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Curricular information is subject to change
On successful completion of this modules students should be able to:
On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
Identify and engage with cultural and political theories around the perception and representation of Latin America.
Put key ideas and concepts explored in the course into their wider historical context.
To analyse and interpret various cultural media such as film, journal entries, literature and art and link them to the course’s main themes.
To be able to think independently and creatively around the topics covered and to integrate critical viewpoints with your own.
This is subject to change but is an indicator of previous content:
Block 1: Theoretical approach outline and travellers' tales.
Week 1: Class 1: Introduction and the ‘Invention’ of Latin America, Readings taken from Mignolo (2005), The Monroe Doctrine (on Brightspace).
Class 2: Comment on readings.
Week 2 Class 1: Travellers’ Tales: Columbus, von Humboldt, Darwin, Palin.
Class 2: Discussion of readings on above (on Brightspace).
Week 3, Block 2: Latin Hollywood.
Class 1: Latin Hollywood and the Good Neighbour Policy
Class 2: Readings of excerpts of documents: The Hays Code (Brightspace).
Week 4 Class 1: Latin Hollywood to the present
Class 2: Analysis of clips from 'Down Argentine Way' (1940), 'The Good, The Bad and the Ugly'(1966).
Reading of Swanson, ‘Remember the Alamo’ and ‘Going down on Good Neighbours’ (Brightspace). Watch: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly online.
Week 5: Class 1: Imagining Latin America on screen: 'West Side Story' (1961), 'Havana' (1990), 'Up' (2009). Class 2: Revisioning Latin America on screen in contemporary Latin music: Juan Luis Guerra: 'Tus besos' (2018) and Mon Laferte 'Que se sepa nuestra amor' (2020).
Week 6: Block 3: Borderlands.
Class 1: Borderlands: Mexican-American perspectives. Luís Alberto Urrea and Gloria Anzaldúa: excerpts from the texts 'Borderlands, La Frontera' (1987) and 'The Devil’s Highway' (2004) (Brightspace).
Class 2: A recent North American literary interpretation of the border, 'American Dirt' (2019) by Jeanine Cummins. This class will take the form of an discussion forum which will be set up in advance and which every student will contribute to in the class hour online. Further instructions will be given in due course.
Week 7: Class 1: Chicanos in the USA. Chicano self-representation: art and activism.
Class 2: Read: Chicano Art chapter (Brightspace)and introduction to 'Our Lady of Controversy: Alma López's Irreverent Apparition' (link provided on BS).
Class 2: Group presentations.
Two-week study break: no classes
Week 8. Reading week: no classes
Week 9: Block 4: Icons.
Class 1: Icons: what makes an icon and why are we drawn to Latin American icons: political, sporting, criminal and religious? Read: 1) ‘Evita: The Globalisation of a National Myth’ by Marta Savigliano.
Class 2: No class: Good Friday
Week 10, Class 1: An Argentine Icon: Maradona. Discussion and debate.
Class 2: Group Presentations.
Week 11, Class 1: The cult of the narcos and their representation: narco-corridos, social media, print media. Discussion of episodes from 'Narcos'. Read: Pizarra, ‘Screening Latin American-ness’ (BSpace)
Class 2: Group Presentations.
Week 12: Class 1: Group presentations and essay preparation workshop.
Class 2: Group presentations.
Student Effort Type | Hours |
---|---|
Lectures | 24 |
Specified Learning Activities | 34 |
Autonomous Student Learning | 52 |
Total | 110 |
Not applicable to this module.
Description | Timing | Component Scale | % of Final Grade | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Essay: An essay on a subject different to the presentation but relevant to the module will be assessed at the end of the course. | Coursework (End of Trimester) | n/a | Standard conversion grade scale 40% | No | 60 |
Group Project: A synchronous group presentation will take place mid-semester with peer feedback given afterwards. | Throughout the Trimester | n/a | Standard conversion grade scale 40% | No | 40 |
Resit In | Terminal Exam |
---|---|
Autumn | No |
• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment
• Peer review activities
Peer review in class, group feedback given and essay feedback given.