Hispanic Culture Through Literature and Film

This course will serve as an introduction to various key cultural moments in 20th-century Hispanic societies: the Mexican Revolution; the Cuban Revolution; and dictatorship and post-dictatorship periods in Chile and Spain. We will study and analyze the historical-cultural backgrounds of each of these moments, as well as interpret key literary and filmic texts associated with them. Students will learn the tools of cultural, literary and filmic analysis in the reading and discussion of the literary and cinematic works.

Writers will include Ramón López Velarde, Nellie Campobello, Eliseo Alberto, Pedro Lemebel, Adelaida García Morales and Carme Riera. Films will include “Ensayo de un crimen,” “Memorias del subdesarrollo,” “Machuca,” and “Cría cuervos.”

Required Text: Course readings will be provided online.