 |
 |
Winter 2004
This information effective for Winter 2004. Check with instructor the first day of class for any changes.
World Literature and Cultural Studies
[LTWL-109]
109. Topics in Cultural Studies: Latin/o American Popular Culture
(Note: this syllabus is for informational purposes only. Although valid as an overview, it will be revised and modified before winter 2004. Dates have not been corrected yet.)
TTh
10:00–11:45 a.m., Kresge 325
Instructor: Juan Poblete
E-mail: jpoblete@ucsc.edu
Office: 151 Merrill Faculty Annex
Office hours: TBA
Bibliography:
(available at Literary Guillotine, 204 Locust, Santa Cruz, 457-1195)
- Néstor
García Canclini, Hybrid cultures: strategies for entering
and leaving modernity
- Latinos
Inc., by Arlene Davila
- El
Puente/The Bridge, by Ito Romo
- Aunt
Julia and the Scriptwriter, by Mario Vargas Llosa
- Kiss
of the Spider Woman, by Manuel Puig
- Martin
Rivas, by Alberto Blest Gana
- Scenes
from Postmodernity, by Beatriz Sarlo
- Our
Lady of the Assassins, by Fernando Vallejo
Course Description:
The
course offers an overview of contemporary theoretical issues in Latin/o
American cultural critique. It focuses on, on the one hand, the relationships
between Latin/o American popular cultures and modernization/globalization
as social processes and, on the other, new forms of cultural analysis.
Objectives:
The goals of the class are
- to better understand the connections between national communities, mass oriented cultures, and transnational processes;
- to familiarize students with the specific forms of cultural analysis recently developed in Latin America; and
- to understand
the limits and possibilities of Latin/o American cultural studies.
Evaluation:
| Midterm paper: (6–8 pages) |
15%
|
| Oral report (8–10 minutes) | 10% |
| Written reports (see below) | 20% |
| Class participation | 25% |
| Final paper (8–15 pages) | 30% |
The
oral report will be a short (10 to 15 minutes) presentation on a particular
text. The written reports (one every week) will be typewritten, double
spaced, 2–3 pages of critical response to the readings. The midterm
paper should be a first attempt at dealing with the problems to be analyzed
on the final paper and should develop a critical bibliography (both historical
and literary). The final paper will be an original and comprehensive critical
assessment of one of the texts read in class.
Note:
Students with disabilities who may need accommodations, please see
me as soon as possible during office hours, or make an appointment.
Schedule
| January | |
| Tues 7 | Introduction. William Rowe and Vivian Schelling, Memory and Modernity. Popular Culture in Latin America. A historical overview. Esteban Echeverría, "The Slaughter House" |
| Thurs 9 | William
Rowe and Vivian Schelling, Memory and Modernity. Popular Culture
in Latin America. A historical overview. Esteban Echeverría, "The
Slaughter House" Alberto Blest Gana. Martín Rivas. Fernando Unzueta, "The Nineteenth Century Novel: Toward a Public Sphere or a Mass Media |
| Tues 14 | Alberto Blest Gana. Martín Rivas. Fernando Unzueta, "The Nineteenth Century Novel: Toward a Public Sphere or a Mass Media |
| Thurs 16 | Alberto Blest Gana. Martín Rivas. Doris Sommer, "Irresistible Romance" |
| Tues 21 | Jesús Martín Barbero, Communication, culture and hegemony: from the media to mediations. p.85-147. |
| Thurs 23 | Vargas Llosa, Aunt Julia. p. 1-190 (chapters 1-10). Jesus Martin Barbero, Communication, culture and hegemony p.149-186 of the Coursepack |
| Tues 28 | Vargas Llosa, Aunt Julia. p. 191-end (chapters 11-end) |
| Thurs 30 | Jesús Martín Barbero, Communication, culture and hegemony: from the media to mediations. p.187-240 of the Coursepack. Draft of mid-term paper due. |
| February | |
| Tues 4 | Puig, Kiss of the Spider Woman (full text) |
| Thurs 6 | Puig, Kiss of the Spider Woman. Mid-term paper due. |
| Tues 11 | No class. Advising day. |
| Thurs 13 | Néstor García Canclini, Hybrid Cultures: strategies for entering and leaving modernity, p.1-65, 89-144. |
| Tues 18 | Néstor García Canclini, Hybrid Cultures, p.145-205. Borderstasis [videorecording]: the many lives of an end-of-the-century bandit: (a video diary) / written and directed by Guillermo Gomez-Pena. |
| Thurs 20 | Beatriz Sarlo, Scenes from Postmodernity |
| Tues 25 | Beatriz Sarlo, Scenes from Postmodernity |
| Thurs 27 | Arlene Davila, Latinos Inc., pp.1-125 |
| March | |
| Tues 4 | Arlene
Davila, Latinos Inc., pp.153-240 Screening of Robert Rodriguez's El Mariachi |
| Thurs 6 | On El Mariachi. Charles Ramirez Berg, "Ethnic Ingenuity and Mainstream Cinema" |
| Tues 11 | Ito
Romo, El Puente / The Bridge. Néstor García Canclini, Hybrid Cultures, pp.206-end. |
| Thurs 13 | Fernando
Vallejo, Our lady of the assassins. Screening of Our lady
of the assassins. Peter Winn, "Perils of the State" Draft of final paper due. Exchange drafts. |
| Tues 18 | Arlene Davila, Latinos Inc., Chapter 4. Workshop on final paper |
| Thurs 20 | Final class. |
Table of Contents
William Rowe and Vivian Schelling, Memory and Modernity. Popular Culture in Latin America.
Esteban Echeverria, "The Slaughter House"
Fernando Unzueta, "The Nineteenth Century Novel: Toward a Public Sphere or a Mass Media"
Doris Sommer, "Irresistible Romance"
Jesús Martín Barbero, Communication, culture and hegemony: from the media to mediations.
Charles Ramirez Berg, "Ethnic Ingenuity and Mainstream Cinema"
Peter Winn,
"Perils of the State"