule, Latin America’s capitalist transformation as exporter of raw materials, and the novel yet fragile notions of elitist citizenship, individualism, and secularism under Liberal rule. On-line registration Back to top SPAN 339 Staging Marriage in the Spanish Drama CRN 18270 Professor Gabriela Carrion Schedule M W 3:00- 4:20 pm Olin 307 Distribution Foreign Language, Literature, and Culture Cross-listed: Gender and Sexuality Studies Stanley Cavell describes marriage as “a certain willingness for bickering” that strikes him as “a little parable of philosophy or of philosophical criticism.” How do Spanish playwrights reenact this “parable of philosophy” in their works? In what ways does the Spanish drama confirm or subvert the social conventions governing the institution of marriage? Why does wooing and wedding tend to be funny while being married inevitably lead to tragedy? Cuckolds, permanent bachelors (galán suelto), don Juans, educated women (culta latiniparla), wife murderers and defiant wives are some of the stock characters who are defined by their relationship to the conjugal bond. This course will examine these characters and the questions raised by the insitution of marriage in the works of Lope de Rueda, Lope de Vega, Tirso, Cervantes, Calderón and Sor Juana, among others. Conducted in Spanish. On-line registration Back to top SPAN 260 Writing Wrongs: The Literature of the Spanish Civil War CRN 1808 Professor Gabriela Carrion Schedule M W 10:30 – 11:50 am OLIN L.C. 120 Distribution Foreign Language, Literature, and Culture Cross-listed: Human Rights Perhaps no other event in Spain’s history has provoked more commentary than its Civil War (1936-1939). A conflict that took on international proportions, Spain’s Civil War was preceded by a number of promising social experiments and followed by an extended period of repression under Franco. Out of this period of social turmoil arose a number of artistic works ranging from Pablo Picasso’s Guernica to Robert Capa’s photographs documenting the war. This course focuses on the ways in which literary texts represent the events surrounding the Spanish Civil War. How do writers make sense of the senseless acts of violence that divided Spain into various ideological factions? What are some of the ethical concerns one encounters when representing war and its victims? And what are some of the issues involved in more recent attempts to remember victims of the war, regardless of their ideological affiliation? While we will focus on literary works in Spanish, we will also take into other artistic mediums such as painting and film, as well as accounts of the war from non-Spanish writers. Authors include: Camilo José Cela, Ramón J. Sender, Mercé Rodoreda, Pablo Neruda, and Javier Cercas. Conducted in Spanish. On-line registration Back to top PS 253 Introduction to Latin American Politics CRN 18461 Professor Pierre Ostiguy Schedule Mon Wed 3:00-4:20 Olin 202 Distribution Social Science/Rethinking Difference This course is a conceptual and historical introduction to the politics of Latin America. We will focus on the actors, regimes, and processes that have characterized and structured the agitated political life of Latin America. The course is divided into two complementary parts. The first focuses on the widely different political regimes that have marked the 20th century history of the continent, and on the reasons for the transition from one type of regime to another. It thus provides a broad picture of the contrasting political eras and regimes that have characterized Latin American societies. Students will become familiar with the realities of: “oligarchical liberalism”, “personalistic dictatorships”, “populism”, revolutionary socialism (pursued through guerrilla warfare), “bureaucratic-authoritarianism”, and liberal democracy. Since the return to electoral democracy in the 1980s, the region has undergone major sociopolitical shifts, first to the neoliberal right in the 1990s and then, this decade, to the left (in marked contrast to the US). We will pay attention to issues of inequality, class, race (or color), and representation, with the unifying theme of “the incorporation of the popular sectors”. The second part of the course examines the political history of some of the countries most representative of Latin America, from the most developed countries to the poorest and most subjugated ones. We will cover Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Chile or Colombia, Nicaragua or Cuba, and Venezuela (here, especially under Chavez). This section provides an overview of the broad political history of such countries during the 20th century, while highlighting some of the key political events that have contributed to making each of those countries well known politically.On-line registration Back to top SPAN 202 Intermediate Spanish II CRN 18086 Professor TBA Schedule MTWTh 9:20-10:20 Distribution Foreign Language, Literature & Culture This course continues refining and perfecting the student’s mastery of speaking, reading, comprehending, and writing Spanish. Advanced study of grammar is supplemented by a video series and authentic readings on a wide variety of topics related to Spanish and Latin American history, literature, music, and art. Current topics in culture such as the Latin American military dictatorships or issues surrounding the Hispanic presence in the United States will be discussed. In addition to shorter readings, such as excerpts from Don Quixote and indigenous Mexican poetry, students may read a short modern novel. Prerequisite: Spanish 201 or permission of instructor. Prospective students must speak with instructor prior to registration. On-line registration Back to top ARTH/SPAN 239 Surrealism in Latin American Literature and Art CRN 18083 Professors Melanie Nicholson, Susan Aberth Schedule M W 1:30-2:50 Olin 202 Distribution Analysis of Art/Rethinking Difference André Breton, founder and leader of the Surrealist Movement, first visited Mexico in 1938 and the Caribbean in 1941. Politically supportive of Latin America’s struggle against European imperialism, Breton was deeply interested in both its art and culture, and had a large personal collection of ethnographic artifacts. Surrealist journals and artists extolled “primitive” mythologies and were captivated by such “exotic” artists as Frida Kahlo and Wifredo Lam. This course plans to explore two areas: the rich and varied field of surrealism in both literature and the arts of Latin America and, to question the Surrealist fascination with non-Western culture. As numerous critics have noted, surrealism came alive in Latin America at the moment when it was waning in Europe, and continued to develop throughout the twentieth century. By looking through the double lens of art and literature, we will tease out answers to such questions as: What geographical, political, and/or social factors contributed to the widespread growth of Surrealism in Latin America? In what ways did cross-fertilization take place among the countries of Latin America, and between these countries and Europe? Did Latin American artists always feel comfortable being labeled “Surrealist” or was it viewed as another form of colonization? In what ways did the European Surrealists project their fantasies regarding the psychic power of the “primitive” onto Latin American creative production? Finally, we will examine the ways in which Surrealism and its influences survive in contemporary cultural production. Maximum enrollment: 25. On-line registration Back to top Course Offerings for Fall 2007
Core Courses SPAN 301 Interpretation of Hispanic Texts Gabriela Carrion (LAIS Core Course) CRN 97105 Schedule: Tu Th 1:00-2:20 OLINLC 206 Distribution: Foreign Language, Literature & Culture. This course provides an introduction to Spanish literature through a variety of genres including poetry, short stories, novels, dramas, and essays. We will begin in the 11th century when the first literary texts in Spanish were written, and continue through the twentieth century. Special attention will focus on the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, an especially rich period of literary production in Spain. Discussions will take into account the historican and cultural conexts in which these texts were produced in order to provide students with a greater understanding of Spanish culture. We will also explore other artistic contributions to this culture from the fields of music, painting, and sculpture. Students will read texts in the original with special attention given to close readings. Conducted in Spanish. Open for online early registration. Back to top SPAN 202 Intermediate Spanish II Nicole Caso (LAIS Core Course) CRN 97104 Schedule M T W Th 10:30-11:30 am OLINLC206 This course continues refining and perfecting the student’s mastery of speaking, reading, comprehending, and writing Spanish. Advanced study of grammar is supplemented by a video series and authentic readings on a wide variety of topics related to Spanish and Latin American history, literature, music, and art. Current topics in culture such as the Latin American military dictatorships or issues surrounding the Hispanic presence in the United States will be discussed. In addition to shorter readings, such as excerpts from Don Quixote and indigenous Mexican poetry, students may read a short modern novel. Prerequisite: Spanish 201 or permission of instructor. Prospective students must speak with instructor prior to registration. On-line registration Back to top Elective Courses ANTH 201A Gender and Social Inequalities in Latin America Diana Brown CRN 97105 Schedule: M W 1:30-2:50 OLIN 201 Distribution: Foreign Language, Literature & Culture. Recent achievements in democratization notwithstanding, contemporary Latin American societies continue to display dramatic inequalities. This class will explore inequalities of gender, and their interface with hierarchies of social class, ethnicity and race through examination of ethnographic texts. We will examine historical sources of these inequalities in colonial structures and their expression in contemporary cultural practices, giving attention both to social groups that seek to impose and maintain inequalities, and those who challenge them. After critically evaluating Latin American gender stereotypes, we will consider how gender is practiced and gender identities formed in particular local and global contexts. We will investigate urban elites and middle classes, and a variety of subaltern populations ranging from market women, to male factory workers, to groups struggling for indigenous rights, to transgendered prostitutes. Ritual contexts to be explored will include beauty contests, Carnival, and soccer, and Catholic, Protestant evangelical and Afro-Brazilian religious practices. Texts will be drawn from Latin American societies including Brazil, Peru, Mexico, and Guatemala, and will be chosen to represent a variety of theoretical approaches within anthropology. Back to top ArtH 375 Mexican Muralism Susan Aberth CRN 97352 Schedule: Mon 9:30-11:50 Fisher Annex Distribution: Analysis of Arts. Cross-listed: LAIS This course examines the muralism movement’s philosophical origins in the decades following the Mexican Revolution, the murals of Orozco, Rivera, and Siqueiros, the Tres Grandes (“The Three Great Ones”); and the work of lesser-known Mexican muralists. Also considered is the muralism movement’s wide-ranging impact on murals executed under the WPA in the United States throughout the 1930s, in Nicaragua during the 1970s, and in urban Chicano communities. Prerequisite: Art History 101-102, or 160 or permission of the instructor. Open for online early registration Back to top ArtH 269 Revolution, Social Change, and Art in Latin America Susan Aberth CRN 97166 Schedule: Mon Wed 3:00-4:20 Preston 110 Distribution: Analysis of Arts. Cross-listed: Human Rights, LAIS, SRE This course examines the role that Christian iconography played in the conquests of the 16th century and the radical new meanings that same iconography took as time went on; it also reviews the visual strategies employed in the presentation of the “heroes” of independence movements (Simón Bolivar, Miguel Hidalgo) and how art contributed to the formation of national identities. It considers the 20th century Mexican mural movement and how the artists involved promoted and reaffirmed the nation’s new leftist political policies in public spaces. Other topics include printmaking as a political tool; the use of Che Guevara’s image as a catalyst for social change; murals in Nicaragua; art in Chicano activists in the United States; and the role of folk art traditions. The course concludes with a look at the use of performance, installation, and video as a means to promoting dialogue on such complex issues as the border, racism, feminism, and AIDS. Open for online early registration Back to top ECON 221 Economics of Developing Countries Sanjaya DeSilva CRN 97119 Schedule: Wed Fr 10:30-11:50 am OLIN 204 Distribution: Social Science. Cross-listed: Africana Studies; Asian Studies; Environmental Studies; GISP; Human Rights; LAIS, Social Policy. This course explores the economic conditions and problems faced by the majority of the world’s population that live in the developing countries of Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. The concept of economic development is defined and related to ideas such as economic growth, sustainable development and human development. Economic theories of development are introduced, and policies designed to promote development at the local, national and international levels are evaluated. Considerable attention is paid to understanding how household decisions in rural agricultural societies are shaped by the institutional and policy environments. Topics include the economic consequences of colonialism and economic dependence; poverty and income distribution; investments in physical and human capital; economic aspects of household choices such as schooling, and fertility; rural-urban transformation; the effects of trade, industrial and agricultural policies; the role of foreign capital flows; political economy aspects of development policy; population growth and the environment; gender and development. Students will be expected to carry out a case study of the development experiences of a country of their choice. Prerequisites: One Economics course, or permission of the instructor. Open for online early registration Back to top PS 214 U.S./Latin American Relations Omar Encarnacion CRN 97491 Schedule: M W 12:00-1:20 Olin 201 Cross-listed: American Studies; GISP; LAIS Related interest: Human Rights A comprehensive examination of the relationships between the United States and the nations of Latin America, how this process was affected by historical and ideological events, and what possibilities exist for its future. The course is divided into three sections: first, historical overview of the events that shaped U.S.-Latin American relations, emphasizing U.S. military interventions in Latin America, U.S. attempts to establish political and economic hegemony, and U.S. efforts to export democratic government; second, an examination of the principal issues that currently dominate the relations between the U.S. and its southern neighbors: economic integration, trade, drugs, and immigration; third, a close look at the relationships between the United States and three countries of special interest to it and its domestic politics: Cuba, Mexico and Puerto Rico. On-line registration Back to top SPAN 106 Basic Intensive Spanish Melanie Nicholson CRN 97101 Schedule M T W Th 9:20-10:20 OLINLC 210 M T W Th 10:45-11:45 OLINLC 210 Distribution:Foreign Language, Literature & Culture 8 credits. This course is designed to enable students with little or no previous knowledge of Spanish to complete three semesters of college Spanish in five months (eight credits at Bard and four credits in Mexico in January). Students will attend eight hours of class per week plus two hours with the Spanish tutor. Oral communication, reading and writing skills will be developed through a variety of approaches. Prospective students must interview with the instructor prior to registration. On-line registration Back to top SPAN 110 Accelerated Spanish Jose Fernandez Castillo CRN 97102 Schedule M T W Th 9:20-10:20 am OLINLC 115 Distribution: Foreign Language, Literature and Culture A course designed for the student who has had some prior exposure to Spanish or who has excellent command of another Romance language. All the major topics in grammar will be covered, and the course will provide intensive practice in the four skills (speaking, comprehension, reading and writing). We will be using a new textbook specially designed to provide a streamlined review of basic topics in grammar and provide more detail and exercises for advanced topics. The textbook will be supplemented with authentic video material from Spain and 'Latin America. One additional hour per week of practice with the Spanish tutor and a substantial amount of work in the language resource center will also be required. The course will prepare the student for summer language programs abroad or Spanish 201 the following semester. On-line registration Back to top SPAN 201 Intermediate Spanish I Gabriela Carrion CRN 97103 Schedule: M T W Th 10:30-11:30 am OLINLC 208 Distribution: Foreign Language, Literature & Culture For students who have completed Spanish 101-102. This course is designed to perfect the student's command of all four language skills (speaking, aural comprehension, reading, and writing). This will be achieved through an intensive grammar review, conversational practice, reading of modern Spanish texts, writing simple compositions, and language lab work. On-line registration Back to top SPAN 240 Testimonies of Latin America: Perspectives from the Margins Nicole Caso CRN 97034 Schedule: Tu Th 2:30-3:50 OLIN 203 Distribution: Foreign Language, Literature & Culture /Rethinking Difference Cross-listed: Human Rights; LAIS This course provides the opportunity for students to engage critically with texts that serve as a public forum for voices often silenced in the past. Students will also learn about the broader context of the hemisphere's history through the particular experiences of women from Bolivia, Guatemala, Argentina, Mexico, and the U.S.-Latino community, including Rigoberta Menchú, Domitila Barrios de Chungara, and Cherríe Moraga. We will read testimonial accounts documenting the priorities and concerns of women who have been marginalized for reasons of poverty, ethnic difference, political ideologies, or sexual preference. The semester will be devoted to analyzing the form in which their memories are represented textually, and to the discussion of the historical circumstances that have led to their marginalization. Some of the central questions that will organize our discussions are: how to represent memories of violence and pain? What are the ultimate effects of mediations of the written word, translations to hegemonic languages, and the interventions of well-intentioned intellectuals? How best to use writing as a mechanism to trace a space for dignity and "difference"? We will integrate films that portray the issues and time-periods documented in the diaries and testimonial narratives to be read - including "Men With Guns", "El Norte," "Historia oficial," and "Rojo amanecer." Conducted in English. On-line registration Back to top SPAN 340 Cervantes' Don Quixote Gabriela Carrion CRN 97033 Schedule: M W 1:30-1:50 pm OLIN 303 Distribution:Foreign Language, Literature & Culture Cross-listed: Human Rights, LAIS This course examines the role of difference in Miguel de Cervantes’ masterpiece, El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha. In this “first modern novel” conflict erupts when an old man, moved by his readings of chivalric literature, pronounces himself a knight in shining armor to rescue those in need. Believing in evil enchanters, Don Quijote and his rotund alter ego, Sancho Panza, set out to rectify the wrongs of the world. However, Don Quijote takes up this mission when knighthood has long ceased to be a social reality in sixteenth-century Spain. Difference and conformity thus become critical issues at every turn of this novel. What are the ideological forces that compel conformity in Don Quijote? How are language and violence posited as instruments of change? How does literature change its readers and, alternatively, how do readers change literature? Apart from Don Quijote readings will include Lazarillo de Tormes, Amadis of Gaul, and El abencerraje, among others. Conducted in English. On-line registration Back to top SPAN 357 Writing Toward Hope: The Literature of Human Rights in Latin America Nicole Caso CRN 97107 Schedule: M W 1:30-2:50 pm OLINLC 206 Cross-listed: Human Rights; LAIS Based on Marjorie Agosín’s recent compilation with this same title, this seminar considers the regenerative power of language after the experience of traumatic historical and political events in Latin America. We will read well-known and less familiar voices that attest to a variety of instances of crises: bearing witness, confronting silenced memories, exile, giving voice to fear, women’s roles in Latin America, and various expressions of hope. Among the authors we will read are: Jacobo Timerman, Reinaldo Arenas, Griselda Gambaro, Víctor Montejo, Luisa Velenzuela, Homero Aridjis, and Claribel Alegría. Agosín’s anthology includes fiction, essays, plays and poems that “capture the creativity and expression born out of the various social and political struggles that took place in Latin America during the last century.” Conducted in Spanish. Please note: Spanish 301 or 302 are prerequisites for all 300-level literature seminars in Spanish. Prospective students must speak with instructor prior to registration. On-line registration Back to top Course Offerings for Spring 2006
Core Courses ARTH229 Topics in Contemporary Latin American Art Susan Aberth M - W 3:00-4:20 This course will present a comprehensive overview of the artistic practices and intellectual discourses relevant to contemporary art production in Latin America. Painting, sculpture, photography, video, glass, ceramics, textiles, performance and installation art will all be examined, along with the theoretical issues that inform them. Some of the many topics to be discussed include post-colonial theory, the history of abstraction in Latin America, national identities, the legacy of Muralism, religious syncretism, ecologies, and Border issues. Although this course is open to all students, taking Survey of Latin American Art prior to this is highly suggested. Back to top SPAN 302 Introduction to Latin American Literature Melanie Nicholson M-W 1:00 – 2:20 Old: B New: Foreign Language, Literature, and Culture This course serves as an introduction to the interpretation of literary texts from Latin America. It covers a broad range historically—from pre-Conquest times to the present—and presents all literary genres, including poetry, short stories, novels, essays, and plays. This course is intended to prepare students for more advanced and specialized courses in Hispanic literature. A great deal of attention is paid to the development of critical skills, both verbally and in writing. Frequent essays with revisions; class discussions and presentations. Please note: Spanish 301 or 302 are prerequisites for all 300-level literature seminars in Spanish. Prospective students must speak with instructor prior to registration. Back to top PS 259 From Anarchy to Democracy: The Politics of Spain Omar Encarnación M-W 12:00 – 1:20 During the 20th century, Spain went from a paradigm of anarchist politics and civil war during the inter-war years to an emblematic example of fascist leaning right-wing authoritarianism during the cold war to a stunning case of democratic transition and consolidation by the late 1970s. This course explains the factors behind this series of dramatic and often traumatic political transformations. The hope is to learn about the nature of Spanish politics but also about the domestic and international sources of political development in general and the rise of democracy in particular. Along the way, the course will touch on the wide range of themes that animate the study of Spanish politics. Key among them: the failure of liberalism and democracy during the inter-war years, industrialization and mass culture under the Franco regime, the reconstruction of the memory of the Spanish Civil War, the rise of separatist politics and terrorism in the Basque country, the recent wave of immigrants to major Spanish cities and Spain's rising profile in international affairs. Back to top Elective Courses PS 214 U.S.-Latin American Relations Omar Encarnación M-W 3:00 – 4:20 Old: C New: Social Science / Rethinking Difference Cross-listed: Human Rights A comprehensive overview of the relationships between the United States and the nations of Latin America, how this process was affected by historical and ideological events, and what possibilities exist for its future. The course is divided into three sections: first, historical overview of the events that shaped US-Latin American relations, emphasizing US military interventions in Latin America, US attempts to establish political and economic hegemony, and US efforts to export democratic government; second, an examination of the principal issues that currently dominate the relations between the US and its southern neighbors: economic integration, trade, drugs, and immigration; third, a close look at the relationships between the United States and three countries of special interest to it and its domestic politics: Cuba, Mexico and Puerto Rico. Back to top ARTH 375 Mexican Muralism Susan Aberth Tuesday 1:30-3:50 In the decades following the Mexican Revolution muralists, largely sponsored by the new leftist government, strove to convey utopian notions of nationhood in order to generate an awareness of patriotic values among the masses. Popular themes included scenes of Revolutionary combat, the Spanish conquest, the social customs and festivals of Mexico's indigenous population, and glorified conceptions of the country's pre-Hispanic past. This course will examine the movement's philosophical origins, the murals of Orozco, Rivera and Siqueiros, and the work of lesser known Mexican muralists. Also studied will be the movement's wide ranging impact on murals executed under the WPA in the United States throughout the 1930s, in Nicaragua during the 1970s, in urban Chicano communities, and in recent contemporary art. Students will be required to write an extensive research paper and give an oral presentation with slides. Survey of Latin American Art is highly suggested, but not required. Special permission of the instructor. Back to top ARTH 323 “Crossroads of Civilization”: The Art of Medieval Spain Jean French Monday 4:30 – 6:50 Crosslisted: Medieval Studies The course traces over 1,300 years of the art and architecture of the Iberian peninsula. it begins with a brief look at the Celtiberian culture and the colonial activities of the Phoenicians, Greeks, and Romans. The focus, however, is on four primary areas: Visigothic art; Al-Andalus, the Islamic art of Spain; Asturian and Mozarabic art; and Romanesque art of the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela. Students investigate the complex patterns of exchange, appropriation, assimilation, and tension among the Islamic, Judaic, and Christian traditions, and attempt to assess the effects of this cross-fertilization of cultures on the visual arts. Open to students outside of art history. Back to top SPAN 346: America and Europe from Hispanic Perspectives: Ronald Briggs T – Th 1:00 – 2:20 Old: D New: Foreign Language, Literature & Culture / Rethinking Difference In this course we will read a variety of Latin American and Peninsular travel writers, beginning with French and North American revolutionary hero Francisco de Miranda and continuing through El País columnist Maruja Torres’s sentimental journey through Latin America. The course will pay special attention to the transatlantic dialogue between Europe and America— Spanish visions of the New World, North and South, and Latin American visions of North America and Europe—as well as to the raging political and aesthetic debates behind the writing—civilization versus barbarism, and the various political uses of the exotic. Texts will range from travel diaries to fully-conceived travel books to Juan Ramón Jiménez’s technically innovative poetic notebook of his visit to the United States. Readings, class discussions and assignments will be in Spanish. Prerequisite: Spanish 301 or 302. Prospective students must speak with instructor prior to registration. Back to top SPAN 334: The Sweet Waist of the Americas: An Introduction to Central American Literature Nicole Caso T 9:30 – 11:50 Old: D New: Foreign Language, Literature & Culture / Rethinking Difference Referred to as “the little thumb” of the hemisphere, “the sweet waist of America,” or as “the dubious strait,” the Central American isthmus and its literature will be the central focus of this course. We will read a selection of twentieth-century authors from the region in order to familiarize students with texts that are often marginalized from the Latin American canon. We will explore particular aesthetic and ideological concerns and situate our readings within the violent political and historical context that often becomes, in itself, a recurring theme in Central American fiction. Among the authors we will read are Miguel Angel Asturias, Gioconda Belli, Roque Dalton, Tatiana Lobo, and Sergio Ramírez. Conducted in Spanish. Prerequisite: Spanish 301 or 302. Prospective students must speak with instructor prior to registration. Back to top Course Offerings for Fall 2005
Core Courses PS 153 Latin American Politics & Society Omar Encarnación This course examines political life in Latin America in the postcolonial period. The course covers the entire region but emphasizes the most representative countries: Argentina, Dominican Republic, Brazil, Chile, Cuba, and Mexico. The overarching purpose of the course is to understand change and continuity in this region. We will endeavor to accomplish this by emphasizing both the historical development of institutions and political actors in Latin America (e.g. the state, capital, labor, the church, the military) as well as the variety of theoretical frameworks that scholars have constructed to understand the dynamics of political development throughout the region (e.g. modernization, dependencia, and political culture). Among the major themes covered in the course are the legacies of European colonialism, state building, revolution, corporatism and populism, military rule, and redemocratization. Open to all students. Back to top ARTH 160 Survey of Latin American Art Susan Aberth A broad overview of art and cultural production in Latin America, including South and Central America, Mexico, and the hispanophone Caribbean. A survey of major pre-Columbian monuments is followed by an examination of the contact between Europe and the Americas during the colonial period, 19th-century Eurocentrism, and the reaffirmation of national identity in the modern era. Back to top SPAN 301 Interpretation of Hispanic Texts Ronald Briggs This course will explore Spanish literature through a variety of lenses that will range from the essays of Benito Jerónimo Feijoo to the 19th century realist narrative of Leopoldo Alas Clarín and Benito Pérez Galdós, to the twentieth century chronicles, in verse and prose, of the series of political and social spasms that culminate in the Spanish Civil War. The course will begin at the end of the 18th century, when Spain's intellectuals are preaching gradual reforms (a recipe that will soon be destroyed by Napoleon's invasion and the popular resistance it spawns) and continue through the Spanish Civil War and its aftermath. Special attention will be paid to the "generations" of 1898 and 1927 and the links between poetic and novelistic expression and the philosophical debates raging behind the scenes. The basic question of self-identity—what does it mean to be Spanish? (vis à vis Europe, the Americas, and the rest of Western Culture)—will serve as a point of departure. Texts will be read in the original Spanish with a particular emphasis on developing close textual readings. Class discussion and written assignments will also be in Spanish. Back to top Elective Courses PS 258 Strategies of Political and Social Change Pierre Ostiguy How can we change the political condition of our society? A century ago, Lenin concisely asked "What is to be Done?". Can we achieve political change through force of will and political strategies, as "Che" Guevara or Sorel on the left, Hitler on the right, and most of the democratic transition literature in the "center" argue? Or is long-lasting political change a product of slower, more "passive" transformations of the social fabric, such as industrialization, increased literacy and education, or the rise of so-called "post-materialist values"? Somewhere between will and structure, sociologists have highlighted the importance of historical repertoires of collective action for achieving radical transformation, while Gramscians have stressed the need to think about hegemony, the "role of the party" and cultural traditions. This course pays special attention to the armed struggle and guerrilla strategy used historically in Latin America in the case of the Cuban revolution and, later, the Sandinista revolution in Nicaragua. Such violent strategies are then compared to non-violent strategies, from Gandhi to contemporary civil disobedience. Back to top PS 345 The Politics of Economic Development Nara Dillon This seminar explores the intersection between politics and economics, centering on the vital problem of economic development. We will explore some of the fundamental questions of political economy: What is development? Are some political systems "better" at economic development than others? Is there a trade-off between political freedom and economic growth? How does economic development affect politics? The first third of the course provides a broad overview of the dominant theoretical approaches to political economy. After this orientation, the rest of the course will be devoted to examining contemporary issues and problems of development. Topics covered include inequality, labor, democratic transitions, post-communist transitions, structural adjustment, globalization, and the reversal of development. Empirical cases will be drawn from almost every region in the world, especially Europe, East Asia and Latin America. Back to top SPAN 202 Intermediate Spanish II: Introduction to Hispanic Culture Ronald Briggs This course continues refining and perfecting the student's mastery of speaking, reading, comprehending and writing Spanish. Advanced study of grammar is supplemented by a video series and authentic readings on a wide variety of topics related to Spanish and Latin American history, literature, music, and art. Current topics in culture such as the Latin American military dictatorships or the issues surrounding the Hispanic presence in the United States will be discussed. In addition to shorter readings, such as excerpts from Don Quixote and indigenous Mexican poetry, students will read one or more full-length modern novels. Prerequisites: Spanish 201 or consent of instructor. Back to top SPAN 106 Basic Intensive Spanish Nicole Caso 8 credits. This course is designed to enable students with little or no previous knowledge of Spanish to complete three semesters of college Spanish in five months (eight credits at Bard and four credits in Mexico in January). Students will attend eight hours of class per week plus two hours with the Spanish tutor. Oral communication, reading and writing skills will be developed through a variety of approaches. Prospective students must interview with the instructor prior to registration. Back to top SPAN 110 Accelerated Spanish Carmen Pascual Medrano A course designed for the student who has had some prior exposure to Spanish or who has excellent command of another Romance language. All the major topics in grammar will be covered, and the course will provide intensive practice in the four skills (speaking, comprehension, reading and writing). We will be using a new textbook specially designed to provide a streamlined review of basic topics in grammar and provide more detail and exercises for advanced topics. The textbook will be supplemented with authentic video material from Spain and 'Latin America. One additional hour per week of practice with the Spanish tutor and a substantial amount of work in the language resource center will also be required. The course will prepare the student for summer language programs abroad or Spanish 201 the following semester. Back to top SPAN 201 Intermediate Spanish I Melanie Nicholson For students who have completed Spanish 106 or 110, or permission of the instructor. This course is designed to perfect the student's command of all four language skills (speaking, aural comprehension, reading, and writing). This will be achieved through an intensive grammar review, conversational practice, reading of modern Spanish texts, writing simple compositions, and language lab work. Prerequisite: Spanish 106, 110, or permission of instructor Back to top SPAN 306 Five Latin American Poets Melanie Nicholson This course will examine the work of five twentieth-century Latin American poets: Pablo Neruda (Chile), César Vallejo (Peru), Octavio Paz (Mexico), Nicolás Guillén (Cuba) and Alejandra Pizarnik (Argentina). Although students will be asked to read extensively within the obra of each of these writers, class time will be mainly spent in close analysis of selected texts. Outside readings will help orient students to the historical, social, and political contexts in which these writers produced their work. In this regard, we will attempt to answer these and other questions: What occasioned the shift, in Neruda and Vallejo, from a vanguardist, hermetic poetry to a more accessible and socially-oriented poetry? How are Eastern religious and philosophical orientations, particularly those of Buddhism, manifested in the work of Paz? In what ways does the poetry of Guillén respond to racial and socio-political issues crucial to an understanding of Cuba's history? How can we apply contemporary discourses concerning gender and the representation of the body to the poetry of Pizarnik? In addition to writing critical essays, students will be asked to memorize and recite short poems. Optional assignments may include original poems written in Spanish and translations of poems into English. Back to top SPAN 356 Spanish Literary Translation Melanie Nicholson This course is designed for students who have completed at least two years of college Spanish. A thorough knowledge of Spanish grammar and a broad vocabulary in Spanish are considered to be Prerequisites. Theoretical texts concerning translation will be discussed as a basis for every class meeting, and students will be required to write short reaction papers in Spanish. The first half of the semester will be dedicated to translation of brief texts from various genres, pre-selected by the professor. During the second half of the semester, students will choose their own longer texts to translate. The main intent of this course is to encourage a thoughtful examination of literary language as it manifests itself across linguistic and cultural boundaries. Conducted primarily in Spanish. Back to top DAN 316 AP Spanish Dance Repertory Aileen Passloff Back to top DAN 243 AP Flamenco Aileen Passloff Back to top DAN 284 AP Flamenco: Adv. Beginner Aileen Passloff Back to top DAN 343 Flamenco: Intermediate & Men Aileen Passloff Back to top DAN 343 M Flamenco: Intermediate Aileen Passloff Back to top DAN 443 Flamenco: Advanced Aileen Passloff Back to top Of Related Interest to LAIS RTH 140 Survey of Islamic Art Susan Aberth Survey of Islamic art in Iran, Syria, Egypt, Turkey, North Africa, Spain, China, India, Indonesia and other regions, from the death of Muhammad in AD 632 up until the present. The course will include architectural monuments, their structural features and decoration as well as the decorative arts in all the various media — pottery, metalwork, textile and carpet weaving, glass, jewelry, calligraphy, book illumination and painting. There will be visits to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to view their Islamic collection. This class is open to students at all levels. Back to top LIT 3207 Responsibility and Cultural Memory Nancy Leonard A seminar that explores how personal narrative, monuments and memorials, and photography document and produce the memory of trauma, at once vividly present and inevitably dependent on our ethical response for its very existence. War, torture, suffering, violence: the memory of trauma is cultural memory, so that struggles over testimony, memorials and sites of suffering articulate the haunting of the present by what is not visible, not yet expressed about the past. We will talk through some issues of human rights, drawing on the discourses of politics, the media, aesthetics and psychoanalysis. We will read theoretical texts by Benjamin, Agamben, Blanchot, Caruth, Felman, Alcava, Baer, and LaCapra. Case studies will include narratives by Holocaust survivors such as Szpilman (author of the novel on which The Pianist was based) and Levi; and from survivors of the "desaparecidos" of Latin America. We will explore the complexities of response and representation to a variety of visually powerful material, from photographs of Civil War battlegrounds and Holocaust sites, to public monuments and films. Upper College standing is assumed. Interested students should email Professor Leonard before registration. Back to top |
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