Contemporary Hispanic Issues: Social Movements and Resistance

This course is designed to introduce the student to a set of concepts and debates in relation to the study of the societies, cultures, and histories of the Americas. We will focus on the concepts of resistance and social activism: how social movements and activism are organized, exercised, enacted, and contested. From everyday forms of resistance to organized movements, we will examine some concrete historical and cultural situations in relation to major topics: the legacy of past revolutions, human rights and memory, Neoliberalism and globalization, environmental issues, arts and politics, and Hispanic immigration to the US. Through critical and fictional texts, films and documentaries, music and visual arts, students will gain a multidimensional understanding of contemporary Hispanic issues and different ways and instances of social resistance.

Required text: Materials for this course will be accessible online.