An introduction to the study of Latin America from multiple disciplinary perspectives. The course will expose students to contemporary topics in the region and methodologies of study. Topics will include the challenges of democracy and economic development, poverty and income inequality, the environment, popular and urban culture, Afro-descendent and indigenous identities, social movements, religion, U.S.-Latin American relations, and immigration. The course will feature guest lectures from faculty experts at the college.
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 25
Prerequisites: Open to First-Years and Sophomores. Juniors and Seniors by permission of the instructor.
Instructor: Contreras
Distribution Requirements: SBA - Social and Behavioral Analysis
Typical Periods Offered: Every other year; Spring
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Spring
Notes:
In this problem-centered survey of the contemporary history of Latin America we will critique and go beyond the many stereotypes that have inhibited understandings between Anglo and Latin America, cultivating instead a healthy respect for complexity and contradiction. Over the course of the semester we will examine key themes in current history, including the dilemmas of uneven national development in dependent economies; the emergence of anti-imperialism and various forms of political and cultural nationalism; the richness and variety of revolution; ethnic, religious, feminist, literary, artistic, and social movements; the imposing social problems of the sprawling Latin American megalopolis; the political heterodoxies of leftism, populism, authoritarianism, and neoliberalism; the patterns of peace, violence, and the drug trade; the considerable U.S. influence in the region, and finally, transnational migration and globalization.
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 25
Crosslisted Courses: LAST 20 7
Prerequisites: None.
Instructor: Osorio
Distribution Requirements: HS - Historical Studies
Typical Periods Offered: Spring
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Spring
Notes:
The Empire of the Indies or New World was part of the larger Spanish Empire, and comprised the American continent, the Philippine and the Mariana Islands in the Pacific. At the height of its power in the seventeenth century, the Spanish Empire was a global enterprise in which Portuguese, Aztec, Genoese, Chinese, Japanese, Flemish, Inka and Romans played essential roles in its daily functioning and constitution. This course traces the making and consolidation of the Empire of the Indies by examining the resources, peoples, and ideas that it contributed to Spain’s overwhelming power ca. 1500s-1780s. It interrogates evolving meanings and understandings of empire, colonialism, and modernity, and the cultural transformations of native populations and Europeans in historic and geographical context.
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 25
Crosslisted Courses: LAST 211
Prerequisites: None.
Instructor: Osorio
Distribution Requirements: HS - Historical Studies
Typical Periods Offered: Fall
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Not Offered
Notes:
Despite significant differences in the political and economic development of countries across Latin America and the Caribbean region, important commonalities include colonial legacies, revolutions and revolutionary movements, military rule, the rise of populism, import-substituting industrialization, neoliberal economic reform, as well as democratic transition, consolidation, and backsliding. This course offers an introductory understanding of such trends. We will analyze political and economic changes through theoretical perspectives such as political culture, dependency, and institutionalism. We will also examine contemporary forces shaping politics in the region today, such as citizenship, intersectional identities, sexual and reproductive rights, the environment, and the changing role of external forces.
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 20
Crosslisted Courses: LAST 217
Prerequisites:
Instructor: Contreras
Distribution Requirements: SBA - Social and Behavioral Analysis
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Not Offered
Notes:
One of the most unique aspects of Cuba is its incredible diversity as a result of a long history of encounters between Europe, Africa and Asia. The hybrid nature of Cuban identity can be manifested through a number of forms, such as art, music, literature and religion. As Cuba begins a new phase in history, a comprehensive understanding of its cultural heritage is more pressing than ever. Rather than focus on political issues, this course will use on-site visits to explore different experiences of cultural intersections or syncretism (known as “transculturation”) on the island. A strong command of Spanish is required as the bulk of the course will be taught in the target language in order to better understand Cuban history and culture. Some of the student activities include preliminary readings, lectures, videos, interviews, and a travel log.
Units: 0.5
Max Enrollment: 14
Prerequisites: Permission of the instructor required. Knowledge of Spanish at the level of one course beyond SPAN 241/SPAN 242 (or 5th semester) is required.
Instructor: Hagimoto
Distribution Requirements: HS - Historical Studies
Typical Periods Offered: Winter
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Winter
Notes: This is a travel course, not offered every year (subject to approval by Provost's Office). Class will meet on campus prior to departure.
The course is a survey of economic development in Latin America, with an emphasis on public policies aimed at reducing poverty and inequality. How can we define and measure development? How did Latin American governments pursue development over the 20th century and into the 21st? How does contemporary social and education policy contribute to the reduction of poverty and inequality? The course introduces students to policy evaluation, with a focus on understanding and writing about field experiments in Latin America.
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 25
Crosslisted Courses: LAST 241
Prerequisites: ECON 101 or ECON 101P.
Instructor: McEwan
Distribution Requirements: SBA - Social and Behavioral Analysis
Typical Periods Offered: Fall
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Fall
Notes:
This course explores contemporary issues in Latin America from an anthropological perspective. We will discuss legacies of colonialism and Cold War power struggles, as well as the central role social movements are playing in crafting Latin American futures. We will trace the ways the region is enmeshed in transnational processes and migrations and analyze the intersection of culture, race, gender, and class in shaping urban centers, rural hinterlands, and livelihood strategies within them. In particular, we will discuss how ethnographic research – the long-term fieldwork conducted by anthropologists – can enrich our understanding of hotly debated issues such as statecraft, borders, and shifting meanings of citizenship; in/security, human rights, and democratization; and, illicit economies, extractive industries, and critical approaches to development.
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 20
Crosslisted Courses: LAST 245
Prerequisites:
Instructor: Ellison
Distribution Requirements: SBA - Social and Behavioral Analysis
Typical Periods Offered: Every other year
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Fall
Notes:
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 25
Prerequisites: Two units of course work in Latin American studies.
Typical Periods Offered: Spring; Fall
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Spring; Fall
Units: 0.5
Max Enrollment: 25
Prerequisites: Two units of course work in Latin American studies.
Typical Periods Offered: Spring; Fall
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Spring; Fall
An introduction to the multiple elements constituting Latin American culture. An examination of the principal characteristics of Spanish colonialism and Creole nationalism will inform our general understanding of Latin American culture today. Readings and class discussions will cover such topics as military and spiritual conquest, the Indian and African contributions, the emergence of criollo and mestizo discourses, and gender and race relations. Readings will include the works of Latin American writers, filmmakers, and historians.
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 14
Crosslisted Courses: LAST 273
Prerequisites: Open to students who have completed SPAN 241 or SPAN 242 or equivalent (AP 5) or by permission of the instructor.
Instructor: Guzauskyte
Distribution Requirements: LL - Language and Literature
Typical Periods Offered: Every other year; Fall
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Not Offered
Notes:
An examination of the principal characteristics of the search for identity and independence of the emerging Latin American nations as expressed in literary, historical, and anthropological writing. We will examine the experience of each of four distinct regions: Mexico and Central America, the Caribbean, the Andean countries, and the Southern Cone. Readings will include the works of contemporary Latin American writers, filmmakers, and historians. Special attention will be given to the relationship between social issues and the evolution of literary form.
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 14
Crosslisted Courses: LAST 275
Prerequisites: Open to students who have completed SPAN 241 or SPAN 242 or equivalent (AP 5) or by permission of the instructor.
Instructor: Selimovic
Distribution Requirements: LL - Language and Literature
Typical Periods Offered: Every other year; Spring
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Not Offered
Notes:
Beginning with Gabriela Mistral, the first Latin-American Nobel Laureate for Literature, this course focuses on the leading women poets in both Spain and the Americas. Central to this production are themes of human rights and social justice, gender, and the expression of love and desire. While the class will examine connections between women poets on both sides of the Atlantic, differences in terms of negotiating a male-dominated publication infrastructure will be examined. Other than Mistral, poets will include Concha Méndez, Rosa Chacel, Lucía Sánchez Saornil, Clara Janés, Cristina Peri Rossi, Gloria Fuertes, and from the Americas, Delmira Agustini, Alfonsina Storni, Idea Villarino, Violeta Parra and others.
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 14
Crosslisted Courses: LAST 287
Prerequisites: Students who have completed Spanish 241 and Spanish 242, or AP 5, or by permission of the instructor.
Instructor: Agosin
Distribution Requirements: LL - Language and Literature
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Not Offered
Notes:
This course centers on connections between recent Latin American films and other media, especially music, literature, and television. We will explore how such connections critique certain sociopolitical and cultural milieus that the selected films spring from, seek to represent, or both. Interdisciplinary readings will anchor our discussions as we focus on illuminating the films’ nuanced commentaries on local particularities—but also foreign influences—through the intersections of politics, agency, gender, and race. Alejandro González Iñárritu, Juan José Campanella, Fabián Bielinsky, Martín Rejtman, Paula Markovitch, Paz Encina, Jayro Bustamente, and Lucrecia Martel will be at the heart of the course, for their films have reconfigured contemporary Latin American cinema in unexpected ways.
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 10
Crosslisted Courses: LAST 317
Prerequisites: Open to Senior and Junior majors or by permission of the instructor.
Instructor: Selimovic
Distribution Requirements: LL - Language and Literature
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Not Offered
Notes:
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 15
Prerequisites: Open to Latin American Studies and Spanish majors.
Typical Periods Offered: Spring; Fall
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Fall; Spring
Units: 0.5
Max Enrollment: 25
Prerequisites: Open to Latin American Studies and Spanish majors.
Typical Periods Offered: Spring; Fall
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Fall; Spring
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 15
Prerequisites: Permission of the department. See Academic Distinctions.
Typical Periods Offered: Spring; Fall
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Fall; Spring
Notes: Students enroll in Senior Thesis Research (360) in the first semester and carry out independent work under the supervision of a faculty member. If sufficient progress is made, students may continue with Senior Thesis (370) in the second semester.
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 25
Prerequisites: LAST 360 and permission of the department.
Typical Periods Offered: Spring; Fall
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Fall; Spring
Notes: Students enroll in Senior Thesis Research (360) in the first semester and carry out independent work under the supervision of a faculty member. If sufficient progress is made, students may continue with Senior Thesis (370) in the second semester.
Art and anthropology museums tell stories about the past and its relevance to the present, but what stories they tell, who gets to tell them, and which objects should—or should not—be considered are not always self-evident. In this writing-intensive seminar, you will learn how texts—wall labels, press releases, exhibition reviews—engage audiences within and beyond the museum’s walls. The course consists of writing assignments related to artworks made in the Americas before Independence, from the ancient Maya to colonial Peru, many on exhibit at the Davis Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Through these case studies, we will learn how to convert visual images and academic arguments into appealing, jargon-free prose. In keeping with the structure of the Calderwood seminar, weekly deadlines in this class are firm so as to allow classmates time to reflect on such arguments and comment on each other’s ideas. Take on the role of museum curator and learn how texts help us navigate controversies over the acquisition, provenance, and display of artworks from distant cultures and places.
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 12
Crosslisted Courses: LAST 378
Prerequisites: At least two 100- or 200-level courses in Art History or Anthropology.
Instructor: Oles
Distribution Requirements: ARS - Visual Arts, Music, Theater, Film and Video
Other Categories: CSPW - Calderwood Seminar in Public Writing
Typical Periods Offered: Fall; Every three years
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Fall
Notes: